Skills programme gives hope to West Nile youth

By 8:30am last Friday, Mr Isaac Obulejo was busy at his furniture workshop in Laropi Town, Moyo District.

Mr Obulejo makes wooden beds, doors, windows, chairs, and tables. He left the village in 2016 because he did not have any source of income yet he was not getting any younger.

“One day, I reflected that if I continue to stay in the village, I would not make it in life,” Mr Obulejo told The Monitor on Friday.

He dropped out of Senior One due to school fees problems. 

“I had a business plan of starting carpentry work but I did not know how to start. Life was difficult in the village because I would use manual tools to make local beds as there was no power,” he said.

Mr Obulejo added: “I then left the village and joined a youth group in town here and this is where I started a small business from scratch. Here there is power and a market for my products.”
 
Turning point

He said his turning point came when his group received a grant from the Security, Protection, and Economic Empowerment (SUPREME) project funded by the European Union (EU)..

The four-year project seeks to increase access to decent employment and economic opportunities for refugees and host communities.

“I received the Shs3.2 million from the European Union. I purchased essential equipment and secured a rental space. This enhanced production and visibility in the market.”

“Today, I employ six youth from Laropi Town. I can earn at least Shs600,000 weekly and a net profit of about Shs300,000,” he said. He plans to expand his business to Adjumani District. He is also engaged in farming and has one acre of land where he grows herbal medicine species. He also started a beekeeping project. 

David Opi, one of the youth who is training with Mr Obulejo, said: “Practical work earns instant money. And if one has the tools and mindset, he/she can earn a living. I can use carpentry as a starting point in my life.”

Justification

World Vision Programme Manager Noel Alabi, said: “We have supported [764] youth with business plans with enterprise development grants. These youth can do productive work and become useful people in society.”

Similarly in Itula Sub-county, Obongi District, Najuku Reider of Toto Na Pai women’s group is using the agricultural skills attained to earn a living.

“I am now able to sell the pigs to pay fees for the children who are in school. Even now, my family members cannot sleep hungry because of the money that I get from farming,” she said.

She said: “I am now able to earn about Shs800,000 from the small land I have as opposed to the past where I solely depended on my husband.”