In Ivory Coast, AVSI is working hard to ensure that young people have access to work and to prevent their irregular migration from the country.
Thanks to the Ministero dell’Interno italiano, the project "DIGNITÉ - Dèvelopper des Initiatives Gagnantes, Novatrices et Inclusives pour le Travail et l'Emploi en faveur des 3,200 jeunes vulnérables afin de lutter contre la migration irrégulière (CUP: F26J20000190008, co-financed by the Italian Ministry of the Interior) - aims at helping youth to get a better future through training and job placement.
The young people involved in the project are in a vulnerable and precarious state.
They are discouraged by the few job opportunities in the country and see Europe as their only chance for a better future.
Due to the lack of information on procedures and difficulties in obtaining visa, young Ivorians often decide to migrate irregularly.
The increasingly dangerous overland route taken by migrants in West Africa is through Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali, from where they then cross the desert to reach Libya or Algeria and then arrive by sea in Europe.
This is why one of the objective of the DIGNITÉ project is dedicated to raise awareness about the dangers of irregular travel, so as to inform young people about the risks of travelling irregularly and at the same time deconstruct the idyllic imagery about Europe.
Young Ivorians also need to believe in a better future and be able to access to job possibilities in their communities.
This is why the DIGNITÈ project also focus on training and job placement for them after analysing their needs and interests.
AVSI accompanies the beneficiaries both financially and psycho-socially, covering the costs of the desired vocational training and carrying out more specific transversal training in parallel.
In addition, AVSI carries out training on self-esteem (also in collaboration with the Ivorian diaspora in Italy), job search, business set-up and management.
At the end of the training, participants receive support in finding apprenticeships as well as direct financing or funding addressed to their business ideas.
In fact, in partnership with Soleterre, 12 collective enterprises have been financed and will be accompanied on their growth path.
Moreover, the project also includes various actions aimed at strengthening the economy of the entire country.
Thus, not only young people will be supported, but also craft activities - often informal - that are one of the country's main economic sectors, organising training for wood craftsmen in cooperation with the partner Fondazione Rosario Messina - Polo formativo del LegnoArredo.
Since the project started (September 2020) to date, more than 200 young people have been trained, more than 100 small businesses have been financed and around 7,000 people have participated in awareness-raising activities about irregular migration.
