In Guinea-Bissau it is estimated that around 30% of young people are unemployed (DENARP II, 2011). Furthermore, the labor market has serious structural difficulties, such as the low number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), a weak interconnection between training centers and companies and the reduced absorption capacity of young people newly formed in the labor market.
For this reason, the “Geração de talentos!” project, co-funded by the European Union, helps to create job opportunities for young people in Guinea Bissau, increasing the ability of the CIFAP school in Bissau to include students in the last year of training.
Through training, job-placement service and the acceleration of new businesses, young people are supported in research and job creation.
Beginning of the project: January 2018
End of the project: June 2019
Place of intervention: Bissau – Guinea Bissau
Total cost of the project: 177.820,00€
Project Leader: ENGIM
Partners and supporters: Congregation of the Josephites of Murialdo
The project “Bo fia, bo pudi!” (that means in Creole: “if you believe you can do it!”), co-funded by the European Union, is aimed at reducing the level of unemployment in Guinea Bissau, contributing to the development of job opportunities, especially for young people.
The incubator of ENGIM-CIFAP companies in Bissau was strengthened, which started 23 activities of young entrepreneurs accompanying them in the early stages of their development through a team of specialized tutors.
Beginning of the project: February 2015
End of the project: February 2018
Place of intervention: Bissau – Guinea Bissau
Total cost of the project: 614.108,31€
Project Leader: Congregation of the Josephites of Murialdo
Partners and supporters: ENGIM, Mani Tese
The project “CULTURA I NÔ BALUR – A Culture Education Strategy in Guinea-Bissau – DCI-NSAPVD / 2015 / 371-609 “is co-financed by the European Union and aims to promote the cultural heritage of Guinea-Bissau in an inclusive and sustainable way.
Under this project, which provides for a wide range of interventions in the formal and informal educational system, Engim will have to collaborate with a network of local artisans who produce objects of artistic and cultural value and who, with the support of the project team, will work to improve their products. Afterwards, the incubator Engim will have the task of accompanying the young artists to structure themselves as real companies, through a business plan training course and then with the accompaniment of specialized tutors. Engim will also promote products made by young artists through fair trade stores.
Beginning of the project: June 2016
End of the project: May 2020
Place of intervention: Guinea Bissau
Total cost of the project: 1.163.734,33 €
Project Leader: FEC – Fundação Fé e Cooperação
Partners: ENGIM, Faculdade de Ciências de Educação da Universidade Católica da Guiné-Bissau, Instituto de Educação da Universidade de Lisboa, Afectos com Letras, Associação de Escritores da Guiné-Bissau
The project “Labradur de nô futuro: fortalecimento da formação profissional na região de Cacheu” is co-financed by the European Union and aims to improve the socio-economic conditions of the rural population in the Cacheu region of Guinea-Bissau. interventions aimed at strengthening the system of vocational training in the agricultural sector and ensuring the sustainability of the CIFAP professional center at Bula, run by the Josephite missionaries of Murialdo. Agriculture is the most important economic sector for the country and a vocational training of young people is a priorities for development.
Engim will intervene to update the curriculum of the agriculture course according to the Ministry of Education and will help open a new company linked to the CIFAP professional center. An educational and sperimentale company where the same students will be able to work through curricular internships and will offer consulting services for experiments in the world of organic agriculture.
An incubator of Engim will also launch a new announcement to select new business ideas in the agricultural field. The best young entrepreneurs can benefit from financial gain to grow their business.
Beginning of the project June: November 2017
End of the project: October 2022
Place of intervention: Guinea Bissau
Total cost of the project: 488.865 €
Project Leader: ENGIM
Partners: Congregação dos Josefinos de Murialdo
The goal of PROTEJA was to contribute to reducing the social and economic exclusion of young women and men, potential migrants to Mali and Guinea Bissau, or displaced persons and refugees involved in the transit or return phase in northern Mali, promoting employment and entrepreneurship as a factor of social and economic integration.
PROTEJA was developed in collaboration with ENGIM – CIFAP incubators in Bissau and CREATEAM in Mali.
Generally: 15 entrepreneurs trained in Kita, of whom 12 women, 20 in Mopti, of whom 12 women and 11 returning migrants, 37 in Bissau, of whom 10 women.
For a total of 72 entrepreneurs (34 women).
The entrepreneurs financed or selected by the financing are: 9 in Kita, of whom 4 women, 10 in Mopti, of whom 5 women and 4 return migrants, 9 in Bissau.
For a total of 28 companies.
The company from which it departs, the company of whom it resides: 8 Malian, Guinean and Italian journalists told the roots of different choices that led men and women to choose to migrate or stay in their own country.
With the participation of Malian and Guinean journalists, we have told stories of migration, returns and successes related to the ability to do business.
The story involved migrants in Italy and potential migrants in Mali or Guinea-Bissau, migrants returning to their home countries or displaced persons who would like to return to their villages, but also to the many young people who work every day to try to build a future at home.
The local and European media and journalists from both continents participated in the attempt to offer stories from different points of view
The company from which it departs, the company of whom it resides: 8 Malian, Guinean and Italian journalists told the roots of different choices that led men and women to choose to migrate or stay in their own country.
With the participation of Malian and Guinean journalists, we have told stories of migration, returns and successes related to the ability to do business.
The story involved migrants in Italy and potential migrants in Mali or Guinea-Bissau, migrants returning to their home countries or displaced persons who would like to return to their villages, but also to the many young people who work every day to try to build a future at home.
The local and European media and journalists from both continents participated in the attempt to offer stories from different points of view.
Beginning of the project: Autumn 2016
Duration: 9 months
Place of intervention: Mali e Guinea Bissau
Total cost of the project: 429.716,31€
Partners and supporters
L’obiettivo di PROTEJA è contribuire alla riduzione dell’esclusione sociale ed economica di giovani donne e uomini, potenziali migranti in Mali e Guinea Bissau, o sfollati e rifugiati coinvolti nelle fase di transito o ritorno nel nord del Mali, promuovendo l’occupazione e l’imprenditorialità come fattore di integrazione sociale ed economica.
A Bissau PROTEJA è stato sviluppato in collaborazione con l’incubatore ENGIM-CIFAP, e sostiene 8 imprese a Bissau e Bula.
In Mali PROTEJA sostiene 20 imprese nelle regioni di Mopti e Kayes, con il supporto del partner tecnico CREATEAM, incubatore di Bamako lanciato da Orange Mali.
“Guinendadi – revolution and development istories of Guinea Bissau” is a report promoted by ENGIM and produced by a group of Italian journalists from an African country – Guinea-Bissau – going beyond common issues such as colonization, military coups, political instability, cocaine trafficking, sex tourism and the dramatic level of poverty. But through texts, photos and videos that were collected during a trip, it is possible to discover a distant and unknown country.
The voices and stories of people in the economic, cultural, social, artistic and political sectors are mobilized to find local solutions and to chart a path to native development.
Guinendadi won the first prize for Best Feature in Piemonte, the second prize for Best International Report (Italy, France and Spain) and the first prize as Best Report selected by the International Audience among the 18 reports funded by the Bando DevReporter Grant in 2016.