Sylvia, a 23-year-old mother living in Mukono district, Uganda, faced a difficult situation when she had to leave secondary school due to financial constraints. Without completing her high school education, Sylvia faced limited job prospects yet still needed to earn a living. “I began working in Mabira Forest, where I was planting trees. The job was physically exhausting, and my bosses weren’t kind. However, I continued working because I wasn’t in school and I needed the money.” Enduring harsh conditions, Sylvia persevered in her determination to provide for herself and her family.
One day, Sylvia’s life took a positive turn when she crossed paths with a program implementer from the Prevention of Violence Against Children and Young People (PVAC) program, supported by Children’s Rights and Violence Prevention Fund (CRVPF) and implemented in Mukono by the Najogge-Mukono Cluster. Sylvia joined an out-of-school youth club, a key PVAC violence-prevention strategy designed to equip young people who are not in school with essential life and vocational skills. At the core of this intervention is to empower youth with the knowledge and skills needed to make informed decisions and lead safe, dignified, and sustainable lives, free from violence
“During the sessions I learned important lessons like the importance of a woman working to support herself and meet her needs. I also learned the value of saving money when you’re earning. You don’t need to spend a lot; it’s important to spend it wisely.”
In addition to acquiring soft skills, Sylvia also had the chance to learn hairdressing, a craft she had always been passionate about but never had the chance to explore. The hairdressing classes were supplemented with customer-care lessons teaching her how to communicate and interact with customers effectively. “I started offering hairdressing services to people in my community by going to do their hair in their homes. Through this, I began earning more than what I was being paid in my tree-planting job, and eventually, I decided to quit.”
Sylvia not only started earning more from her mobile hairdressing job compared to the tree-planting one, but her newly acquired skill also allowed her to save enough money. With these savings, Sylvia was able to establish her own salon, which she now manages.
Despite facing a few challenges in managing her business such as frequent electricity cuts, Sylvia is now capable of providing for herself and her son through her hairdressing skill. She reflects, “First, I am proud of how far I have come because I was not where I used to be. Before, others used to exploit me, but now I can utilize the skills I have to work for myself and generate income. I dream of opening another branch and hiring people, passing down the skills I learnt from the program.”