Uganda Children Centre partnered with the Norwegian Refugee Council to train 41 urban refugee youths in Kampala District. This programme targets youths from conflict-torn countries of Africa, such as DRC, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Burundi among others. The training is programmed to run for six months combining face to face training, industrial training placement, DIT assessment and a graduation ceremony after completion.
Appreciation goes to staff of UCC Vocational Training Institute for applying pedagogical skills that harness the different needs of urban learners. Most learners hardly speak English yet is the medium of communication. Majority of the trainees speak French, Swahili and local languages of mother countries.
However, this language difference did not affect the smooth running of the training since the institute already had mechanisms to address such eventualities. Among the trainers, there are Swahili and French speakers instructing in different departments.
Services offered include; provision of daily lunch since majority of the trainees come from far and hardly have breakfast before set off to come to UCC. Courses offered include building and construction, bakery, tailoring and fashion design, hairdressing and beauty therapy, decorations and events management, electronics repair and installation, vehicle repair, and plumbing. The trainees will be completing their studies by the end of August 2023.
UCC social work department continue to do its noble task of providing counselling services to the trainees to restore hope, confidence and self-belief. Many trainees appreciate this service because it addresses some of the psychological challenges encountered on the daily basis. These include, anxiety, depression, addiction, and social stress disorders among others. Some female trainees come with their children of about 3-5 years of age because they cannot leave them at home due to lack of helpers or relatives to look after them in their absence. Some of the female trainees under NRC project continued to challenge Ugandan female students by engaging to do courses commonly known for male students.
Such courses include building and construction, and motor vehicle mechanics. Visibly, it is rare to register female Ugandan students aspiring to offer such courses. We thank female Congolese learners for their determination and forward looking. Further appreciation goes to UCC counselling and guidance department, which during assessment, engage new female students to take on technical courses to demystify old adage that stereotypes certain courses to gender.
Female students who mastered technical courses, have accessed opportunities in the world of work without any hustle because most employers prefer female technicians in relation to their male counterparts. As UCC, we continue to do our noble duty to empower unskilled urban youth with appropriate skills to enable them join the world of work. We shall also continue to seek further cooperation with other partners both local and international to mobilize resources that empower the urban youth. Our appreciation goes to NRC for being a good partner in supporting the plight of urban youth in Kampala informal settlements.