How Covid-19 is changing the way we work
Sierra Leone: radio programme provides support in the crisis
Before the pandemic, we often visited isolated parts of the country to talk to young people. From March 2020 onwards, I was only able to work from Germany. The majority of Sierra Leone’s population is young, but most of them have no regular income. That’s why it’s so important to show them ways of earning their own money and starting up their own business ventures. We’re working where we’re needed most – that’s clear from all the calls we get from listeners to our radio programme GRAP telling us about their own personal experience. We’ve chosen the right topic and the right medium to address young people in the crisis. And we’re now cautiously resuming active work in isolated areas.
(© Estima Grabenbauer)
Sierra Leone has extremely high rates of underemployment and unemployment. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), three quarters of the population are affected by poverty, particularly young people. To counter this, since 2016 GIZ has been working on behalf of BMZ with the National Youth Commission (NAYCOM) on a radio programme entitled GRAP. In the local Krio tongue, ‘Grap’ means ‘Get up!’. The initiative is part of the Employment Promotion for Youth programme and shares expertise on starting up a business and on sustainable entrepreneurship – including business planning, access to funding and marketing. The coronavirus pandemic is a massive economic and social challenge for Sierra Leone’s young people in particular. To support them further and make them aware of the dangers posed by the virus, GIZ and NAYCOM launched the radio programme ‘GRAP! COVID-19’. Radio is the most important source of information in the country. The programme provides information about COVID-19, offers psychosocial support, and advises micro-entrepreneurs who have been hit hard by the pandemic.
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Our projects in the 2020 Integrated Company Report
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- Sierra Leone: radio programme provides support in the crisis
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