Our Partners: Oyetu

OYETU, "It is Ours" in Oshiwambo, is an outreach skills training program supporting disadvantaged people and rural artisans across Namibia. The aim is to enhance their income-earning potential through hands-on skills training and mentoring in product development, marketing, and the labeling and packaging of their products. Artisans are trained in vocational and business skills, including costing, pricing, and bookkeeping, to enable them to start small businesses. OYETU is sponsored by the German organization "Bread for the World" and COSDEF, the Namibian Community Skills Development Foundation. Ultimately, OYETU plans to train one group per region throughout Namibia. All training is sponsored, and OYETU provides all the necessary training materials. The program's goal is for participants to establish small businesses using the skills they have learned and to create innovative new product designs. So far, OYETU has successfully trained groups in seven regions of Namibia and is currently identifying groups in the remaining seven regions, to be trained over the next five years, pending funding approval.