Moshi — A MOSHI-based non-governmental organisation, Africa Volunteer Corps (AVC) has said it was ready to help the government alleviate the burden of youth unemployment.

University graduates are among non-employed professionals currently being assigned volunteer jobs in the communities to gain experience and later be creative enough to establish income generating projects of their own.

AVC Director, Mr Jafari Msaki told the 'Sunday News' in an interview that the NGO recruited its first batch of seven graduate volunteers last year, who were required to work for one year with the government and non-governmental institutions to acquire requisite skills and experience for future employment.

He said another objective of the programme was to enable indigenous volunteers, enter the informal sector where they were expected to be sufficiently creative to be self employed instead of wasting their time at jobless corners, waiting to get jobs which are scarce or non-existent.

Mr Msaki has appealed to the government to assist the NGO so that it could recruit at least 50 graduates every year , saying the first batch of the graduates have hailed the AVC initiative.

"The government could assist by disbursing funds to pay the volunteers in stipends or subsistence allowances, to motivate them and enable them complete their assignments smoothly," he pleaded, adding that his NGO was paying 200,000/- to each volunteer every month.