AID operational program grant no. 525-0229-G-00-1022[-00] to the Overseas Education Fund to develop and implement a new model of training and employment to assist low-income mothers in obtaining employment in the formal sector

OEF and IFARHU will select 600 participants, 200 each in Panama City, Colon, and San Miguelito and train them in (1) skills needed for the development of small businesses or cottage industries, or for paid employment; and (2) skills that promote personal development, group problemsolving, and community mobilization. One major skills area will be production (e.g., manufacture of sporting equipment or of hospital clothes); another will be financial management (personal and business). In selecting trainees, preference will be given to mothers and guardians of students who receive scholarships or educational credit from IFARHU. The project will also assist the trainees in finding jobs or starting their own businesses. Training/production centers will be established in each city, and replicated in other areas of Panama; 20 women from each city will be trained as trainers, especially for the life skills training. Amendment of 8/11/83 revises the project to improve its poor record in helping trainees find jobs or start business. The vocational training program will be transformed into a comprehensive employment training program model, to include: systematic job search, placement, and follow-up mechanisms; a rotating fund, other appropriate credit mechanisms, and business management assistance for women who wish to start their own businesses; and additional support for trainees and their families, including P.L. 480 Title II commodities, health services, daycare services, and scholarships for their children. Only 300 trainees are targeted, 150 each in San Miguelito and Panama City, with the Colon site put on hold until the success of the new program is demonstrated. (Amendment included with original OPG in PD-FAL-230)