British
Royalty visits Lesotho Since the inception of Skillshare International's programme in Lesotho more than 30 years ago, over half of our activities have been to improve people's employment prospects and to help build the skilled workforce needed for economic growth. Currently, Skillshare has 18 international development workers in Lesotho, 11 of whom work with the government's Technical and Vocational Division (TVD) which coordinates the provision of technical and vocational education across the country and has an important role to play in developing the skills needed to counteract poverty. Sustainable human development is the cornerstone of the Lesotho government's economic and social development strategy, particularly in rural areas. Development priorities include access to adequate health care, education and employment opportunities, and the resources and services needed to accommodate an acceptable standard of living. The Department of Rural Roads is responsible for the construction and maintenance of rural transport infrastructure including rural roads, footbridges and airstrips. Skillshare's development workers have been supporting the development of road building in rural areas to improve access to goods and services for rural communities for almost 20 years. During the last three years, poverty has increased in Lesotho due to severe drought conditions that hit the southern African region and lowered agricultural production. Starvation among rural communities depending upon subsistence farming for their survival has become so serious that earlier this year the government of Lesotho declared a state of famine in the country and appealed to the international community for food assistance. Food delivery to the rural communities required accessible roads demonstrating Skillshare's vital contribution to the Department of Rural Roads. Unemployment in Lesotho has risen to between 45 and 50%, mainly as a result of the retrenchment of Basotho miners from the Republic of South African as more mines are being closed down. These people require entrepreneurial skills that will help them earn a living in trades such as horticulture, animal production, welding, mechanics, masonry and bricklaying. The Taung Rural Skills Centre is one of Skillshare's partners and is a good model of a community based institution that can provide the kind of skills that are urgently required for employment in rural areas. The aim is to give people a real chance to work towards an improved standard of living for themselves and their families through skills training and support for income generation enterprises. Skillshare also works to improve the livelihoods of disadvantaged groups in Lesotho, including women, young people, the disabled and people living with HIV/AIDS. Our input is through the provision of technical personnel to work with, advise and train staff of NGOs that are working with disadvantaged groups, and we assist with mobilising funds to support special projects aimed at addressing issues pertinent to empowering disadvantaged groups. Our work with the Lesotho Society of Mentally Handicapped Persons (LSMHP) has had a significant impact. LSMHP is now established and known in most parts of Lesotho. It is fully organised into functional departments and sections, and staff have been trained and are effective. LSMHP feels it now has the capacity to implement its own programmes. It plans to concentrate on expanding advocacy and training campaigns to all the districts of Lesotho for which a lot of ground has already been covered with assistance from Skillshare during the first phase of the project. Mrs 'Makholu Matete, Skillshare International's Country Director in Lesotho, said: "We were delighted that the Princess Royal came to visit Skillshare International in Lesotho. We designed a comprehensive exhibition of our programme activities with our partners which demonstrated that working together with the people of Lesotho in the development process is vital if the long-term development goals of the country are to be achieved." Skillshare
ENABLEs support for disabled people in South Africa July 2003 saw the launch of a new project in KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa providing adult basic education, training and development opportunities for people with physical disabilities and their carers. The project is the first South African project funded through Skillshare International, following a successful application to the European Union NGO Co-Financing Support Budget Line for £98,593 over three years. The project will be led by Skillshare's South African partner Natal Adult Basic Education Support Agency (NASA), who is working with disabled learners in six local disabled people's organisations in KwaZulu-Natal: Amaoti Disabled People's Association, Siyazama Sewing Group, Jabulani Craft Centre, the Zimele Centre, Nduduzwnie Centre and KwaMakaye Disabled People's Organisation. According to the South African census of 1996, KwaZulu-Natal has the highest total number of people with physical disabilities in the country (about 130,000 or 23%). 39% of this group in KwaZulu-Natal have no schooling at all and 69% have not reached secondary school. The experience of NASA is that the situation in rural areas is worse because of poor infrastructure and lack of resources. Other barriers to learning that people with physical disabilities encounter include discriminatory attitudes based on fear and lack of awareness, lack of equipment, and inaccessible transport and venues. Over three years, the project should reach 145 learners between the ages of 16 and 60. The majority of disabled people and their carers in this target group experience poverty, unemployment, low self-esteem and a sense of helplessness. However, many also belong to disabled people's organisations and self-help groups, and are trying to address their needs. Appropriate education and training could lead to income generation opportunities as well as greater participation in their families and communities. NASA carries out research with the learners at each project to find out their specific learning needs. As well as placement tests for each learner to assess their literacy and numeracy level, NASA takes into account the social and economic environment of the learners, to ensure that the skills are relevant to what they need to be able to live and work on a daily basis. "We
need to speak and write in English to promote our crafts to the tourists."
"Numeracy
skills would help to develop our income-generating sewing project."
