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Our Correspondent
Mokokchung, Feb. 6 (EMN): In an endeavour to alleviate the unemployment problem and provide self-employment opportunities to the youth, Alempang Baptist Church has launched MITA ministry on February 5.
MITA is a ‘faith and work initiative’ of Alempang Baptist Church in partnership with Canadian Baptist Ministries. The acronym for MITA stands for ‘Meranga Inyaker Taküm Alitsü’ in the Ao Naga dialect, roughly translated as ‘self sustenance through hard work.’
The Alempang Baptist Church Pastor Rev. Dr. Temsu S said that they are more than 300 unemployed youth members in his church, which prompted the church members to study the gravity of unemployment scenario. It was then that they decided to undertake a social ministry which resulted in MITA ministry.
The pastor informed that the MITA ministry plans to provide self-employment opportunities by launching food processing, furniture and handicraft and poultry and piggery farming projects in phase wise manner.
He added that the launching of food processing unit was the first of the three phases.
Under the food processing unit, the church has provided special assistance including financial assistance, mentoring, procuring of machines and worksite to ten youths. The beneficiaries will be responsible for running and managing the business under well-articulated guidelines set by the Church.
Tongpang Ozukum, Minister for PWD (Housing and Mechanical), who formally launched the MITA ministry, lauded the church for social activism to provide self-employment opportunities to the youths, adding that this might be the first of its kind.
Stating that unemployment situation was grim in the state, he further encouraged the people to inculcate work culture and venture out in self-employment projects to become self-reliant.