UNDP-RWANGA FOUNDATION EDP PROJECT at KOYA UNIVERSITY
Headway is a UNDP/UN-Habitat joint action programme, intervening in countries affected by the impact of the Syria crisis (Lebanon and Iraq) and funded by the “EU Regional Trust Fund in response to the Syrian crisis, the EU MADAD Fund”. Rwanga Foundation in consortium with Erbil Governorate will implement it under the umbrella of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The main goal is to improve the resilience of the host and refugee population in targeted communities impacted by the Syrian crisis, through strengthened local/regional multi-level governance systems, and improved access to basic services, affordable housing, and income, while complementing existing initiatives and supporting national governments to address those risks and vulnerabilities, where a UN joint partnership brings a strong added value.
The programme activities support basic services, livelihoods, and income generation in targeted communities, including the implementation of this project: Entrepreneurship Development Programme, supporting youth and women, which will be implemented by Rwanga Foundation in consortium with Directorate of Career Services at Koya University.
This project will target 60 unemployed Host Community, Syrian Refugees, and IDP (Age: 18-35) in Koya District and it will be implemented in five stages from screening to the establishment of the businesses. The programme covers the cost of transportation, refreshment, training, and dedication of $2000 for 20 start-ups. Priority is given to the youth, women with sustainable business ideas while public sector employees and university/technical institute students are ineligible to apply to the project. Successful candidates are required to attend 4 weeks of training on Entrepreneurship at Bahar Language Center inside Koya University Campus. The time plan of the project is shown below:
Up to the 30th. Dec. 2020, the following activities and progresses have been recorded in the project:
From 08.Nov.-13.Nov. 2020: An application form is being designed by Career Development Directorate at Koya University and published on the main portal of Koya University Facebook Page.
158 Candidates applied for the training and 126 were finally filtered for the next stage of interview session scheduled on 23. Nov.-25. Nov. 2020.
On 22. Nov. 2020, Koya University prepared the venue considering strict COVID19 prevention measurements.
Four copies of the full contract with RWANGA Foundation in Kurdish and English are signed by Koya University president and scheduled to be signed by RWANGA Head in the earliest convenience.
An official letter is being submitted to RWANGA Foundation by Koya Unversity requesting the first installment of the allocated budget mounted to 20% of the overall budget of $90,600.
Submission of an early version of the full training materials and curriculum to RWANGA Foundation.
Meeting with RWANGA officials on 09. Nov. 2020.
Up to 20th Nov. Koya University team has finished all the arrangement to conduct the interview sessions to more than 126 EDP applicants. Each of the applicants has been contacted via phone and provided with a snack during the interview.
Between 23rd Nov. -25th Nov. a special committee comprised of 6 university professors and lecturers have conducted the interviews as per the given instructions shown in picture below.
Out of 126 contacted applicants, 105 have appeared for the interviewing.
Among the interviewees, 74 were females and 31 were males.
After filtration and considering the gender balance, 50 of the best female applicants and 10 from the best male applicants were picked to commence the EDP training, scheduled on 06th Dec. The reason behind this selective criterion returns to the fact that almost all successful applicants were females as they appeared to be better prepared for the interviews. If this hasn’t been adopted, 59 of the applicants out of 60 could have been females. The appetite of the females to join such programs is very huge, since due to the social norm and owing to the severe unemployment among women in Koya, they can’t simply relocate themselves elsewhere. As a matter of fact, almost 70% of all top 3 Koya University graduates for academic year 2019-2020 were females. Yet we still preferred to give a chance to some male applicants, in spite of the fact that most of them can come to Erbil and find better opportunities of employment, whereas this is nearly impossible for females. This is beside to the fact that it has been clearly noticed in the EDP proposal that the programme gives preference to young widows with child/(ren).
On the next move from Koya University part, the EDP team started the EDP training at the Bahar Language Center of Koya University.
Peparation of the training venues and provision of the snacks and refreshment for 67 people on daily basis for the next 10 days of the trainings.
In order to increase the local stakeholders of the project and support the local restaurants, the team has signed contracts with 4 local restaurants each USD1625 in order to provide the dinner meals for 70 people from the trainees, managing staff and hosting place staff who often are obliged to stay with us beside their duty hours.
We invited a successful entrepreneur to motivate the trainees.
Module No. 1 of the training has been successfully given. A total of 531 slides of training materials have been given in the training of this week.
Meeting with the UNDP visibility staff on 09. Dec. 2020.
For week 2 of the training, a total of 421 slide lecturing materials has been prepared and the team is now conducted the training.
Production and Marketing plans of the 15 business plans have been successfully filled by 15 groups.
The training team has finished Financial Plan and Recordings of the training in the last two weeks of the trainings.
On 29th Dec. a team of Rwanga Team has visited the training and gave essential recommendations for the next phase of the EDP project.
On 30. Dec. the final session of the lesson series has been successfully given and the training ended without mentionable problems.
Pseudo sessions of Business Plan evaluations have been conducted for most of the 15 business plans that have been prepared by 15 groups.
On 30th Dec. Koya University President, Vice Presidents for Scientific and Administrations have visited the training.
Photos of the daily trainings are provided below:
بەرنامەی پەرەپێدانی کارسازی لە زانکۆی کۆیە
ئەم پرۆژەیە لەلایەن یەکێتی ئەوروپاوە لە ڕێگەی سندوقی متمانەی هەرێمی سەر بە یەکێتی ئەوروپا بۆ بەدەمەوەهاتنی قەیرانەکانی سوریا، "سندوقی مەدەد"، لە جوارچێوەی رەخساندنی هەلی کارەوە لە هەرێمی کوردستانی عیراقی سەربەبەرنامەی " بەرەوپێشەوە" دا کۆمەک دەکرێت و لەلایەن بەرنامەی نەتەوەیەکگرتوەکان بۆ پەرەپێدان بە هاوبەشی لەگەل پارێزگای هەولیر و دەزگای ڕوانگە جێبەجێ دەکرێت. پرۆژەی پەرەپێدانی پێشەنگی کار پرۆژەیەکی لاوەکی سەر بە گوژمەی بەخشینەکە بە هاوبەشی لەگەڵ زانکۆی کۆیە جێبەجێدەکرێت.
