Youth Development Programme (YDP) in Africa
Youth Development Programme (YDP) in Africa
The Youth Development Programme combines the construction of venues for Christian churches in Africa with a training programme for young people, following the example of a project in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Churches have emerged in various places in Africa where Brunstad Christian Church is active in missionary work. In some places there is a need for better facilities for the churches to come together. However, resources are limited and many young people are unemployed.
The YDP has two goals: to provide good facilities for an active Christian church life in which young and old are involved, and to offer young people professional training and a chance to work. WEW provides financial support for this project.
Cameroon as an example
In 2013, the conference centre in Yaoundé, Cameroon was opened. Here, 450 to 500 Christians from Cameroon and neighbouring countries come together each year for multi-day conferences, and the place is used weekly by the church in Yaoundé. This construction project, which was supervised by BCC South Africa, was very successfully combined with a training programme for young people in Cameroon. Most of the young people involved in the project found a job with what they had learned and are now able to provide for themselves.
Training in South Africa
Based on the experience in Cameroon, BCC South Africa has set up a formal training programme and training facilities for 30 people. During 12 months, young people are trained in practical skills and in project management, administration and event management. The aim is to attract approximately 90 young people over a period of three years from five different African countries where BCC operates.
After a year of training, a person can be part of a team that will plan and carry out a construction project in one of the African countries where BCC is involved in missionary work. Over the next five years, projects are planned for the construction of halls for African churches in Bafoussam (Cameroon), Lumbumbashi (Congo) and Lilongwe and Mulanje (Malawi), Kisumu and Kisii (Kenya).