Duhok -17th January 2017: The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and Rwanga Foundation in partnership with Help Organization together signed a joint project to improve the career opportunities for young people. The project’s aim is to develop the vocational skills of one thousand female and male youth from the three communities of refugees, IDPs, and hosts in Duhok. Furthermore, to eventually encourage and enable them to enter the job market in order to support themselves and their families. The project includes vocational training courses on eleven subjects:  welding, mobile phone maintenance, carpentry, air-conditioning maintenance, electrics, mechanics, sewing, PVC (Plastic/Aluminum Works), computer, hairdressing and handcrafts. 

The project costs 815,000 Euros and is entirely funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The targets are 1000 female and male youth (aged 18-35) including 350 refugees, 350 IDPs, and 300 youth from the host community. The one thousand youth are considered as the direct beneficiaries of the project; however, when they complete the course and start working, their families (around 6,000 people) will also be the beneficiaries of the project indirectly. The project timeline is two and a half year, and each course takes two months and a half (45 working days) - the training is held five days a week.  

As a result, Rwanga Foundation officially opened its office in the Duhok Governorate to further operate the project's processes and developments, as a part of Rwanga Foundation's mission, to provide services, design policies and build capacities to enable easier access to education and improve its overall standard in Kurdistan and the greater global community.