Uplifting Ugandan Out of School Youth through Income Generating Activities

I’m now ready to give you all more information on my summer project here in Uganda. At Kitovu Mobile I am working with the Counseling and Training department who also deals with Orphans and OVC (Other Venerable Children). Preparing this project has been a long and hard process of getting work plans and budgets approved and working with my organization to make sure that the idea is sustainable and maintainable for these out of school children. 

So here it is! I will be implementing an income generating activity at the Bisanje Parish in Kabonera Sub-County of Masaka District.  This project will work with youth who have been either infected of affected by HIV/AIDS.  They have been forced to leave school either to tend to ill family members or to work to make up for extra health expenses and generate income for their families if the head of household can no longer work.  Unfortunately, many times these youth are forced into dangerous labor making very little money.  With this IGA it is my hope that these same youth will be able to become experts in a highly profitable field where they will be able to contribute to their families, communities, and gain a sense of pride and ownership.  Kitovu Mobile and I will be working with 25 out of school youths and community leaders and will train them in pig rearing and supply them with there own pig to get started!  We have decided on pigs because they reproduce fast and in large numbers, are sold as the most expensive meat on the market, and are easily maintainable for the youth.  Because of my initial funds, two participants will start this project by sharing a pig and housing a pigsty (locally built) at one of their homes.  In training sessions they will learn how to take after a pig, feeding and de-warming, and also business and teamwork skills to ensure that their new enterprise is long lasting and reputable. 

I am so excited to get started on this project and see how these youths take advantage of this opportunity! I will be sure to spend my last 5 weeks here monitoring this project and working closely with the participants to ensure that they feel connected and supported.  However, this is costly and that’s where YOU come in!  I would LOVE LOVE LOVE for you to donate anything you can to help these youths start out their piggery.  Any amount helps and being on the ground first hand, I can assure you that your money will be well spent and 100% of it will go towards the main goal.  Along the way I will be updating this blog on the progress of the project with reports and photos so you can see how your donations are being used.  Kitovu, the out of school youth, and I would greatly appreciate anything you have to offer. Thank you so much!