The Presidential initiative on skilling the girl child has resumed registration of new students.
This initiative is a hands-on program that enables girls to acquire skills ranging from bakery, tailoring, hairdressing & makeup, knitting, shoemaking, and weaving.
The Initiative of skilling the girl child was started in April 2017 by President Yoweri. K Museveni to empower the girl child. Since then, more than a total of 12,651 girls have benefited from the project.
The training takes place at seven centres namely; Wandegeya Market North Wing 2nd Floor, Nakulabye at Our lady of Fatima Catholic Church, Subway near the Parliament, Luzira at the Prison, Kigoowa at the Catholic church, Mutundwe at Anglican Church and at Katanga.
Upon graduation, the President gives them capital of sh1m to practice what they learned and to earn a living. The course targets girls from 17yrs to 35yrs. They are required to bring their national identity card for registration. The training is free.
The project since its inception has reduced unemployment levels since they are given hands-on skills as well as start-up capital. Even those who don’t have money to go to other established vocational skills have been helped with skills for income generation.
In 2019, while at the graduation ceremony of those that we’re able to complete the program, President Yoweri Museveni advised graduates to use the vocational skills that they have acquired from their training to meet the needs of people, which in turn, will make them wealthy and prosperous.
“When women are empowered the whole community stands to benefit as they are in a position to contribute to the economic development of the country. “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish, and you feed him a lifetime” this is a common adage we subscribe to as a program,” he said.
What do beneficiaries say?
Kirabo Royce, a primary seven drop out says, “I enrolled for tailoring because I love fashion and beauty. I have been doing make-up before and with this new skill, I can earn more money to help my parents take care of my sibling’s school fees. One day, I want to start a beauty parlor”.
Nanteza Grace didn’t get the opportunity to go to school so the initiative was a chance to educate and skill herself.
“This project has given me an opportunity to learn new skills that I can earn from some money. I intend to upgrade and be the best in what I do”. My fellow friends have been transformed through this project. We pride ourselves in the work we are doing in different places in town,” she said.
Asio Prossy from Katanga says she is extremely happy with the project. “I would be pregnant and begging on streets if it was not for this program. It kept me occupied and also gave me a lifetime skill,” she added.
“Some of us were drug addicts, prostitutes. now we own our small businesses with the skills we acquired and the start-up capital we were given. I look forward to a time when all women will be able to support themselves financially,” Monica said.
Parents and guardians are urged to enroll girls for the 6 months of hands-on training for it benefits them as well as the community at large. The girls are also expected to put in more efforts and hard work to enable them to pass the exams set by the Directorate of Industrial Training toward the end of the project.
