Young people can have a significant impact on developing economies by launching their own activities. By attending technical trainings, students can develop an entrepreneurial mindset to start and run their successful businesses; they can grasp innovation, introduce new competition in the labor market and therefore contribute to economic productivity of the local community.
Liberia was affected by a devastating civil war between 1989 and 2003. A quarter of a million people lost their lives. Three quarters of a million people lost their homes and became refugees as they fled from the fighting.
Many of the persons displaced by the war remained refugees for a long time. When the conflict ended some of them voluntarily returned to Liberia. Then, in July 2012, a cessation clause entered into force for remaining refugees from Liberia on the basis that the peace and stability in the country was restored.
This meant that those who had fled Liberia would no longer be regarded as refugees and, unless they met meet the necessary legal requirements of that country for asylum, would have to return, the majority of the remaining refugees did.
Georgia Gage was one of them. She and her three children returned to Monrovia in 2013, after 10 years as refugees in Nigeria. “It was a bold step to take. Living in country that is not yours is very difficult. For me it was necessary to come home,” recalls Gage.
In April 2013, UNIDO launched the Reintegration for Liberian Returnees through the Skills Training and Job Creation Programme.
With funding from the Government of Japan, in close cooperation with the Liberian Refugee Repatriation and Resettlement Commission (LRRRC) and the Liberian Returnee Network, UNIDO implemented entrepeneurship development and vocational skills training programmes to help returning refugees to reintegrate into their country of origin.
Gage was one of 300 returnees who successfully applied for vocational skills training.The programme offered 22 market-oriented specializations. She took the training for curtain-making, and learnt to use a sewing machine for the first time. She also learnt business-management skills.
“The training helped me improve the quality of my family life very much. I am forever grateful to UNIDO,” she says proudly. Before leaving Liberia she was a high school graduate. “I had no trade or career to count on. So, when I came back, with the help of UNIDO, I had something to sustain my family. I am truly grateful.”
Terrance Ballah, 30, returned to Liberia after years in Sierra Leone. He is one of nearly 700 people who had 120 hours of entrepreneurship development training.
“I received a certificate in auto-electricity, learned about fault-finding, repairing, replacement and maintenance. They also taught us about entrepreneurship, customer service, and how to be efficient while working,” he said.
Once he finished the training, Ballah was able to sustain himself and with his earnings he paid for a specialized course in electronic technics. Right after that he followed his entrepreneurial dream and, together with a friend, opened his own business.
“The training helped me improve my life. Before, I was dependent on my brothers and sisters, but now I became self-employed and I do everything for myself,” he added.
More than 1000 returnees successfully completed the training with hopes of being able to support their families and start a new life after the war. However, the Ebola virus epidemic in Liberia from 2014 to 2015 delayed their plans and only after the crisis passed could many find the so-longed livelihood.
A follow-up study on the role of UNIDO’s training on the economic integration of repatriated refugees in Liberia, published in 2017, shows a clear improvement in the employment and income status of the Liberians who decided to come back.
“With the diminishing of the external shock of the Ebola crisis in Liberia, the findings of this follow-up study better demonstrate the potential of vocational training programmes for the reintegration of repatriates in Liberia,” the report stated.
Ballah is married and has a child, he and his business partner can be found in their workshop every day, repairing different electronic devices.
Gage works from home, she makes curtains, pillows and bedsheets, and dreams about having her own shop where she can showcase her products and expand her business.
“I believe it was the right choice to come back home. I feel good about coming home. The opportunities I have now would never have been available in a foreign country as a refugee,” says Ballah.
Jordan is one of the main destinations for more than 4.9 million Syrians fleeing the civil war. The Kingdom currently hosts over 600,000 Syrian refugees, more than 10% of its pre-crisis population.
Over the last five years, competition for employment opportunities has been particularly fierce in the agricultural sector. Without work permits Syrian refugees enter the informal job sector earning far less than the national minimum wage.
"This massive influx has heavily impacted local economies, as well as people’s livelihoods, especially in places where resources are scarce,” says Noriko Takahashi, UNIDO’s Project Manager.
Host communities are facing inflated prices for basic commodities, goods and services.
“It is necessary to work not only with the families that arrive (from Syria) but also with the communities that receive them,” adds Takahashi.
The UNIDO project, funded by the government of Japan and implemented in 10 different communities, tackles food insecurity by leveraging the agricultural potential of the area known as the food basket of Jordan.
Azraq Women’s cooperative
Samya Abass, 41, has witnessed the crisis first hand. She was born and raised in Azraq, a small town in central-eastern Jordan, now home to almost 20,000 Syrian refugees.
Abass is the head of the Azraq Women’s cooperative, a small organization that works closely with UNIDO to improve food security and create employment in the area.
Focusing on medicinal herbs and also on growing vegetables, the cooperative received training on how to improve harvesting methods, building capacity in agricultural processing and assisting farmers to market their products.
“Now we grow sage, peas, beans, onions and garlic. All with medicinal capabilities,” says Abass. “We also produce pomegranate essence; it helps with weakness in the blood and can be mixed with water as a form of protection against colds”.
According to her, “The goal is to take the benefits of the land, and to create natural products with no chemicals, with the highest quality for consumers.”
