On Friday 27th October 2023, 175 young people, including those with disabilities, refugees, and 24 participants from the twelve safe spaces in Kampala managed by the Central Cluster, which includes Action for Fundamental Change and Development (AFFCAD) and Serving Lives Under Marginalized (SLUM) with financial support from Children’s Right and Violence Prevention Fund’s (CRVPF) Adolescent Girls Power Program (AGPP), graduated from several vocational training programs. Twenty-four safe space participants are now certified in Electrical Installation, Decoration & Events Management, Information Communication and Technology and Tailoring and Fashion Design. Graduates underwent six months of thorough training in which they acquired practical skills and knowledge in their respective fields of interest. After the six months, they were required to do a month of work experience to learn how to implement the theory they had been taught practically and enhance their work-readiness.
The graduates walked joyfully across the stage in their caps and gowns, cheered on by their relatives and friends, as Hajjat Faridah Kibowa, the chairperson of Uganda’s National Women’s Council, presented their certificates to them. Along with their certificates, graduates received start-up capital to facilitate the establishment or expansion of their businesses, enabling them to utilize the competencies they gained throughout their vocational training. A portion of this capital was provided in monetary form while others obtained machinery in the form of laptops, sewing machines, cosmetic products, and other practical instruments, to complement the skills they had learned.
Twenty-year-old Viola Basalwa was among the graduates. She was forced to stop her secondary school education as a result of financial difficulties. Today, she holds a certificate in Information Communication Technology because of the vocational training she received from the Central Cluster supported by CRVPF’s AGPP grant. Violas serves as a peer mentor at a newly established safe space and aspires to open her own stationary store in the future, having gained one month of work experience at a retail establishment during her training. (Read more about Viola’s story here.)
According to Development Aid, 67% of Ugandans are unemployed. There are multiple negative effects associated with unemployment, including heightened food insecurity, limited access to healthcare and other essential services, and poorer standards of living. Adolescents’ girls are a marginalized and vulnerable demographic, and a lack of practical skills and certifications can increase their vulnerability and the likelihood of violence being perpetuated against them. CRVPF, working together with development partners like AFFCAD and SLUM through AGPP, strives to equip adolescent girls with the necessary credentials and competencies to secure dignified employment or launch their own businesses, aiming to reduce the likelihood of abuse and violence against them.