Many young adults living in the poorer districts of Soacha in the outskirts of Bogotá, Colombia, have been forced to flee from rural areas due to the civil war. They are trying to build a new existence, but lack vocational training, a network and have little skills in how to conduct in job application situations.

Tarbaca Indigo Foundation supports Vivamos Mejor's project «A good start in working life: Training and job placement for marginalized young adults». The project offers 270 marginalised young adults basic vocational training and places them in formal jobs with guaranteed minimum wages and social benefits. In order to gain a foothold in the job market, experienced social workers develop their social skills and train these young adults in interview techniques. The project also offers them psychological support in coming to terms with their experiences of violence and in developing a realistic life plan.

The picture shows the vocational training in mechanical engineering. In a careful labour market analysis, the profession of motorbike technician was classified as being currently in demand. As a consequence, such training ensures high employment opportunities. Here two female trainees are being trained. The project specifically promotes the participation of both genders.

In the area of the watershed of Rio Quiscab in Sololá, Guatemala, the majority of the indigenous rural population survives off self-sufficient subsistence agriculture. 70% of these farming families are poor. They overexploit their natural resources, and, as a result of decreasing harvest yields, they burn down areas of forest. But the cleared areas only bring good yields for a few years and the erosion causes the water streams to wash valuable topsoil into Lake Atitlán, the largest freshwater reserve in Central America.

With the financial support of Tarbaca Indigo Foundation, Vivamos Mejor helps 500 smallholder families in exploiting their land in a way that conserves resources while still improving their yields. The farmers learn sustainable yet more efficient cultivation methods, as well as beekeeping and mushroom cultivation. Vivamos Mejor also raises awareness of resource conservation within the area and supports the authorities in creating the basis for well-regulated planning of land use.

Picture: Beekeeping offers smallholders an alternative source of income and does not harm the forests.