Socio-professional integration

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Insertion socio-professionnelle
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Insertion socio-professionnelle
   Socio-professional integration

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Socio-professional integration: building a sustainable future

Louvain Coopération promotes the personal, social and economic development of individuals, with a view to their empowerment.

In our initiatives, socio-professional integration takes place in urban areas, with street children or young adults in RDC or in Haiti. In rural or urban areas, it complements support for entrepreneurship, by promoting apprenticeship systems through professional immersion, particularly in Bolivia.

Louvain Coopération develops initiatives aimed at empowering young people through socio-professional integration initiatives (SSI) adapted to local contexts.

These projects offer much more than training: they accompany young people on a complete journey, from acquiring skills to creating an autonomous and stable life.

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Louvain Coopération relies on a rigorous and proven methodology to guarantee the success of its Socio-Professional Integration (SPI) projects. This three-stage process supports beneficiaries at every stage of their journey, from initial diagnosis to full economic and social integration.

1. Before training: Preparing the ground for success

This first stage is crucial for young people from street backgrounds, to lay the foundations for successful integration.

  • Reception and guidance: Each young person is welcomed into a secure environment where they can think about their future. Various tests, carried out by psychologists, help young people to get to know themselves. The emphasis is on identifying talents, interests and specific needs. Introductory workshops give them the opportunity to discover a number of different careers so that they can narrow down their career choices.
  • Many young people are lacking in literacy or basic skills (maths, communication). Refresher sessions are organised to bridge these gaps and prepare them for training.
  • Families play a key role in motivating young people. Awareness-raising sessions are organised to explain the benefits of vocational training and to involve family members in the process.

2. During training: Building solid skills

Once oriented, apprentices enter a practical, immersive phase.

  • Immersion in a company or workshop: Thanks to partnerships with local companies or training centres, young trainees learn directly in the field. This immersion encourages the acquisition of specific technical skills while developing interpersonal skills (teamwork, stress management).
  • Personalised support: Each apprentice receives individual support. Educators and trainers regularly assess progress, correct any difficulties and adapt the programme if necessary. This step ensures that learning remains in line with the objectives set.
  • Management and entrepreneurship training: In addition to technical skills, young people in training learn how to manage a professional project: drawing up a business plan, basic financial and accounting management, marketing concepts, etc. This knowledge is essential if they are to launch and manage their own businesses.

3. After the course: support towards independence

Successful integration does not stop at the end of training. Louvain Coopération supports each future entrepreneur in the critical phase of starting up their business.

  • Supply of start-up kits: Depending on the trade chosen, they receive appropriate equipment (sewing machines, agricultural tools, mechanical equipment, etc.), enabling them to start their business in good conditions.
  • Administrative support: Administrative procedures (obtaining permits, setting up a business, opening a bank account) can be complex. Louvain Coopération offers practical support to guide young entrepreneurs through each stage. Sometimes, easier access to credit or a rental guarantee is offered to help stabilise their project.
  • Promotion of products or services: Louvain Coopération also helps young entrepreneurs to promote themselves. This includes training in marketing, including digital marketing, the organisation of local fairs to present their products, and advice on establishing a professional network.

Each stage of the process is designed to adapt to the needs and context of each young person. This personalised approach ensures not only their integration into the labour market, but also their personal fulfilment and positive contribution to the community.

If you would like to find out more about the socio-professional integration initiatives run by Louvain Coopération, we invite you to consult our Devlop' journal issue 17. In the article ‘Learning a trade for a dignified future’, we share inspiring testimonials, key figures and concrete examples of our current projects. Explore in detail how our actions are transforming life paths and helping to build a fairer, more sustainable future.

In Kinshasa: Offering a new chance to young people living on the streets

In Kinshasa, Louvain Coopération is working with reception centres to transform the destiny of the most marginalised young teenagers and adults.

