1. Background (brief history)

CRETF was founded in 1978, under the Ministry of Technical Education, Vocational Training, Literacy and National Languages, and is now based in various cities throughout the country, such as Fatick, Saint-Louis, Ziginchor and Tambacounda. The center has as a main goal to provide professional qualification to young women, helping them develop marketable skils in order to ensure its students integration in economic activities.                

 

   2. Areas of expertise

CRETF teaches young women in the following subjects:

• Hotel services

• Sewing, craft design and fabric printing

• Food production

• Hygiene, sanitation and environment

• Literacy programs from those who cannot read, among others.

 

   3. Strengths in the ICPD

The CRETF’s training of young women, which provides them with an opportunity for economic and professional insertion fosters for gender equality and development. In addition, the CRETFs from Saint-Loouis and THiès have recently participated in a partnership with the UNFPA for an initiative that taught 100 girls from 16 to 22 years old, focusing on modules covering reproductive health, female genital mutilation, sexual abuse and the prevention of sexually transmitted infections. The girls also received training to become peer educators in their communities.

 

   4. Quality assurance/ previous evaluation

Cited in the Evidence and Action report Special Edition/2015.

 

   5. Experience in South-South Cooperation initiatives

No records could be found about past South-South Cooperation initiatives developed by CRETF.

The Center has developed international cooperation initiatives, such as the one mentioned in item 3. In this particular initiative, the partnership encompassed not only the UNFPA, but also the Luxembourg Development Cooperation (LuxDev) and the International Labor Organization, who provided resources to cover costs of registration, tuition and transportation, as well as equipment improvement.

Furthermore, Centers such as the partnership between the CRETF from Tambacounda and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (Koica), which provided the Center with a computer room, other IT equipment, a piece of land for agriculture training, among other facilities.