Showdoman Foundation projects will offers few chances for persons with handicapped to complement the food and material assistance covering their basic needs. Indeed, employment opportunities are scarce, and despite their motivation and often already existent skills, they do not have the means to set up small businesses or micro-enterprises of their own. They are thus left in a state of idleness bordering poverty that only reinforces their dependency on day-to-day assistance by our centre or family, while negatively impacting on their human dignity as they are already vulnerable. Needless to say that the repercussions of this situation on women are particularly worrisome as their vulnerability is often worsened by this state of affairs. That’s why rate of unplanned pregnancy is higher within the community of the persons with handicapped meaning sex to be exchanged with food/money.
The income generating activity project will attempts to remedy this situation by providing small loans to carefully selected groups of individuals who will thus have the starting capital to set up their small business or micro enterprise. The loans are interest free and have to be repaid over a period of eight months. Typical activities are soap making, hair dressing, small scale trade, tailoring, traffics, etc… Last year, due to the low rate of repayment, as well as the popularity of this project is the best witness to its success as it does indeed allow for a noticeable raising of the living standards of its beneficiaries. The training will be given in basic management to all clients and the experience will be rendered possible through the small loans are valuable human investments which will remain as a capital with the beneficiaries. The aim of the income generating project for 2007 will be to broaden the coverage of its activities so as to allow a greater number of persons with handicapped to benefit from its assistance.