Access to education and employment

ESSOR aimed to build on, and make sustainable, the achievements of a project implemented with the Addax and Oryx Foundation from 2012 to 2015 in two districts of Bissau, Bairro Militar and Missira. The project planned to promote access to preschool for 300 vulnerable children and improve the quality of teacher training; to facilitate access to vocational training for 200 vulnerable youths, leading to employment for 50% of them; and to accompany 100 young adults into self-employment. 50% of the beneficiaries were to be girls/women.

By the end of the project, 573 children (57% girls) had attended preschool. Twenty instructors had been trained to teach children aged between 4 and 6 years old. 390 youths had begun vocational training courses (39% women), of whom 310 had graduated (35% women). They benefitted from job orientation services and 181 were able to pursue a two-to-three month internship. The rate of employment was 28% for those who had not followed an internship and 48% for those who had. A first wave of 57 students was trained in entrepreneurship (21 women). 14 created their own microenterprise. ESSOR was looking to improve the mentorship aspect of the program before continuing this activity.

The French association ESSOR was founded in 1992 and aims to help vulnerable populations to acquire the necessary means to sustainably improve their lives.