Digging In:Seeing a ‘Successful’ Project from the Clients’ Point of View

HELP-SL began the Linking Youth with Knowledge and Opportunities in Micro Finance (LYKOM) project in 2009,with the support of UNDP. I have seen that project has garnered great successes and provided immense learning opportunities,both for the communities it served and for HELP-SL as an organization. I also know that my Street Kids [...]

The Surprising Benefits of Literacy

One of the awesome things about HELP-Salone’s approach to livelihood development is that they give truly holistic complementary training to everyone that they support with micro financial services. This means that alongside the Street Business training,our service users learn about gender rights,sexual health,hygiene and other life skills,including literacy.

At first glance,[...]

Private Sector Perspectives on Skills Development and Economic Empowerment

Mumbai,India – At the 2nd Annual International Summit on Skills Development held in Mumbai on June 15,2011,one issue became apparent – India’s emerging economy and its young,largely unskilled workforce are at a critical and transformative moment. To realize the nation’s economic potential and address its widespread poverty,private,government,and nongovernment [...]

The Value of Enterprise…and the Power of the Koosh!

Not long ago I received word from Kristy,our program manager at SKI in Canada,that a Canadian NGO was interested in receiving the Street Business Took Kit training for their local partners in the Eastern region of Sierra Leone. While I was familiar with the training material and of its benefits for budding young [...]

Small Steps Turn Business Dreams into Reality

Anya and I are on the road,making the slow return to Bo from our Street Business training in Koidu,Eastern Sierra Leone. They practically had to drag me out of the city,I was so enamoured. We met a lot of great folks and I interviewed a number of them to find out how [...]

An Alternative Education

When I first was offered this internship,I was a bit torn. Personally,I thought every kid should stay in school until they finished what is the equivalent of grade 12 in Canada,and what Street Kids does it teach youth that are street involved and usually not a part of the traditional education system [...]

Monitoring and Evaluating Youth Beneficiaries

Here in Ethiopia,we have spent the past week designing and testing a standardized quantitative questionnaire that will be integrated into the new SKI curriculum as a prerequisite for implementation.

It was an extremely intense week:full of meetings all-day;everyday,and plenty of site visits. Though intensive,I feel happy to have taken part [...]

An Inspiring Approach to Community Development

One of my favourite aspects of my job is gathering stories from our microfinance clients on how their loans have affected their lives. It is through these discussions that I get closest to seeing the impacts of tools like the Street Business Toolkit (SBTK). I’ve seen that HELP-SL’s practice of giving business and life skills [...]

Piloting microfranchise in TanzaniaPiloting microfranchise in Tanzania

Microfranchise is one seriously cool livelihoods initiative.

Not to be confused with microfinance,a microfranchise is a small,tested business that can be easily replicated by following proven marketing and operational concepts. The idea is very similar to franchising,whereby franchise chains are independently owned and operated but use centrally produced brands and products. Microfranchise [...]

Video:Youth Entrepreneurship Training at MABOWK

Click on this link to view Entrepreneurship Training

Make a Better World Kenya (MABWOK) is a Street Kid’s International partner based in Mukuru slum,Nairobi,Kenya.