UGANDA: Reaping Big from holistic youth Empowerment learning Program
Deacon Isaac Ojok
The initiative of Sisters under “Sister Led youth Empowerment Program” is bearing much fruits in line with the vision to empower the youth to become self-reliant in their localities.
The Program is an initiative of Sisters being supported by the Association of the Religious in Uganda (ARU) to empower the youth with various skills in vocational training.
The Sister Led Youth Empowerment program started with about 100 youth taking training in various vocational training centers within Lira Diocese. The training that takes a period of six and nine months respectively started in November 2021 with beneficiaries selected from the Parishes in Lira Diocese.
Currently those taking the 6 months course of Catering and Hotel Management are being trained at Asili Girls Vocational School in Lira, while those with 9 months courses of Brick Laying and Concrete Practice BCP, Motor Vehicle Repairs, Tailoring among others are being trained at Brother Konrad Vocational training institute Boroboro and they are hoping to complete and graduate by July 2022.
Other students are spread to training centers like Bishop Negri training centre Aduku in Kwania and Father Egidio training center Alenga which is found in Apac district.
The beneficiaries of the program are youth from poor families, victims of school dropout the reason why the program is brought purposely to empower them holistically in a move to make them become self-reliant.
The youth, after successful completion of their courses, are examined and awarded their certificates and transcripts by the Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT), and commissioned to start their own businesses so as to generate resources for themselves and the families.
Recently on the 29th May 2022, a total of 20 youth graduated with certificates in Catering and Hotel Management at Asili Girls Vocational School in Lira city, an event that saw many of them with smiles on their faces and restored hope in the lives of their parents.
During the graduation ceremony presided over by the Rt. Rev Sanctus Lino Wanok, the Bishop of Lira Diocese, the youth expressed joy upon the successful completion of their course.
They pledged to use the skills acquired to transform their lives and those of their relatives, and community at large in a bid to improve on the house hold revenue among others.
Equally, the parents of the youth were grateful to Sisters under Sister Led youth Empowerment Program for initiating learning program that has restored hope, and the sense of belonging in the lives of the youth.
On his part, Rt. Rev Sanctus Lino Wanok underscored the need for the program to be supported with or without finances in order to help the youth who are currently vulnerable in the communities.
Rev Sr. Clare Migisha (MSMMC) the coordinator of the Program, told AMECEA news that they in collaboration with the Association of the Religious in Uganda (ARU) will continue to follow the beneficiaries in their communities to see how they are progressing, and how they can support them more.
She observed the need for other youth who are living within their localities to embrace vocational training or embrace other lucrative activities in a move to generate wealth for their families.
Sr. Clare also emphasized the need for the beneficiaries to share their skills with the colleagues and the neighbors so that their trainings can have a multiplier impact in the communities.
With the majority of the beneficiaries who have graduated, Sr. Clare is optimistic that the next intake for the new beneficiaries will take place in August 2022 after making consultation and giving reports.
Sister Led Youth Empowerment Program being sponsored by the Association of the Religious in Uganda ARU is being observed as the move that will have great significant impact in the lives of the beneficiaries and the communities.
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