"We
want to be confident in counting money and to read where the bus is
going." "We
need to know how to write our names and we would like to read the
newspapers." The ENABLE project is run on a participatory basis, reflecting the international slogan of the disability movement: "Nothing about us without us". The structure of the programme is set up in a way that disabled people are involved at all levels of decision-making and implementation. The ENABLE project will also recruit and train people with disabilities as adult basic education trainers, providing role models and contributing to the understanding of the needs of those with disabilities in a learning environment. The surrounding community will also benefit from the ENABLE Programme. For example, the Jabulani Craft Centre is seen as a resource that may be used by others in the community including the local farm workers. This integration of disabled and able-bodied learners helps to break down discriminatory attitudes, promotes equality and awareness of the abilities of disabled people. The three year EC funded project will pay for tuition, teacher training and learner assessment, as well as classroom equipment, venue adaptations, and curriculum and materials development. Skillshare International's office in South Africa will assist NASA in terms of managing the EC funds and in monitoring the progress of the project.
Join
the appeal for ENABLE The main activities of the programme include literacy classes, numeracy classes, activities raising awareness about disability and linking adult basic education with vocational training, income generation and life skills. The aim is to provide learners with adult basic education for life and work skills, promoting independence and self-reliance. Skillshare International has secured 75% of the funds for the ENABLE project through the European Commission on condition that we find the remaining funds from other sources. We need to find a further £10,000 a year for the next three years and we need your help! How can you get involved? 1. Register your interest with Skillshare International by contacting Stephanee Mousley, the Supporter Development Officer, on 0116 257 6615 or email supporters@skillshare.org 2. Receive your fundraising pack containing:
"The ENABLE Challenge" is a fun and flexible activity that challenges you to make some simple changes to your lifestyle: STRETCH
YOUR POUND
3. Complete the ENABLE challenge! 4. Send in your donation. 5. Receive an update from the project about how your money has been spent! The appeal is running from 1 August 2003 until Christmas. Any money
raised by this appeal which is not required for ENABLE will be used
by Skillshare International to support similar projects. Supporters
weigh in for trade justice There were a variety of unfair games for people to take part in which were designed to illustrate how trade varies from country to country. Participants were also asked to 'weigh in' for trade justice to show support for a change in trade laws by putting their weight behind it. Patricia Hewitt, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and MP for Leicester West attended the event and joined campaigners in an unfair game of 'hook a duck'. Competitors representing rich countries were given much better hooks than those representing poor countries. Ms Hewitt who was representing Mozambique, where 80% of the population live in poverty, had to change the rules to hook a duck. Stephanee Mousley, Skillshare's Supporter Development Officer explains: "The rules of the game were fundamentally unfair so they had to be changed in order for Mozambique to be able to trade successfully. The games demonstrated how poor countries must have rules in their favour if they are to overcome the disadvantages they currently face in trade." If you would like more information about the trade justice movement visit www.tradejusticemovement.org.uk or if you would like to get involved in similar events email supporters@skillshare.org Local
groups update We want to hear from supporters who would like the opportunity to meet people with an interest in international development or who would like to share their own personal experiences of development. The London group members met for the second time in May at the Friends Meeting House in Euston to discuss the activities they would like to undertake over the next few months to promote the work of Skillshare International and raise awareness of development. Various fundraising and development awareness activities were discussed and the group will meet again in early September to assess progress. Other
local group meetings will be taking place in Manchester, Leicester
and Cambridge during September. For more information please contact
Stephanee Mousley, the Supporter Development Officer, on 0116 257
6615 or email supporters@skillshare.org Skillshare
International (Ireland) The outcome of the review of Ireland Aid in 2002 meant that the relationship between Skillshare International and Ireland Aid was likely to change substantially. We therefore took the decision to build on existing contacts and to develop an organisation in Ireland to support the work of Skillshare International as a whole. Skillshare International (Ireland) was registered in Ireland as a company limited by guarantee earlier in 2003 and has been accepted by the Revenue Commissioners for charitable status in respect of tax. We are delighted to announce that Fran Flood has been appointed Director of Skillshare International (Ireland) and will be starting his appointment, which is based in Dublin, on Monday 15 September 2003. The Board
has prioritised areas of activity for the new organisation which include: Both
the main Board of Skillshare International and the newly established
Board in Ireland expect to see the development of a distinctive programme
for Skillshare International (Ireland) in the context of Skillshare
International's corporate strategy. Trustee
climbs to the 'Roof of Africa' to raise funds for Skillshare BBC
Appeal raises £11,000 Mainstreaming disability in development - a call for action International Conference in London on 12 November, 2003 at the Tara Hotel, Kensington 80% of the world's disabled people live in the South and constitute the poorest sections of society in almost every developing country. Yet very few development agencies give any priority to the needs of disabled people and their organisations. This conference has been organised by International Service, Disability Action and Awareness, and Action on Disability and Development, with support from the EU's European Year of Disabled People, to challenge development agencies to address this issue. The conference will look at examples of good practice, how to work inclusively and how grass roots organisations can work for change. Speakers include Judy Heumann of the World Bank, Sebenzile Matsibula of the South African government, Richard Howitt MEP and Alex Phiri of the South African Federation of Disabled People. For more
details please contact conference@unais.org.uk
or visit
www.internationalservice.org.uk IVSO
2003: Moving beyond the North-South paradigm? The conference is being hosted by the International FORUM on Development Service, a network of development agencies from around the world. Skillshare International's Chief Executive Dr Cliff Allum was appointed President of FORUM in November 2002. For more information on FORUM and IVSO, visit www.forum-ids.org or email jessica.lowe@skillshare.org
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