Madagascar
– October 4 2019
African children prepare for their future careers
SOS Children's Villages Madagascar and DHL International Madagascar celebrate the 10th anniversary of GoTeach, a youth employability partnership that has spread to more than 50 countries.
An official celebration of the partnership kicked off today in Madagascar, the country that piloted GoTeach before it officially launched a year later. Since then, GoTeach has paired more than 13,000 young people worldwide with some 6,000 DHL mentors to help them make the transition from the world of education to the world of work.
“The integration of young people into the professional world is a challenge,” said Mr. Jean-François Lepetit, National Director, SOS Children's Villages Madagascar during his remarks. “We are very grateful to DHL volunteers in Madagascar who devote their time to developing the skills of young people, which is especially necessary for those with low or no qualifications.
“We have seen great results from the past 10 years of partnership and look forward to continuing this path with DHL to change the lives of more youth in the years to come,” he added.
Mr. Yves Andrianaharison, Country Manager, DHL Express Madagascar, explained: “In 2009, DHL International Madagascar took the initiative to support SOS Children's Villages Madagascar and offered coaching to young people to aid in their professional integration. Together, our shared vision for economic and social development has enabled the growth of the program in scale and intensity. We are extremely proud of the fact that we have engaged with over 5,000 youth since the launch, and we remain focused on improving the lives of as many youth as possible.”
As a gift for this year’s festivities, DHL contributed financially to the renovation of the SOS Children’s Village in Toliary, Madagascar, and donated funds for books and computer equipment.
Mrs. Aurélie Razafinjato, General Secretary, Ministry of National Education, Technical and Vocational Education inaugurated today’s ceremony and commended DHL and SOS Children’s Villages for "their contribution to the development of Madagascar by helping create a better tomorrow for its youth."
Several global activities and programs have emerged as a result of the successes of GoTeach. SOS Children’s Villages launched YouthCan!, a platform that brings together private sector companies to collaborate on improving youth employability. It also sparked the idea for a digital platform, Youthlinks, where youth can connect with mentors online, thereby breaking down geographic barriers and expanding the impact of mentorship programs.
The 10th anniversary celebration was marked by speeches and performances by children and young people. There will be five days of events, culminating in an 'Olympiad Games' program for young people where they pitch ideas in the areas of culture, product creation and project development.
Learn more about the GoTeach partnership