Building Boats and a Better Future in Thailand: Mookda's Story
In the aftermath of the December 2004 tsunami, many of the homes and boats in the coastal fishing village of Natuey in southwestern Thailand were damaged or destroyed. While only one villager perished, the many families who relied on fishing for their livelihood were left to completely rebuild their lives. Eighteen-year-old Mookda Noorak left school so that she could contribute to her family’s income and enable her two younger brothers to finish their educations.
While Moodka once dreamed of becoming a computer programmer, her hopes for the future dimmed until she learned of a boat-building course offered in nearby Taimuang. She applied and was accepted.
Supported by the Nokia-IYF Tsunami Reconstruction Initiative, the three-month training course teaches young people, ages 16 to 29, about boat design and construction, worker safety and hygiene, fish processing, and marine conservation. In addition, participants receive life skills training designed to strengthen their self-confidence and ability to work in teams, manage their time effectively, and resolve conflicts.
The only female participant in the program so far, Mookda, now 20, has graduated and will soon train other youth just entering the program. In the future, she plans to establish a boat repair business with her brother and make and sell fiberglass equipment.
Similar Nokia-funded youth employment and livelihood projects are currently underway, or about to be launched, in Indonesia, India, and Sri Lanka. “The needs of young people for job training and skills development to secure an income emerged as critical priorities following the tsunami,” said Jean-Pierre Isbendjian, Director of Programs for the International Youth Foundation (IYF), which is managing the Initiative. “The projects selected to receive support provide a range of follow-up services for those youth trained, including internships, job placement assistance, mentoring and, in some cases, small business loans.”
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