Youth in Action for Development (YAD), a voluntary youth serving agency based in Kenema, has on Saturday, 12th January 2019, inaugurated its newly constructed Multipurpose Youth Resource Centre (MYRC). The occasion was held at the Peace and Unity Hall, which is also a part component of the project and attracted stakeholders from across the region. The Resident Minister East, Andrew Ansu Fatorma thanked the staff and YAD and their donor partners for such a unique and magnificent job. He further stated that as elders of the society, they have an obligation to give support to the youth of the day at all times. He therefore assured the management of YAD of his fullest support to make the MYRC project sustainable. He said the youth need to be thoroughly guided so that they can be meaningfully useful to the nation. The Minister cautioned the youth to be focused in learning from the elders, adding that by the time they will take over from them it will just be a continuation of duty in the interest of national development. The Chair of Kenema District Council, Mohamed Amadu Sesay, called on the youth to always work as a team and for them to continue working together as a unit, adding that he is in the council to protect the affairs of the youth. The Multi purpose Youth Resource Centre project Coordinator, Simma Sheriff, said that young people can only feel safe when they have proper education, skills, know how, secured jobs, and reliable sources of income. This also means that unhindered access to justice, the right to decide with whom to live or associate, healthy and sound family life, affordable housing, hubs and co-working spaces, learning centres such as schools and community libraries, good recreational centres such as theatres and sport complex, and more promote this view. In “May 2017, the organization successfully hammered home its proposal to erect a “Multipurpose Youth Resource Centre (MYRC) which should serve as its own headquarters and a true “safe space for youth” in the region”, he stated. He then explained that the project was co-funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), FambulTike.V. and YAD, and that it entails three major phases, each with distinct features. The MYRC phase one entails a modern assembly hall, cafeteria, digital library, digital photo lab, conference rooms, administrative offices and temporal logging. The entire facility is powered by a 23kw solar system that makes it completely energy independent. MYRC phase two entails mainly diverse skill training facilities. The objective is to facilitate access of under privileged youth to high quality skills, which could enable them become self-reliant and economically independent. It includes dressmaking, cosmetology, catering, secretariat and office management, screen printing and sport. The sport component provides many modern sport apparatus such as gymnastic gadgets, billiards, table tennis, table football etc. This phase, when successfully completed, shall be called Youth Resource Academy (YRA) and it shall turn the MYRC into the safest youth kingdom in Sierra Leone. This project is currently ongoing with the hope of completing it by December 2019. Phase three shall be the general and continues management of the entire facility.
SM/17/1/19
By Saffa B. Moriba in Kenema
Friday January 18, 2019.