YES Leader: Mr. Algassimo Bá
Email: Algassimoba@yesweb.org
Website : YES-Bissau

Vision : Empowerment of the youth of Guinea Bissau through increasing their access to trainings and skill building.

Background : The people who live on less than one dollar a day represent 88 percent of the total population. Poverty has significant implications in terms of lack of housing, lack of food security, low quality of school services, limited access to primary health care, social vulnerability, and so on. The majority of the active labor force, who has neither academic training nor technical skills, are unemployed. Government employee’s income is low, and a sizeable fraction of the rural and urban population has only sporadic income and is seasonally employed.

About the Network : YES Guinea Bissau works with the Ministry of Youth, through the Institute of Youth which has recognized YES Guinea Bissau program for 3 years, 2008-2011. Yes Guinea Bissau is involving the private sector to develop strategies to support youth training and employment.

Current Major Initiatives:

• YES Guinea Bissau traveled to Brazil with UNFPA support to discuss and sign the MOU with Institute of Training and Education Te chnologies of Rio de Janeiro . Support will be provided with training and the transfer of technology. The Brazilian Agencies of Cooperation’s wants to support Yes Guinea Bi ssau for the development of a Job Center and training of 3 people in Brazil to manage the center.
• Lobbying with Labor Minister to discuss Youth employment and training policies.
• Business Entrepreneurship training for 500 youth who after the training will undergo business incubation process and receive credit to begin their business.

Key Accomplishments :

• Participating to develop action plan between the Government and UNFPA for 2009.Participated at several workshops provided by youth organizations such as the National Youth Council of Guinea Bissau, ( CNJ-GB) Youth Network and Associations (RENAJ), Youth Forum and Populations (FNJP) and UNFPA South South Cooperation, Brazilin Agency of Cooperation.
• Formed linkages with the Ministry of Youth, Labor Ministry, Tourism Ministry and Education Ministry, STA Cyber café, Chambe r of Commerce ( AGOA ) and the National Movement of Civil Society.
• Yes Guinea Bissau will work with UNDP Project for peace building