“The first day the Syrians arrived at the training programme and the next day we were like family”
“This is a pioneering project, it creates job opportunities to help locals and Syrians,” affirms Abass.
She is experienced in implementing agricultural initiatives for the local community. However, for the first time, the needs of both host and refugee communities were considered by integrating Syrians into the trainings alongside Jordanian trainees.
“In the beginning, with previous training before working with UNIDO, I would always smuggle in two or three Syrians. Now that they were included from the beginning, I was really happy,” she recalls.
According to Abbas, working together has strengthened the bond within the community. “The first day the Syrians arrived at the training programme and, the next day, we were like family. Whenever we have breaks, we eat together and drink coffee and tea. Everyone brings something from their own house and they all sit together and eat.”
Women’s empowerment
Since 2016, over 500 people have been trained under this project - 60% of them were women. Salwa Sueliman is one of them.
She is 45 years old, from Syria, and arrived in Jordan as a refugee in 2013. Sueliman and her husband, Mohammad, have nine children, living in a tent in Badia, eastern Jordan.
Sueliman was a trainee under the UNIDO project, and she has seen a notable increase in female involvement within the community encouraging them to take on active roles during trainings.
“The project helped women to get out of their isolation and participate with men through different lectures and meetings,” she says. “It helped to break the ice between the female and male trainees. Now they are working side by side with the men.”
Sueliman and Abass have faced the crisis from different perspectives, but both share the same feeling:
“It makes you forget about the troubles of life and the misery you faced,” tells Sueliman.
“It (the project) provides something more than financial support. It provides emotional support. I feel we are not forgotten,” affirms Abbas.
“You are not just an intern, you are part of the whole UNIDO team!,” said Julia Dorbandt, intern in the Department of External Relations.
The UNIDO internship programme dates back to the 1990s and continues to grow and improve. Young, bright students and recent graduates come from all over the world and find their place in the UNIDO family, like pieces of a colourful puzzle. Every intern adds value to the Organization by bringing his or her skills, experience and ideas.
Diversity and inclusion are key elements of the programme, together with an eye to the future.
2017-2018 have been a showcase of great cultural diversity with interns joining from five continents and 57 different countries. “You need to fully embrace the cultural diversity here,” said Angel Wen, intern in Department of Programme, Partnerships and Field Integration.
Seventy-three young talents from 24 nationalities are on board this August at UNIDO’s Vienna Headquarters, while 28 interns have so far this year had the opportunity to work in Liaison, Field and Investment and Technology Promotion Offices in Belgium, Ethiopia, Guinea, Iran, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Nigeria, the Republic of Korea, Sudan, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey and Uruguay.
“The experience I am having here is unique and helpful. I am learning how to coordinate and communicate with other institutions, how to understand the needs of developing countries and the ways developed countries can give their support. I believe this is the essence of international cooperation: be target-oriented and understand each other,” affirms Seungsoo Lee, intern at the Investment and Technology Promotion Office in Seoul, Republic of Korea.
“I am very proud of our internship programme. The enthusiasm and energy of our interns are amazing. Their talent and passion constitute a vital part of the UNIDO family. As such, we commit to share with them our knowledge and value their contribution to inclusive and sustainable industrial development,” said Fatou Haidara, Managing Director of Corporate Management and Operations at UNIDO.
The internship programme provides an opportunity to apply concepts and theories learnt at the university to real development issues around the world. Each and every day of the internship is different, opening minds and horizons and offering the chance to establish long-lasting relationships.
“Being an intern in UNIDO was an amazing experience. I had the opportunity to meet and work with an outstanding group of individuals that contributed to my personal and professional growth,” said David Agudelo Romero, intern in the Department of Trade, Investment and Innovation.
The educational and professional backgrounds are truly diverse. They vary from energy to agriculture, from environment to gender studies and from information technology to international relations. Departmental divisions within UNIDO work in synergy and towards the achievement of cross-organizational development objectives, such as the contribution to the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development. Combined with the interns’ passion for learning, this allows the possibility to gain valuable experience in inter-disciplinary areas such as project management, organizational strategy, corporate management, research and many others.
“With the assistance of interns, we incorporate new ideas into our planning, scale up the impact of our work, and create an enjoyable work environment,” Fukuya Iino, Industrial Development Officer in the Department of Environment. “In return, UNIDO improves interns’ job market value by providing on-the-job training in various aspects of our work such as project concept development, project resource management, procurement, event organization and communications. It is not surprising that many interns start delivering professional results long before their internships end, as they are competent and very much motivated to demonstrate what they can do as a member of UNIDO, striving to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals”.
“My six months internship in UNIDO doing research on the synergies between quality labels and local food products opened many doors for me. Currently, and thanks to the experience in UNIDO, I am working as a Quality Manager for an Austrian retail company, taking care of the control of food products and suppliers of national companies in Eastern Europe,” said former intern Laura Natalia Fernandez.
The UNIDO internship experience has been described by the participants as “gratifying”, “rewarding”, “thrilling and exhilarating”.
“I feel like I am really making a difference for people in need,” shares Nicolas Schmidt, intern in the Department of Agribusiness.
Young international talents work hard to shape our future, to contribute to UNIDO’s mandate and improve the quality of life across the world.