  • Reception phase: Young people are first stabilised in a secure environment where they have access to basic healthcare, psychological support, a balanced diet and, in some cases, accommodation.
  • Training and integration: Once stabilised, they are supported through a guidance phase to build a viable career plan. They then follow a vocational training course at one of LC's partner establishments, tailored to their talents, their desires and the needs of the local market (sewing, mechanics, carpentry, hairdressing, electricity, welding, etc.). They also receive training in entrepreneurship and digital marketing, and acquire a range of soft skills to support the development of their future business.
  • Long-term support: The process does not end with the training. Young people are supported until they open their own micro-business or are placed as an apprentice with a training supervisor. To ensure success at this stage, the young people are supported by an entrepreneurial expert from the centre and Louvain Coopération's vocational integration officer. In particular, they are helped to draw up a simplified business plan. Young people who have demonstrated real technical skills and presented a viable entrepreneurial project receive an integration kit ($350) and financial assistance (rental guarantee, rent) ($200). This emblematic project reflects our global approach: meeting basic needs while promoting economic and social reintegration.

In South Kivu: Reinvesting young people in agriculture

Agriculture, which is often seen as a low priority for young people, is at the heart of our initiatives in South Kivu. Through our partnership with vocational agricultural colleges, we aim to restore a taste for agriculture and reveal its full economic potential.

  • Strengthening training: We support schools and teaching staff by rehabilitating their infrastructure, incorporating practical modules (hutches for raising rabbits, propagators for growing bananas, etc.) and improving teacher training, particularly in agro-ecological practices.
  • Entrepreneurship training: pupils are given courses in management and marketing to help them turn their know-how into an income-generating activity.
  • Support for young entrepreneurs: At the end of their studies, young people are supported in launching their agricultural micro-enterprises, with tools and technical support.

For more information, see our article: Reinvesting young people in agriculture.

In Bolivia: Building an employment ecosystem

In southern Bolivia, Louvain Coopération is responding to the problem of unemployment among young people, even graduates, by working closely with local businesses and the authorities.

  • Aligning training with business needs: We work with partners to adapt educational curricula so that they meet the expectations of the job market.
  • Supporting sustainable initiatives: Young people are encouraged to take up environmentally-friendly activities, particularly in agro-ecology and food processing.
  • Creating employment ecosystems: By bringing together businesses, authorities and young people, we are laying solid foundations for sustainable economic development.

For more details, read our article: Creating an employment ecosystem in Bolivia.

In Haiti: Every child has the right to his or her Chance

The project carried out in Jacmel with RESEDH adopts a multidimensional approach aimed at integrating children, their families and their communities into concrete actions to protect and promote fundamental rights. At the same time, it is building the capacity of local partners, whether from civil society or public institutions, to ensure the sustainability of the initiatives.

In Port-au-Prince, TIMKATEC (Timoun Kap Teke Chans - ‘Every child has the right to a chance’) offers a hopeful response. This programme, structured around three centres, takes in 600 vulnerable children and young people, offering them psychosocial support, education and recognised vocational training.

For more details, read our article: Merging: Geomoun's projects in Haiti

Louvain Coopération's projects have enabled hundreds of young people and adults to take their future into their own hands

