Doha, Qatar: Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has concluded a livelihood project for poor families in Gaza, which involved the provision of vocational training for 60 graduates, to help them start their own small businesses, at a total cost of $234,000.
Dr. Akram Nassar, head of QRCS’s representation office in Gaza, explained that the initiative was designed as a targeted response to high unemployment rates, capitalizing on the potential of youths and empowering them to work as entrepreneurs.
The beneficiaries received specialised training in digital marketing, graphic design, user interface (UI) design, and mobile app development. Furthermore, they participated in internships to qualify for online freelance jobs. According to Dr. Nassar, the project also involved temporary jobs for 23 graduates as psychosocial support (PPS) service providers for children, women, older persons, and other vulnerable people at the camps and shelters of internally displaced people (IDPs) across the blockade.
Those who demonstrated professional competence were hired by the Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children (ASDC), turning their short-term employment into lifelong careers.
One of the beneficiaries was Ibrahim (23), who received vocational training in mobile app programming. “To me, it was not just a course,” he commented.
“It was an exceptional milestone in my journey to become a professional. I acquired much more knowledge and expertise than my whole undergraduate education”.
In Gaza, QRCS attaches great importance to youth empowerment, with a view to reducing unemployment rates and strengthening the population’s resilience.
