Promoting Economic Empowerment for out of school youths in Acholi Sub-Region
May 29, 2024
Initiative
Seeking
Collaboration
Ongom Berna Sarah
Uganda
Joined May 29, 2024
The Youth skills empowerment project is an initiative aimed at training the youth in informal market – relevant, Vocational and Technical skills such as tailoring, knitting, mechanics, bakery, metal fabrications, Hair dressing and saloon, basic entrepreneurial skills and appropriate start up tools and materials. This will enable trained youth create jobs or get employed. The project frame work also
integrates psycho social support and adolescent reproductive health education as cross cutting issues. The project operations will cover selected communities in Kitgum, Omoro and Lamwo district.
The trained youth will fill the gap in various market – relevant Vocational and Technical skills in trades of their own choices such tailoring, welding and metal fabrication, Mechanics, bakery, hair dressing among others in the suburbs of Kitgum, Omoro and Lamwo districts and bring about l urban life improvement. Additionally,they will earn incomes from the services they provided to the community.
The absence of large industries has disrupted the lives of young Ugandans. Most of them lack the
means of livelihood due to unemployment. This has inevitably fueled poverty and no poverty reduction strategy can succeed without addressing the need of future human capital.
Psycho social coping among young people is a myth. Their trauma and stress are often not acknowledged and remain unaddressed and they have to carry a burden which they are unequipped to handle. Often these burdens, unresolved anxiety and tensions play out in the form of anti-social behavior and a pre disposition to crime, violence and suicides.
The project will complement local government efforts to address the needs of the unemployed youth to ensure they have the necessary capacity to respond to their unique needs. The duration of the course is less than one year and the curriculum are focused on self-employment.
Problem statement:
The post - colonial history of Uganda is characterized by conflicts and wide spread instability which largely explains the current poverty situation in the country. It’s a history of violent changes of government, ethnic competition, and civil war and at one stage massive internal communities’ displacement from their homes. Since the early 90’s to present HIV/AIDS has devastated communities leaving behind a trail of orphans and widows to fend for themselves. The combined effects of the above left a fractured society and economy devastated and poor social service infrastructure. As the communities embarked on efforts to rebuild their lives the outbreak and lock down to control the spread of Covid -19 pandemic virus(2020 -2021) once again wreaked havoc on the fragile communities and economy.
Households lost the little resources they had accumulated; business opportunities have been lost following the lockdown. It increased unemployment for both formal and informal workers. The closure of business affected millions of Ugandans who depended on formal employment for survival, Job loss for informally employed affected young people, 90% of which are youth. Survival could imply adoption of negative coping strategies, such as theft, drug abuse and commercial sex work.
The disruption of economic activity country-wide increased food insecurity and heightened vulnerabilities. A report by Population Reference shows that Uganda is a second youngest country after Niger, with up to 48.7% of the population under the age of 15. This coupled with the high rate of unemployment for Ugandans under the age of 35 poses a big challenge for the society. Recent data from civil society organizations shows that unemployment is concentrated in urban areas and the situation is worse for Young women.
One of the challenges of the girl child in Africa and here in Uganda is aged old culture of deprivation
and denial of education, child marriage and other forms of abuses. Child marriage is a gross violation of human rights yet young girls are forced into early marriage. Globally, 1/3 of the world’s girls are married before 18 years and 1/9 are married before the age of 15 (UNFPA website). In Uganda, the child
marriage is prevalent at 49% (UNFPA). According to African human and social development report of 2012, Uganda is among 15 top African countries with highest number of child brides and Uganda occupies the 11th position with highest rate of child marriages. Unfortunately over 65% of these marriages do not survive to the fifth anniversary. Leaving them with the burden to care for the children born out of these relationships. The girls’ families reject the children forcing them to move out to urban areas and search for employment opportunities in an effort to fend for themselves.
In Uganda, the percentage of girls who get pregnant before 18 years stands at 61% with 4,711 cases of child marriages according to the situation analysis of children report, UNICEF 2015. The causes of violence against these children especially girls are various and complex yet deeply rooted in traditions, beliefs, and norms. Boys are normally considered “more valuable” for the family as income providers and as such, families often prioritize investment in their education. As a result, girls are often married young to bridge the income gap. As a result, the consequences of violence against the girl children are often devastating and lifelong. This includes lack of skills to seek gainful employment, burden to care for children from failed early marriage, rejection and denial of support by their families and poor knowledge of sexual reproduction .This project proposal seeks to address the impact of the above.
Project Justification:
The youth in Uganda as in many third world countries face discrimination at various levels. At the family level girls are less valued, they are denied opportunities to attend and complete schooling, forcing them to get married early with limited inheritance to family assets. As a result of they lack skills to secure employment yet they are mothers looking after children. At the community level the voice of women is suppressed, their rights and freedoms are abused.
Informal skills training programs specifically address the problems of the youth .The need for informal training is based on the high rates of school drop outs that had insufficient financial support to continue in school, girl child who suffered from teenage pregnancies. Formal skill training takes long and is relatively expensive hence beyond the reach of the vulnerable young people; besides the quality of some formal skills training institutions is inadequate and does not equip the trainees with specific practical skills for employment. This is a challenge for single mothers who are increasingly assuming the role of heads of households. Equipping such Young women with specific practical skills would enable them generate income for their livelihoods. Further the trained youth would fill the gap of trained personnel and provide technical services in their communities as they earn income.