JDPMC Trains, Provides 20 Vulnerable Youths In Osun With Vocational Tools

By Ayobami Agboola, Osogbo

A Faith-based Non-Governmental Organization, Justice, Development and Peace Makers’ Centre (JDPMC), in Osogbo, on Wednesday said it has organised and trained 20 youths on different vocational skills, as part of its efforts to reduced the scourge of unemployment among Nigerian youths.

Speaking to journalists about the training, JDPMC General Coordinator, Rev Father Piter Akinkunmi, said beneficiaries of the programme were identified in various vulnerabilities without religious affiliations.

Akinkunmi said the NGO believes that with their support, youths can rise up and contribute meaningfully to the good of the society.

The Reverend Father further explained that apart from the first set of beneficiaries, JDPMC had also concluded plans to train over 88 youths in Catering and Hospitality Services, Fabrication and Wood work, while plans are also in top gear to train five other youths who are into farming and agriculture.

“Today we are here to hand over working tools to support the commencemence of work for 20 of our youths who we have trained in 2020, in order to support their self empowerment.

“These 20 youths were identified in various vulnerabilities and we believe that these youths are full of potentials and have the capacity to contribute meaningfully to the society if they received the required support.

“We worked with them, we supported them, as much as we can, and by the grace of God, we are giving them the needed support to startup their own business.

“The handing over of tools to these young ones is just what we consider as the closing of our 2020 youths empowerment programme.

“We do our best to riseup to see how we can support youths to enable then to be responsible citizens and to be able to contribute to the development of their communities. We believe they have potentials to do so.

“So in the course of the year 2020, we trained over 400 youths in Resilient Youth Agricultural Practice but due to the economic challenges posed by COVID-19 pandemic last year, we manage to gave 144 out of them spraying machines to support their efforts.

“Also, in the course of 2020 that we are closing today, we also had to renovate a hall to support the commencement of National Open University programme in Ilesa prison for the use of the youths we have over there.

“In the same prison we donated four sewing machines, four clippers, and we bought carpentry tools for the benefits of young people who are there because we believe they have potentials.

“In this year 2021, we already have plans to train 88 youths in Catering and Hospitality Services, Fabrication and Wood work. We also have plan to train 5 youths who are into Agriculture at our foundation in Ilesa.

“We also plan to give legal representation to 10 youths who are in prison this year. And out of those who would be freed from prison through our efforts, we also plan to get rehabilitation to five of them.” he said

He, however, urged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the working tools they gave to them saying they have made to use potentials they have to contribute to the good of their various communities.

Some of the beneficiaries who spoke during the presentation of the tools appreciated JDPMC for the kind gesture promising to take the advantage of the opportunity to contribute their own quotas to the society

They however urged other non governmental organization, religious groups, politicians and other other influencers to emulate the good gesture of JDPMC so as to reduce the problem of unemployment in the country.