Livelihoods

Skill Development

Building Livelihoods Through Practical Skills

DAN's Skill Development initiative empowers youth and adults across Nagaland with practical, market-relevant skills that open pathways to dignified livelihoods. We focus on both traditional crafts and modern vocational skills, ensuring participants can earn a sustainable income in their own communities.

Our Approach

We deliver skill training that is accessible, relevant, and rooted in local opportunity. Training is brought directly to communities, reducing barriers of distance and cost. Participants choose skills they are genuinely interested in, and are supported to either start income-generating activities immediately or pursue advanced training with our partner organizations.

Skill Areas

Construction Trades

Masonry, carpentry, electrical work, and plumbing — practical skills that are in high demand in Nagaland's growing towns and villages, providing stable employment and self-employment opportunities.

Traditional Art and Craft

Bamboo and wood craft, knitting, weaving, and other traditional crafts — preserving Naga cultural heritage while creating income-generating products for local and wider markets.

Tailoring and Garment Making

Practical tailoring skills that enable participants to start small enterprises or find employment in the growing garment sector, with particular focus on women's economic empowerment.

Food Processing and Entrepreneurship

Skills in food processing, preservation, and packaging — combined with basic entrepreneurship training — enabling participants to add value to agricultural produce and build small food businesses.

From the Field

Photo Gallery

Glimpses of our Skill Development programme in action — bamboo craft, traditional ornament making, plastic basket weaving, and more across Nagaland.

Skill development training on traditional stool at Tobu Village, Tuensang district — Traditional stool making training — Tobu Village, Tuensang

Trainees and CPCs pose for group photo with finished products at Tobu Village, Tuensang district — Trainees and CPCs with finished products — Tobu Village, Tuensang

Trainees during bamboo craft training at Bamboo Resource Centre, Dimapur — Bamboo craft training — Bamboo Resource Centre, Dimapur

Trainees pose for group photo with project staff after bamboo craft training at DAN — Bamboo craft trainees with project staff — DAN headquarters

Rev. Fr. Sajan Joseph distributing tools to trainees after training at DAN — Rev. Fr. Sajan Joseph distributing tools to trainees — DAN headquarters

Finished bamboo craft products produced by trainees — Finished bamboo craft products by trainees

Trainees engaged in making traditional ornaments during skill development training at Old Medical, Tuensang — Traditional ornament making training — Old Medical, Tuensang

Traditional Naga ornaments produced by skill trainees at Old Medical, Tuensang district — Traditional Naga ornaments by skill trainees — Old Medical, Tuensang

Trainees during plastic basket making training at South Point, Zunheboto district — Plastic basket making training — South Point, Zunheboto

Colourful plastic baskets produced by trainees at South Point, Zunheboto district — Finished plastic baskets by trainees — South Point, Zunheboto

Impact

Through our skill development programmes, hundreds of young people and adults across Nagaland have gained the skills and confidence to build sustainable livelihoods — reducing dependence on subsistence farming and creating new economic opportunities in their communities.