Week 5 – Welcome to the Nile

Hoima Youth With Disabilities Association

On Monday morning my group had a meeting with the Hoima Youth With Disabilities Association who do advocacy in Hoima for representation of youth with disabilities and the enactment of their rights, as well as identifying individuals who have not yet been supported by Sightsavers.

It was very interesting to hear about their work and gave us some more ideas of how to take our project forward. We hope to work with some of the youth they have identified to form groups for training and we were also able to collaborate on the script for a radio talk show which they had as one of their aims for this year.

It was really inspiring to hear that despite the challenges they face because of their disability they have all managed to set up their own businesses, whether that be tailoring, welding, plumbing, or computer services.

Kinogozi

On Tuesday morning our whole team went to Kinogozi to run a session on the National Youth Policy and vocational training institutes (VTIs) for Kinogozi youth group. Held in a colourfully decorated church, the session was a success (despite a few issues with translation).

The ICVs (in-country volunteers) gave a talk about the Ugandan National Youth Policy which addresses various issues faced by the youth. Focusing on gender, unemployment and livelihoods the youth group discussed the causes of problems and brainstormed solutions. Then Annie and Caroline (two UK volunteers) led a quiz about the opportunities available at VTIs. By the end of the session the audience had doubled due to children from the school opposite filtering into the church and we were surprised to find cows with giant horns wandering around in their playing field.

Financial training

On Wednesday afternoon there was a financial training session organised as a joint endeavour for the groups with Take A Step Women’s Association and Kitoba Disability Group held at Hoima Resort Hotel. After some issues with transport, the session got underway with a session by a representative of Equity Bank about savings accounts and loans. This was followed by a talk about Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) by a member of Communications for Health Uganda.

We received some constructive criticism from the attendees and the organisation aspect of the day was slightly stressful, but all the groups said they benefited from the training, enjoyed the opportunity to network and would like us to arrange more training days.

Welcome to the Nile

On Thursday we had our first Community Action Day (an event run by the ICS team for the community). This one was an open day held at the Nile Vocational Training Institue. After a good half hour trying to tie up the banner and then nearly fainting whilst blowing up balloons, representatives from several schools as well as some other groups we have been working with were given the opportunity to look around the institute and ask questions. A group called SAP took photos and film for VSO purposes whilst we found out more about the impressive mechanics students and their work.

There were then talks from the heads of the various institutes (St Joseph’s and Buhimba had sent representatives) about the great variety of courses and what students gain from vocational training. The district commissioner also gave a speech and a few pupils from the schools asked to perform. Their singing and dancing skills were unexpected and I thought the performers were a lot braver than anyone I knew at school. Then the guests and the team were provided with an excellent lunch from the Nile catering students.

The sports which then ensued were a lot more intense and competitive than I expected. I decided to play football as no other girls were and I thought it would just be a kick-around. However, when I was handed an official jersey and told I was main striker I knew I was well out of my depth. After a pretty feeble attempt at football (although I don’t think I did too much harm) I was swapped for a better player, but was still able to enjoy a game of volleyball.

When we were trying to get everyone to go home, the man with the PA system continued playing music and a fully-fledgd dance party ensued, which we had no choice but to join (not that it was a burden for me!). On the whole it was a very enjoyable day and I hope we’ve shown that vocational training is a viable option for achieving a sustainable income.

Busy bees

Friday was a very productive day. I was part of a group which went to Buseruka SS to give a life skills session. The town is quite far from Hoima, but the drive was very scenic and we saw the beautiful blue of Lake Albert and the imposing mountains on the other side (in the Democratic Republic of Congo!).

The session itself went well, the children were engaged in our activities (including Simon Says and Chinese Whispers) and, although there were about a hundred students so they did get a bit rowdy at times, I think the sessions were useful especially for interview skills.

The SAP team showed up again, sadly near the end of the session, but took some photos of us with the pupils. We were then given VSO shirts and had a photoshoot to model the new merchandise, which was a slightly odd experience. Some of us were also interviewed for VSO promotional purposes, which was slightly intimidating, but also exciting.

A group of us then went to the trade fair which was held up on the Booma Grounds. There were lots of stalls selling clothes, jewellery and statues as well as food stalls, a paddling pool for kids, a talking head tent and caged animals (although we didn’t pay to see them as we don’t agree with animals being caged). I then went to an arts and crafts shop that has lots of traditional and hand-made items. The lady who owns the shop is called Margaret and she was very excited that I bought so much. I managed to get almost all my Christmas presents that afternoon and have had the opportunity to speak to Margaret several times as I pop back for bits and bobs (I like to think I’m her most loyal customer!).

On Friday evening the group working with the disability association  (me, Niamh and Emmanuel) went to Spice FM along with Godfrey (chairperson for Hoima Youth With Disabilities Association) for a radio show to raise awareness about issues faced by people with disabilities. Even though we had written the script beforehand, I felt nervous before it started. However, once we had entered the recording room, carpeted in blue from floor to ceiling, I forgot that anyone was listening and the show went well.

The presenter was very charismatic and we spoke about attitudes towards disabled people, oportunities for training and sponsorship, and Godfrey was interviewed about his experiences and advocacy as a councillor representing PWDs. It was very sweet as when I returned home my host family told me they had listened to me on the radio and said I spoke well.

SDGs and National Youth Policy

On Saturday afternoon some of our group led a session on the National Youth Policy and the UN Sustainable Development Goals at Premier secondary school. The group was relatively small, but they were very engaged in the session run by the Ugandan volunteers on the national youth policy, focusing on issues of gender, vocational training and unemployment. They investigated the causes and brainstormed possible solutions. Then some UK volunteers did a quiz about the sustainable development goals  (https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs) which are a set of 17 goals set by the United Nations for the global community to work towards sustainable development.