By Nambowa Ruth Bulyaba | Executive Director/Founder
ANOTHER HOPE CHILDREN’S MINISTRIES (AHCM)
SUSTAINABLE SKILLS PROJECT AT COGSWELL SCHOOL OF BEAUTY AND DESIGN(CSBAD)
Background
The love for the youth to live a better life and be self-reliant, prompted the Directors of AHCM to open a sustainable skills Development project, the Cogswell School of Beauty, Art and Design(CSBAD)
Due to the high competition, high costs and poverty, many youths are not able to go to institutions of higher learning. Vocational training enables such youth to attain skills within a short time. When the youth are equipped with vocational skills, they can be self-employed, support themselves and their families and live a better life.
Unfortunately, in Uganda vocational training is expensive. Many youth, who would have benefitted from such training, can’t afford to pay.
A new and affordable arrangement
The new and affordable arrangement was such that: the students pay a small amount of money to enable the institution to buy the required training materials. After the students acquire the skills, the products and services produced by the students would be sold to the public. Then the proceeds would be utilised to meet the school costs.
Challenge
However, the plan did not go as expected. Many of the targeted rural-poor could not afford to pay the minimal fee for the purchase of training materials.
How the challenge was overcome
The students, who could not afford the small fee, were assigned some work at the vocational school. The credit from such work was used to meet their fee demands.
Success Story
Ruulu(Not real name) is the first born in a family of six. Her parents are peasant farmers, from Kabanga Parish, Mapata Sub County, Mukono District. Since her birth in 1989, Ruulu has always dreamt of going to university and become a professional designer. Unfortunately, Ruulu dropped out of school at a tender age, because she had no school fees.
Ruulu’s family tried to find help from some well-wishers so that she could continue with her education. Unfortunately help was not forthcoming. Until one day, when someone referred them to AHCM. Ruulu was enrolled for vocational training at CSBAD, but like many other students, she could not afford the small fee for the materials.
Ruulu like the other poor students were given another option. She was assigned some school tasks like cleaning. Ruulu earned some credit, which enabled her to pay for the training materials.
With this new initiative, more and more disadvantaged students like Ruulu, have been able to get vocational skills. Today, Ruulu is a first year student of Fashion and Design at CSBAD. Ruulu is happy, and her future is bright. She is determined to become the best fashion designer in her village. She hopes to get a sewing machine, employ herself and pay school fees for her siblings.
This project report is a submission to GlobalGiving's 2017 Fail Forward Contest, where organizations are asked to share a story of when they tried something new that didn't go as planned and how they learned from it. Enjoy!
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By Nambowa Ruth Bulyaba | Executive Director
By Nambowa Ruth Bulyaba | Executive Director
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