During a recent visit to Sulu province, US Ambassador to the Philippines, Kristie A. Kenney, highlighted a successful job training program being implemented by the Education and Livelihood Skills Alliance (ELSA), an IYF initiative. Traveling to the city of Jolo and accompanied by USAID Mission Director Jon Lindborg, Ambassador Kenney participated in a festive ceremony to turn over job-training related equipment and materials to three local high schools. The equipment, valued at US$10,000, will support 5,000 young people as they attend job skills courses in dressmaking, carpentry, welding, and food processing. ELSA, which is part of USAID’s flagship EQuALLS program, works with leading NGOs, business leaders, local government agencies and community groups to improve the education and livelihood opportunities for at risk youth in the Mindanao region of the Philippines. IYF serves as the program’s global secretariat.

 

Ambassador Kenney noted: “This project is the result of different partnerships, and will help youth gain practical skills.”  Turning to the students, she added: “This is all for you, the greatest resource of the region.” Speaking on behalf of his fellow students, Nhasron Omar remarked that even more important than the donated equipments was the “opportunity to be united in love and peace … for the sake of youth.”  The equipment will be used in ELSA’s Technology and Livelihood Education (TLF) program to improve the employability of at risk students in the region.

 

On another front, ELSA was chosen out of 170 entries to win the Gold Quill Award for Excellence, given annually in the Philippines by the International Association of Business Communicators to recognize exemplary work and excellence in the field of communications. IYF’s Sravani Ghosh Robinson joined Aivan Amit of USAID and Sol Delantar of Ayala Foundation for the award ceremony in Manila.   

 

Click here for more information on how ELSA is benefiting more than 100,000 Filipino youth.