In January, we had presented the mentoring program to you, and now the young people of our Gambian Youth Project are in the midst of calculations about their future business idea.

On how many square meters I can grow how many kilos of vegetables? Which varieties at what price? What are the economic prospects for a broiler farm? How much markup can I add on processed delicacies? And what are my business-related running costs? And many more.

These and many other questions come crashing down on the young people. Now they have to show what they have learned. Some are very brisk, others still uncertain, but they all get down to work. Numbers have something inexorable, correctly calculated the true reality emerges. But if not now and planning ahead, when? When they stand alone after graduation?

It is our concern to accompany the young people into their careers. We are supported in this by many mentors, primarily from the Lufthansa Group, who encourage, correct, question and persistently work with the young people on their business models.

Calculation by one of our trainees of the Ghambian Youth Project, GYP, in Ballingho

This is step one…

. . . immediately followed by step two. It is a matter of creating a plan to  schedule each step, to know what has to be prepared, by when it has to be done, how it has to be prioritized. No easy task in a world that seems so unpredictable, where uncertainties have to be planned for in order to be able to counteract them in time. Especially if you are planning to enter into a loan repayment obligation.

Digital communication

Without a stable network, without a laptop, handwritten, photographed and sent via Whatsapp, communication with the mentees is a particular challenge, but we master that too. In bi-weekly supervisions, all volunteers discuss their progress or even concerns.

A first success

Satang Ceesay, one of our talented young trainees, already has a job offer! And this even before the end of her training. She was able to successfully develop her sales talent at the our training camp. This also caught the eye of headhunters from an online marketing company.

The parting was painful for both sides, but we wish her all the luck for a successful and lucrative future! She will nevertheless continue to pursue her business idea of producing and selling jams and sauces.