Africa Direct is a small Cork-based NGO. They are lean, efficient and pragmatic development practitioners. They specialise in practical projects with reliable local partners, incorporating voluntary direct labour. ElectricAid has had a funding relationship with Africa Direct going back to 2008. We have funded them 5 times with a total of €49,000, for projects in special needs, traditional housing and education.
This project focused on providing practical skills training opportunities for young people in Mukuru, Africa’s biggest slum, outside Nairobi, Kenya. There is a building boom in Nairobi – these young people can be given a real future. The end result is a plumbing workshop and masonry compound in an existing skills training centre run by the Irish Sisters of Mercy – which will train 20-25 young people at a time.
Africa Direct take a very pragmatic, hands-on approach to development. To keep costs down, materials were recycled from a neighbouring building which was being rebuilt. To get the new facility constructed, the first intake of students was initially employed as direct labour. The facility is up and running, having been delivered for the princely sum of €20,114, of which ElectricAid contributed €10,000. This represents fantastic value for money, in providing new hope and real opportunities for 20-25 young people every year.
Read Africa Direct’s Report here. 15-A-087 Africa Direct Report Final Bakhita
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