How youth in Rwenzori region have improved their skills, lives

Youth in Ntoroko District being trained on how to repair motor boat engines recently. The intervention has helped several youth out
of unemployment. Photo by Felix Basiime
By FELIX BASIIME
Posted Thursday, December 3 2015 at 02:00

IN SUMMARY

More than 1,000 youth in the districts of the Rwenzori sub-region have been trained in vocational skills that are
changing their lives. The vocational skills have multiplied and the graduates are now providing employment to fellow
youth in their communities.

Jolly Tumwebaze, 18, lives in Nombe village, Karugutu Sub-county in Ntoroko District. She
dropped out of Primary Five at Harugongo Primary School in Kabarole District in 2011 due to
lack of school fees. Born in a peasant family, she remained at home where her main
preoccupation was doing domestic chores.

She had lost all hope of doing something else for a better future until some NGOs threw at her
an olive branch through trainings.

I was trained in March in bakery, I prepare chapatti and cakes. Every day, I earn Shs10,000,
which I save and buy a goat every month says Tumwebaze.
On a good day, I earn Shs25,000. I no longer bother my husband to buy everything at home, I
also contribute to the family budget
Another youth, Salimu Mutalinga, 18, also from Nombe village in Karugutu, has five bee- hives
and harvests 15kg of honey from each hive every season. Each kilogramme is sold between
Shs15,000 and Shs20,000 locally.
Through Ride Africa, I learnt how to make bee hives and before this programme (Youth in
Action). I was just digging Mutalinga says. Each modern bee hive is at Shs70,000.
Mutalinga has acquired the skills and now trains other youths in bee keeping.
I also train others in apiary for a fee, my students pay me Shs20,000 per month to teach them, I
also harvest honey for others at a fee of Shs5,000 per hive, I bought the costumes.
Tumwebaze and Mutalinga are among hundreds of youths in Ntoroko, Kasese and Bundibugyo
districts who dropped out of school until NGOs like Ride Africa, Fura, ANNPCAN and BAWILHA
started work in the Rwenzori region four years ago.
Many youths in the area have acquired skills for various jobs including repairing motor boat
engines, bakery, soap making, apiary, among others.
Up to 1,080 youths from Kasese, Bundibugyo and Ntoroko districts in August were passed out
in Bundibugyo after acquiring various skills for self employment.
The youths first trained for five months conducted by Ride Africa in Ntoroko District, FURA and
ANNPCAN in Kasese and BAWILHA in Bundibugyo with funding from Master Card foundation
and Danida through Save the Children International.
This month, 1,237 youths from the region completed courses in saloon management, building
and construction, bee keeping, metal fabrication, carpentry and joining, electrical installation,
and tailoring, catering, soap making among others.
Youth from Rwebisengo and Kanara sub counties in Ntoroko District have also acquired skills in
finance management, which have helped them to increase their savings.

Groups have been formed and registered at sub county and district levels. Among the
members, there are savings and credit facilities (loans) which has empowered them
economically.
Nefigi Tumwine says, In the next 10 years, I will be counted among the rich people of Kanara
Sub-county because I got a firm foundation through financial literacy and leadership trainings.
Tumwine, 24, lives at Katanga A village, Kanara sub county; he is the chairperson of Kanara
Youth Network.
He is among the lucky youths who benefited from Ride Africa with support from Save the
Children under youth empowerment support project.
He had lived a hard life before of earning a living through fishing activities at Lake Albert after
having dropped out of school at the age of 18 in Senior Three.
Having acquired financial skills, he saved Shs200,000 and started a palm oil business.
From this he accumulated Shs300,000 and started a fuel-selling point in July 2014.
By the end of March, I had accumulated Shs 500, 000 as capital which enabled me to start
another fuel selling point at Butungama, a neighbouring sub county he says.
Selling fuel by the road side is a brisk business in the remote areas of Bundibugyo and Ntoroko
districts as fuel pump stations are only on the main road at Karugutu trading centre in Ntoroko
and in Bundibugyo Town.
Many local businessmen in Fort Portal Town load fuel jerrycans on taxis to Ntoroko and
Bundibugyo.
Tumwine adds, With this business, I have been able to employ someone whom I pay
Shs200,000 every fortnight and he is in charge of the Katanga business.
I have not only provided employment to fellow youth but I am able to support my young brother
who is in Senior Four at King Jesus Secondary School at Mubuku in Kasese District.
Every term I pay Shs270,000 and cater for his up keep.
Tumwine is optimistic that his brother will study up to university because his business is
growing. He is planning to start a goat rearing project to diversify his income.

Children in schools too in Ntoroko have been empowered to participate in decision making and
now demand for their rights and hold duty bearers accountable in their respective sub counties.
This is achieved through involving children in child rights clubs and holding of childrens
parliament says Margaret Kabasinguzi, the programmes officer for Ride Africa in Ntoroko.
In Kanara Sub county, Ntoroko District the childrens councillor presented a number of issues to
the area LC III council and technocrats demanding for resource allocation to monitor and follow
up cases of child marriage and abuse, drug abuse, child labour especially in the fishing villages
and high school dropouts.
This prompted the sub county leadership to allocate Shs1.5 million in the sub countys budget
for this year to monitor childrens issues and programmes, Kabasinguzi adds.
Ntoroko Woman MP Jennifer Mujungu says the projects have transformed the youths in the
countryside.
The skills the youths have acquired have helped them transform their lives through income
generating projects by managing their finances while many have made savings in Saccos,
Mujungu says.
He adds, The other skills have helped them to create jobs for themselves.so they can earn a
living, I commend the NGOs for the job well done.