TANZANIA: TEC introduces Parish Community Bank Project for the Catholic Youth
The Youth Department of Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC) has begun the implementation of Parish Community Bank (PACOBA) project in five Catholic Dioceses as a pilot project to initiate the self-employment attitude among the youth in the country.
The five dioceses taken as pilot areas of the three-year project sponsored by the Italian Bishops Conference (CEI) include Bunda, Iringa, Same and the Archdiocese of Arusha and Songea.
The project intends to establish Parish Community Bank, at Parish level whereby a group of 15-30 will organize themselves to buy shares while Youth Department will top up with amount of Tsh 50 Million per diocese (approximately equivalent to USD 25,000) to boost their capital.
According to TEC Youth National Coordinator, Rev. Fr. Liberatus Kadio, the project is already on implementation phase, starting with Diocese of Same whereby 20 Catholic Youth went through a seven day training from 20th to 27th, May, 2018 in order to gain skills and knowledge of how to successfully implement the PACOBA project.
Fr. Kadio said that the project has three phases: The first phase is to provide entrepreneurship training to 20 youth in each Diocese (Five pilot dioceses) who will share knowledge with other youth in the parish. “These youth from 20 Parishes will form 5 groups for every parish to make it hundred in total for every Diocese intended.
The second phase is to monitor and evaluate the first phase before giving the beneficiary diocese Tsh. 50 million to increase their shares.
The third phase according to Fr. Kadio is to coordinate and establish office in each Diocese and each diocese will be given five million for purchasing of office equipment.
Commenting on the project during the opening of the training, Rt. Rev. Rogath Kimaryo of Same Diocese was grateful especially on TEC efforts to empower the Youth particularly at this time when the unemployment rate is increasing. “If we support the youth they will be responsible citizen and leaders who will stand for justice, ” he said.
