UNHCR Regional Director for Southern Africa, Valentin Tapsoba, applauds the apprenticeship partnership between UNHCR Zambia and Jewel Of Africa.
Jewel of Africa trains refugees and Zambians in Lapidary, a profession specializing in sorting, grading, cutting, polishing and designing of uncut gemstones into finished products for sale to the public in Zambia and overseas.
‘This is a very good partnership,' says UNHCR Regional Director, Valentin Tapsoba. 'Instead of giving fish, teach the people how to fish and they will be able to do so for a long time.’
Rashni Sharma, Jewel of Africa Director of Sales and Marketing, says the idea behind the apprenticeship is “to build local artisanal skills for both Zambians and refugees”.
UNHCR’s Regional Director is in Zambia to, amongst other matters, assess progress made towards the implementation of the Global Compact on Refugees, a programme designed to involve refugees and hosting communities in social protection such as livelihood projects that will equip them with skills and the means for greater self-reliance.
#UNHCR #jewelofAfricaZambia #DirectorTapsobainZambia