  • In Kinshasa: Since 2023, 104 young people living on the streets have been supported in their socio-professional integration and the creation of their own business in order to find a place in society.
  • In South Kivu: Since 2023, 71 young people have already benefited from support in developing their agricultural micro-enterprises thanks to after-school follow-up and technical and practical training.
  • In Bolivia: Tailored training courses have significantly reduced the unemployment rate in the target areas.
  • Françoise, a young sewing apprentice in Kinshasa:
    "Thanks to this training, I want to open my own workshop. My dream is to become a great designer and help other young people like me."
  • John Mboma, educator at the Ndako Ya Biso centre, Kinshasa:
    "We've been thinking about setting up a scheme to help young people develop their technical skills, find a trade or start their micro-business.’ John stresses the importance of adapting to the individual needs of young people and offering them tailor-made support, sometimes up to 18 months after their training.
  • Kulimushi Bingwa, prefect of studies at Institut Muku (South Kivu):
    "This training is an asset for a better future. It's attracting more and more young people because they're learning to make the most of their potential and to see agriculture as a sustainable and profitable activity".
  • Sergio Martinez, Director of the NGO Esperanza Bolivia:
    "It is essential to create ecosystems of employment and entrepreneurship to meet the needs of each stakeholder, while supporting sustainable initiatives in agroecology and food processing."
  • Collective testimony from young agricultural graduates (South Kivu):
    "Thanks to the support of Louvain Coopération, we have been able to set up our micro-businesses in a variety of fields such as animal husbandry and market gardening. This support is essential to ensure our economic autonomy."
  • Alexandra Bataille, specialist educator, trainee in a reception centre in Kinshasa:
    "These children have experienced deep trauma. By taking them in, giving them access to training and helping them to find work, we are giving them a real chance to rebuild their future."
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FAQ: Everything you need to know about our Socio-Professional Integration Initiatives

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We regularly publish news, testimonials and reports on our website and in our journal Dévelop. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed and track the impact of your contributions.

You can contribute in several ways:

  • Make a donation: your contributions help fund training, start-up kits and beneficiary monitoring.
  • Become a volunteer: join our teams to participate directly in our actions on the ground.
  • Share our initiatives: help us spread the word about our projects by sharing our actions on your social networks or with your friends and family.

To find out more about the different ways you can support us, visit our dedicated page.

We work closely with local partners (reception and training centres, schools, associations) to identify the most vulnerable people.

  • In Kinshasa: young people living on the streets are referred to day centres or shelters where comprehensive care is provided.
  • In Port-au-Prince: TIMKATEC (Timoun Kap Teke Chans - ‘Every child has the right to his or her chance’) offers a response of hope. Structured around three centres, the programme takes in 600 vulnerable children and young people, offering them psychosocial support, education and recognised vocational training.
  • In South Kivu: students from agricultural high schools are integrated into programmes that strengthen their technical skills.
  • In Bolivia: young graduates in difficulty are helped to enter the job market.

Our priority is to guarantee tailor-made support that meets the individual needs of each beneficiary.

Post-training support is a key stage in guaranteeing beneficiaries' autonomy:

  • Provision of essential equipment (sewing machines, farming tools, etc.).
  • Administrative support for legal procedures and access to the labour market (setting up a business, obtaining credit).
  • Training in marketing and help with selling products or services.
  • Regular monitoring over a period of several months to ensure that they are making progress and integrating into the local economic fabric.

Every day, Louvain Coopération strives to build a future where every young person can fulfil their potential and contribute to their community. Join us in this mission and become an agent of change.

Our training courses are varied and tailored to local needs:

  • In the DRC: trades in mechanics, tailoring, carpentry, hairdressing, hotel management, electricity, welding... more than 50 opportunities in Kinshasa. and in rural areas: sustainable agriculture, animal husbandry, food processing.
  • In Andean America: courses corresponding to the needs of local businesses, particularly in agro-ecology and commerce.

Each course is designed to offer practical outlets, while respecting the specific cultural and economic characteristics of each region.

We face a number of challenges:

  • Limited resources: meeting the needs of beneficiaries while optimising available resources.
  • Community awareness: convincing families and communities of the importance of vocational training.
  • Social and economic context: adapting our actions to local realities, sometimes marked by political or economic instability and difficulties in accessing employment. However, these challenges motivate us to innovate and strengthen our partnerships to maximise the impact of our projects.
  • In Kinshasa: dozens of young people have launched their micro-businesses, moving from precariousness to an independent life.
  • In South Kivu, dozens of agricultural micro-businesses are thriving thanks to our training and post-training follow-up.
  • In Bolivia: the unemployment rate among young people involved in our projects has fallen significantly, and sustainable ecosystems are developing.

These results are possible thanks to a rigorous approach and solid partnerships.