Post: Murang’a: Red Cross unveils youth research programme

Murang'a County RedCross Coordinator, Immaculate Iteba, speaking during the programme's inception at a Murang'a hotel, said the global humanitarian organisation will be sensitising youth in accordance with their strategic plan and focusing on the needs of young people.The official added, 'The Implementation Research programme intends to find out and understand the challenges being faced by the youth within the county and how to help young people overcome those challenges.'Iteba noted that the programme, which will involve 15 youthful researchers who will traverse all the sub-counties in Murang'a, intends to find ways to bring inclusivity among the different age groups while identifying and providing solutions for the challenges identified.'We want to involve all young people in our projects, irrespective of their gender or disabilities,' she said, adding that it is important for organisations to customise projects intended for young people and make them relevant and appealing to young people.Iteba cal led upon the youth in the county to offer support and cooperation to their peers conducting the research and freely discuss the issues affecting them so that the research programme is effective.The research programme will be running for a period of one year, focusing on livelihood activities like businesses and funding for startups with the aim of improving self-reliance among the youth.Red Cross Youth Programmes Coordinator, Alex Ayub, underscored the importance of the research, noting that the Youth Excel programme that is in partnership with USAID will give important insight into how they can involve the youth in various programmes.The programme will be running in Murang'a and Nyeri counties, while a similar programme has been concluded in Kisumu county.'We hope this programme will bring fresh insight into how the Red Cross can bring solutions to some of the challenges facing young people,' Ayub said.He noted that the research programme targets counties that may not have been the target for many organisations because they are seen as having fewer challenges in comparison with the Northern Kenya counties.'We have counties that have been identified by many humanitarian societies because of challenges like drought, famine, diseases, and insecurity, which are not major or frequent challenges in the central region,' Ayub said.'There can be many challenges even in the counties that are not usually in the limelight, and as the Red Cross, we intend to identify the challenges in those counties and possibly provide solutions.' He added.He noted that the findings of that research will inform all future youth-centred initiatives across the country, adding that the Red Cross intends to be inclusive and to work with the youth by involving them in several programmes.'We want to discover the youth and all their unique challenges so that together we can come up with tailor-made solutions for their different challenges,' he said.The local youth leader, Bossbaby Mwongela, applauded the project for focusing on the youth and giving them a voice.'Young people should take advantage of such programmes and use all the avenues available to change their lives and positively influence other young people,' she stated.On her part, the county youth and gender officer, Ruth Njoroge, implored all young people to take advantage of the various government funds available to improve their livelihoods.'We have the Uwezo Fund that is available for youth, women, and people with disabilities, and we also have the Youth Enterprise Fund that helps young people in business and those starting up businesses,' Njoroge said.The officer clarified that funds ranging from 100,000 to 5 million shillings are available for both individuals and groups at affordable interest rates.Njoroge also specified that the government offers financial literacy training that helps the youth plan for the funds responsibly.'Financial literacy helps the youth manage the funds correctly, and they are also equipped with life skills to help them navigate th e various life challenges,' Njoroge said.Source: Kenya News Agency