Oscamidi Anne, Determined to Resume her Studies
One year after completing the Upshift training and winning the final competition with her team, Oscamidi Anne works at a kiosk specializing in solar panel installation and repair.
Along the main road in the heart of Fénérive-Est, in northeastern Madagascar, there are many wooden kiosks that are clearly visible to passers-by. In one of these kiosks, a young woman is focused on electrical installation tests. She is named Oscamidi Anne, 20 years old. One year earlier, after having to interrupt her studies due to her parents’ financial difficulties, Oscamidi Anne joined the Upshift programme implemented by UNICEF and its partners. She received training in electricity and solar installation, where she gained skills with 100 other young people from her region.
“I love everything about electricity and there is no job for men only,” says Oscamidi Anne with conviction. Today, she is very proud of her job and proves every day that girls have a place in this sector. Recently, she also decided to study computer science, hoping that her professional activity will enable her to finance this training. She believes that these additional skills will not only expand her field of expertise, but also extend her professional network.
“I am glad she has decided to resume her studies. I am proud of my daughter because she is a responsible young woman, both at home and in the community,” says Beria Macrée, her mother
Pursue her dream with peers
Oscamidi Anne, from a family of five children, grew up with a strong spirit of volunteering. She has been a peer educator and volunteer in risk and disaster management actions within her community. She also represented Madagascar at the Youth Education Advocacy Workshop, held this year in Côte d'Ivoire. She co-founded the Analanjirofo Youth Council with other members to advocate for her peers.
In their kiosk, Oscamidi Anne and her colleagues are trying to manage their revenues effectively through a group savings system. Nearby, three other kiosks are run by young people in the same year as she: one sells clothes, another one sells delicious pastries, and the last one provides smartphone repair services. “Thanks to the training I received in the Upshift programme, I launched into the pastry business! In addition, I will be studying online project management to realize my dream of opening a large restaurant someday,” says Juliette, one of the young people.
Oscamidi Anne continues to work on home installations while exploring ways to optimize the solar panel repair in the kiosk. She is also examining solutions for partnering with suppliers in the capital to launch the sale.
“My ambition for the future remains the same: to achieve rural electrification of my home village with my solar panels,” she concludes.
Note: In the Analanjirofo region, UNICEF and its partners support these young people through the Let Us Learn programme, funded by the UNICEF German National Committee.
