PROJECT-SUPPORT CAPE VERDE

Country / Location

Cape Verde: Islands of Santiago, São Vicente, and Santo Antão

The Republic of Cape Verde is an African island state consisting of the Cape Verde Islands in the central Atlantic, located 570 kilometres off the west coast of the African continent. The archipelago comprises nine inhabited islands and about 16 smaller islets. The total land area is approximately 4,000 km² with a population of about 480,000 people.

Santiago Island
Roughly half of the population lives on the main island of Santiago, which is also home to the capital city Praia in the southeast. With around 140,000 inhabitants, Praia is the largest city in the country and serves as the economic hub of the islands.

Santo Antão Island
Santo Antão is the northernmost and westernmost island, separated by a 16 km-wide strait from the southern island of São Vicente. Although it is the second-largest island in Cape Verde, it has a population of only 48,000.

São Vicente Island
São Vicente is one of the smaller islands. The port city of Mindelo, with 77,000 residents, is the second-largest city in Cape Verde. Its port, which became an important supply station for transatlantic routes around 1850, now serves as a docking point for cruise ships.

General

Since its founding in 1987, the CABO VERDE Foundation for Education has been committed to promoting effective educational development in Cape Verde. The foundation supports projects that provide children and young people with access to school and vocational education and foster equal opportunities. It works in close partnership with local organisations to implement sustainable and impactful initiatives.Today, about twice as many people of Cape Verdean descent live abroad as on the islands. Roughly two-thirds of families receive financial support from relatives living in the diaspora. Recently, migration has further increased, bringing noticeable changes to everyday life.

Beneficiaries

Every year, the CABO VERDE Foundation provides access to education for more than 900 children and young people. To this end, the foundation has defined key areas of support and backs suitable projects on three islands. These range from kindergarten to school and vocational training, as well as tutoring and the promotion of equal opportunities.

Santiago
Vocational training courses for women and youth in Tarrafal and Calheta / Homework support and girls' empowerment through sports in Calheta / Early childhood education and prevention programs in Praia

Santo Antão
Vocational training courses for women in Ribeira Grande / Early childhood education in Ribeira Grande and Ponta do Sol  

São Vicente
Vocational training courses for women in Mindelo / Tutoring and support for equal opportunities in Mindelo / Early childhood education in Calhau

Project-Support

Project: Vocational Training for Young Women

To create sustainable future prospects in Cape Verde, targeted support is given to vocational education projects. The women’s organization OMCV offers various vocational training courses at its centers on several islands. The CABO VERDE Foundation enables young women to attend these courses at three locations. OMCV (Organização das Mulheres de Cabo Verde) was established in 1981 as the first organization advocating for women's rights in Cape Verde. It is now well known across the islands and promotes economic and social development, as well as entrepreneurship, through its training courses.

OMCV Centre Tarrafal (Santiago)
Recycling, sewing, and artistic embroidery
Fish processing and preservation
Cooking and catering
Professional driving license for light vehicles

OMCV Centre Mindelo (São Vicente)
Restaurant kitchen, catering, and pastry making
Hotel services
Creative sewing and souvenir making

OMCV Centre Ribeira Grande (Santo Antão)
Care for elderly and/or disabled individuals