Economic Growth Uganda Project #55826

Support youth in Uganda earn a living as welders

by CPAR Uganda Ltd

Project Report | Mar 28, 2023
We need to look beyond academic papers

By Norah Owaraga | Project Leader and Managing Director

Cleaning in progress - re-opening of Lira Centre

“I chose to learn welding skills during the Covid-19 induced lockdowns. As a graduate, you need to look beyond your transcripts (academic papers). It's high time we equip ourselves with hands-on skills. It's time we think beyond just getting a salaried employment. Let's maximize the potential in us by valuing whatever business you're doing. It may look small, but to your surprise, by committing yourself at it, it will end up becoming a great business than what you had thought of before,” shared Okello

Okello, embodies the kind of young persons that we, at CPAR Uganda, target to mentor into a proactive innovator against poverty in their respective community. He is a university graduate with a degree, but isn’t afraid to get his proverbial hands dirty. He doesn’t look down upon certain jobs or honest livelihoods as not suited for a university graduate.

His education has not negatively altered his attitude to believe he is better than his fellow human beings, particularly those without formal education qualifications. His true educated can be deduced from his humbleness and affinity to work for the betterment of humankind in his community.

Make no mistake, Okello’s journey hasn’t been easy. He was orphaned while young – both his parents died. His sister and other extended family have been there for him, but he too had to significantly work hard to get to where he is now. While a student at a prestigious university, in the city, for example, in his free time, after lectures, he resorted to doing a job frowned upon by his peers - selling second hand shoes on the pavement, in order to make ends meet – contribute to school fees and pay for his upkeep at university.

When he couldn’t get a white-collar job for which his education prepared him for, he despaired, but picked himself up. He revived his shoe business. This time not in the city by at roving markets in a rural setting. Travelling in lorries to pop-up markets deep in rural areas in places most will not expect to find a university graduate hawking shoes.

Okello continues his mentorship with CPAR Uganda and with effect from March 2023 he is among the two young innovators we have chosen and has agreed to revive and transform our Lira Learning Centre into a vibrant facility providing much needed services with our community. There are students of more than three tertiary institutions in the neigbourhood of our centre that really need its services – CPAR’s kitchen, the Business Centre, the Reading Room, the Training Hall, and meeting rooms and spaces.

In his true Okello style, this month Okello and his team of three others have been getting their hands dirty, re-opening and cleaning our Lira Learning Centre. The plan is that with a little help, they will officially open our Lira Learning Centre for business during the first week of April 2023 and they will run it as a self-sustaining enterprise.

Since Okello is continuing his mentorship with CPAR Uganda while he is based at our Lira Learning Centre; and since there are many young people in Lira City who can benefit from welding apprenticeships we have decided to re-locate the project to Lira. In the future, in 2024, we will revisit the idea of relocating it back to our Pader Learning Centre.

Using cow dung to seal lunch shed floor

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Dec 10, 2022
Practical skills are the help hardworking youth need to make a living

By Jimmy Ezra Okello | Innovator and Project Leader

Hands on at a welding workshop

“After finishing my senior four, I didn’t have the money to continue with my advanced level of education. I decided to branch for a technical school and did a certificate course in welding, but I had a lot of challenges paying my school fees. So, I requested to work in a school’s piggery project as a cleaner while feeding the pigs at the same time. From the work I was doing in the school, I was being paid some little money that helped me to pay some expenses tied to my academics.

I also saved some money and bought with some few welding requirements from which I managed to start up with the business after completing my course. So, at the moment I am doing the welding business and training a few youths in my workshop though am lacking some of the machines in my plant. Meanwhile when my business stabilises, I plan to upgrade to a diploma in welding, however I need financial support to me to fulfil my dreams.”

Testimonies such as these of young people in our region, greater Northern Uganda, are more common than it is reported. There are hundreds of young people wanting to earn an honest living and to better their lot, if only they can get the right technical and equipment support. This is the reason why I am hopeful that our project will be successful in its fundraising so that at least we are able to buy the major machines that we need in order for us to offer young people apprenticeships in welding.

My welding teacher with whom I apprenticed with told me of how the welding business had made it possible for him to progress in life. Just within two years of operating the business, he testified to me, that it had generated income which enabled him to buy a plot of land within his ancestral village; and to build a house on it, a family home. So, welding is a very good business to do, emphasized my teacher. Thank you all who have already made a donation already, you have given us hope that this is a good project. We continue to ask for your support in spreading the word and encouraging others in your networks to donate.

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Jul 30, 2022
How the Covid-19 lock-down made me become a welder

By Jimmy Ezra Okello | Innovator and Project Leader

As an apprentice welder

Last year, when our country was under a total lockdown because of the Covid-19 pandemic, I observed how most of the people who were doing salaried jobs were stopped from working by the government. Life became so challenging for those depending only on the salaried jobs they were doing. I saw most of the salary earners sitting home and not working. I sat in my room and I began asking questions: How long will the Covid-19 virus take to disappear? And since there was a total lockdown in my country, how will I survive?

As I was taking a walk around the small town where I was, I observed most of the people doing artisanal based businesses were doing their work in the midst of the pandemic. They were working and were able to provide the basic needs of their family in the amidst of the pandemic. One morning, I inquired from some of my friends on who will easily train me. I thank God that they directed me to a young adult owning and managing his welding plant. When I went to the welding plant and expressed my interest in joining a welding training class, I was warmly welcomed.

The first day l reported for training, I was asked what level of education I had reached and I said: "I am a university graduate, a degree holder, who is interested in learning the life skill of welding." This was a great shock to my trainer. He replied to me: “You are a graduate and I am only a Senior Four (secondary school) dropout, how will I manage to teach you since you are of a high education level than me?” I replied: “Here you are my teacher, and at the same time you are my boss, and also my trainer, and I am your student.” The trainer laughed and said to me: “You are very true.”

My teacher then cautioned me: “Here is not a school, but it is where we do practical work. The good thing with this training is that you earn money as you learn.” He then tested me. I started by being sent to carry welding equipment and tools that were outside to bring them in the store room, which I did. As I kept coming and availing myself for training, my mentor began to be very free with me.

I share my testimony of how I became a welder, because I want to inspire other young people from disadvantaged communities not to feel like they have failed in life if they are unable to get 'white-collar' jobs. I want them to appreciate that they can make sustainable livelihoods from artisanal work. This is something I would not have thought about before I joined the CPAR Uganda Mentoring Young Adults into Innovators Agaist Poverty project.

The CPAR Uganda mentoring programme has opened my eyes and I want to do more in facilitating processes that will bring positive change to our disadvantaged communities. I am happy that when I approached our mentor, the CPAR Uganda Managing Director, with my desire to establish a welding plant in order to mentor other young people, she welcomed the idea. And CPAR Uganda has already allowed me the use of one of its centres - building and land - to transform into an artisanal centre, under the mentorship of our Managing Director; and for this support in kind I am grateful.

I am also grateful to all those who have already made a financial donation in support of equipping me with the necessary machines and materials that I need to start a welding plant through which I will provide apprenticeships to youths of a disadvantaged community to gain life skills in welding. I ask others to please donate to this noble cause; a sure way in which to fight poverty at household level in rural Uganda. Thank you.

CPAR Uganda Pader Centre will host this project

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