Youth Livelihood and Social Transformation (Akawogo):
This program was designed as one of YIYA Foundation’s interventions to respond to the high unemployment rate and poverty among the youth and women of Uganda. It covers most parts of Uganda but currently with ongoing projects in Buyende, Butaleja, and Kampala.
The primary objective of Akawogo is to empower the target groups to increase self-employment opportunities and income levels but also to give the groups a chance to be independent and selfreliant so as to be secure and safe in their environments, by harnessing their social and economic potentials.
Akawogo targets young people taking a special interest in young mothers who have conceived out of violence, abused girls and women, and young people – including survivors of human trafficking, under rehabilitation at the Foundation’s shelters (St. Rita’s Cradles).
The specific objectives of Akawogo include:
- To provide the vulnerable young people, especially youth, young mothers, persons with disabilities, and survivors of SGBV and human trafficking with marketable vocational skills and the tools for self-employment and job creation.
- To provide vulnerable youth especially young women with entrepreneurial and life skills as an integral part of their livelihoods.
- To provide these groups with relevant knowledge and information for positive attitudinal change (mindset change).
Akawogo’s skills development areas include training in marketable livelihood skills that can create opportunities for self-employment among the target group such as:
- Masonry
- Carpentry
- Metal fabrication
- Hairdressing
- Tailoring
- Leather works
- Agro-processing
- Electronics repairs
- Bakery/cookery,
- Graphics & audio editing
- Computer programming
- Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)
- Clay molding
- Backyard farming, etc.