Concern Worldwide Partners Three Organisations to Bring Hope to Poor Youth Living in Kampala

Very poor is how the majority of Kampala's slum youth and the communities in which they live are referred to. As they wait for opportunities for casual labour (offloading trucks of agricultural produce and other merchandise, vending food and digging pits and trenches), they hide from their poverty by chewing gum and "Mairungi", gambling and watching movies that cost between Uganda Shillings 100 to 300. Poor slum girls are often unable to live off casual labour. Many supplement it by exchanging sex for food, shelter and money. "Although they are aware that that cannot be a way of life, they have no alternatives because many of them never went to school or dropped out and lack the necessary skills to access gainful employment.

Because their life is so hard, they try not to think about the future. They live hand to mouth a day at a time", says Nsubuga Ganga a Local Council I leader in Kisenyi II Parish.

In response to this situation, Concern worldwide Uganda Country programme, through the Kampala Community Empowerment Project (KCEP) has supported Lugogo Vocational Training Institute (LVTI) a government training Institution, Ndeeba Parish Youth Association (NPYA) and Mengo-Kisenyi Youth Development Association (MKYDA) to provide vocational and social skills to unemployed low income youth in the slum parishes of Kamwokya II, Kisenyi II, Kisenyi III, deeba, Busega and Lubya to improve their lives.

Between 2003 and 2005 Concern and LVTI from trained 201 youth. Concern supported a Joint Implementation Committee comprised of the leaders of the slum parishes and youth,youth officers from Rubaga and Kampala Central Divisions, who planned, implemented, monitored and evaluated skills training. The committee identified and selected poor youth aged between 15 and 25 years from poor families with no income or earning an average of 3 US $ a day. LVTI designed modules of vocational skills courses that youth with low or no basic education could learn in not more than six months. These were in trades that are marketable such as mobile phone repair, plumbing, welding, electrical wiring, radio/TV repair, hairdressing, cookery, ricklaying, tailoring, and motor vehicle repair. Lugogo VTI ensured good quality training by selecting and supervising institutions to provide training in trades she does not offer. Concern Worldwide funded the training and the provision of start up tools to some of the trained youth.

By December 2005, over 60% of the trained youth had found/created jobs and started generating income. The youth are assured of a secure future as Abbas Male of Lusaze in Lubya Parish explains, "I am self-employed. I make chairs, doors, desks and cupboards for sell. Before the training I used to get like 5,000/ per month. Now I get between 60,000/- to 100,000/- per month" he adds. He is able to cater for his meals, rent a house for himself and support his parents "Before the training eky'emisana nali nkikuba endobo (meaning he used to dodge lunch). Now even if I have no money I get food on credit because the food sellers know I am working.

Community members used to call me Muyaye (Luganda slung for dishonest youth) but now they invite me to their houses to repair their furniture", Abbas narrates The Concern-Lugogo partnership has shown that through tailor-made modules, formal vocational skills training can be provided to the poor youth who lack the academic qualifications required to enrol for the conventional two year courses. It has also demonstrated that skills training can be a way of morally rehabilitating and empowering poor people, Using funding, training and mentoring from Concern Worldwide (KCEP), Ndeeba Parish Youth Association (NPYA) is reducing the risk of poor youth getting sexually transmitted infections and diseases such as gonorrhoea, syphilis and HIV. "We are making the youth key participants in tackling reproductive health challenges they face", Chris Ddamulira a Project Officer with (NPYA) explains.

"Using selection guidelines set with the target youth, they choose peer educators who are trained to become service providers and advocates for the provision of reproductive health services at venues, costs and using approaches that suit the lives costs and using approaches that suit the lives of poor youth. The trained peer educators mobilise youth (13 to 25) and sensitise, guide and counsel them on how to prevent and treat STI/Ds. We also ensure that the youth who are reached by NPYA are able to utilise the awareness by training them in social and relationship skills such as negotiating for no sex/safe sex, being assertive and how to choose and leave friends", Chris adds. NPYA is also encouraging youth to go for blood test to find out whether they have HIV or other STI/Ds. This is done in partnership with Joy Medical Centre in Ndeeba Parish and Kampala City Council to provide voluntary counselling and testing for the target youth where 780 youth have been reached. The beneficiary youth reveal that they are able to assess the risk of getting infected with HIV/STIs/STDs. They communicate more regularly and with greater confidence on issues of reproductive health such as using contraceptives and condoms.

To respond to the unique security needs of youth in the Kisenyi slum (near Owino Market), Mengo-Kisenyi Youth Development Association (MKYDA) is working with Mwanga II Road Magistrates Court, the Uganda Police Force (Old Kampala Station) and Concern Worldwide to implement a community policing programme. Under this programme, youth are sensitised about Uganda's laws and legal procedures. They learn how to prevent crime, resist unlawful arrests and detention, take a case to the police, LC and Magistrate's Court, apply for court bail and police bond.

Since 2002, the programme has benefited 115 youth three of whom are now part of the Local defence forces in Kisenyi II parish. Another 53 are currently undergoing training.

The programme has reduced the gap between the law enforcement agents (especially the police force) and the poor and unemployed youth. "The trained youth work with the police to protect and promote their rights and not as those who violate their rights. This has enabled them work with community leaders and the police to prevent and report crime", Starone Mutyaba the Chief Executive Officer of MKYDA explains. "The community policing programme has contributed to a reduction in petty thieving, pick pocketing, and burglary in Kisenyi II Parish. It has made people value and become willing to work with the reformed poor youth which ahs in turn given the youth an opportunity to look for, find and concentrate on productive work", Mutyaba concludes