United States Agency for International Development( USAID), has sponsored a youth driven initiative in selected 25 constituencies to sustain a previous project whose term of implementation had expired.
The new outfit dubbed” Kisii Endelevu Trust Initiative “will operate as an umbrella body for youth groups to spur development and growth thus complementing the devolved area government.
Youth groups representatives from Sacco’s,civil society,faith and community based organizations met in Kisii town to review the five year strategic plan and policies on gender mainstreaming, youths and growth.
The board chairman Dr . John Nyambega explained development partners will be enlisted to train the youth group members on financial management.
He emphasized the role of group committee’s in whipping the members participate fully in the development activities for sustainability.
Programme officer, Asha Esbon Moronya cited suicide cases, gender based violence and mental health as some of the social challenges affecting the youth and which will prioritized tackling by the initiative.
According to Moronya, the residents will be educated on how to support implementation of the youth programmes if they were to benefit them.
Justine Mabeya,the secretary disclosed underway plans to launch a sustained funds drive including reaching out to donors with a view to facilitating the programmes.
He assured the beneficiaries of transparency and accountability in the programmes implementation.
USAID had successfully undertaken a massive youth empowerment programme in the larger Gusii region which saw formation of Sacco’s ,poultry, bee -keeping projects and grassroots forums to discuss emerging socio- economic issues.