BALOLONGI
Technical Skills for Self Reliance

PO Box 4370, Mbabane, Swaziland, Tel: +268 57968, Fax: +268 57968, e-mail: mtti@realnet.co.sz

Who are we?

Balolongi is an innovative skills training institute which seeks to create self-employment opportunities for young men and women.

Balolongi, the Mobile Technical Training Institute, takes the training to the people - wherever the people are. Balolongi has the ability to operate in any part of rural Swaziland, relocating every nine months to needy areas of the country.

Balolongi assists the fight against crime by encouraging individuals, after adequate training, to start projects and small businesses within their own areas. This helps to curb rural-urban migration whereby training participants leave their home areas to look for non-existent jobs in the cities. The organisation advocates the need to diversify skills and avoid the stereotype of white-collar employment, thereby assisting Swaziland to reduce the unacceptably high unemployment rate.

Objectives

The overall objectives of Balolongi are:

• to train rural men and women in the techinial and business skills necessary to establish small commercial enterprises within their home areas.
• to establish a pool of skills for rural development with especial reference to women and youth.

Courses offered

Balolongi offers short courses of nine months’ duration, in metalworking and building (homestead construction) all over the country.

GENERAL METALWORKING COURSE

The General Metalworking Course teaches the skills of:

• gas welding
• electric arc welding
• brazing
• sheet metal work
• in order to successfully carry out:
• maintenance and repair of farm equipment
• manufacture of basic tools
• production of items such as security doors, trailers and furniture.

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION COURSE

The building construction course covers all the skills required to construct a house from start to finish, including:

• blockmaking
• concreting
• masonry
• carpentry

Design and production of water tanks and pit latrines is also undertaken during the course.

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION COURSE

Both courses have strong elements of business management training and offer students advice on how to establish their own business enterprises, including:

• cash flow analysis
• stock control, bookeeping
• marketing
• financial planning.

For more information, brochures and magazines, please contact The Administrator at mtti@realnet.co.sz