KAMULI, Uganda — Forty-nine young people from nine youth business groups in Bulopa Subcounty, Kamuli District, have received start-up packages to help them turn skills acquired through training and work-based learning into sustainable businesses and sources of income.
The support is being provided under the WeWork – Green and Decent Jobs for Youth Project, which seeks to bridge the gap between youth skills development and access to employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.
The packages include chicks, piglets, animal feeds and other business inputs, with each group receiving support based on its approved business plan. On average, each graduate group is receiving start-up kits and equipment worth about Shs5 million.
The intervention is designed to go beyond the provision of business inputs. Beneficiaries will also receive continued coaching, mentorship, technical assistance, market linkages and connections to value-chain actors to help their enterprises survive and grow.
Waibi Stephen, the LC III Chairperson of Bulopa Subcounty and guest of honour at the event, commended the project for supporting young people to move from skills training to actual income-generating activities.
“This project is important because it is not only giving young people skills, but also helping them put those skills into practice through businesses. We encourage the beneficiaries to use these opportunities responsibly, work hard and ensure that the businesses grow and benefit their families and communities,” Waibi said.
He also urged the beneficiaries to take advantage of the mentorship and market linkages provided under the project rather than relying solely on the initial start-up support.
The project organisers said that having a skill is only the beginning for many young people, with the bigger challenge being how to secure customers, access reliable inputs, obtain financing and connect to markets.
“Young people cannot build sustainable businesses on training alone. They need continued coaching, mentorship, access to markets, finance and the right business networks,” the organisers said.
The beneficiaries have already undergone skills training and work-based learning and are now expected to apply their knowledge in real business environments. Some will venture into poultry farming, while others will focus on piggery and other enterprises supported under the project.
The initiative also brings together local government officials, private-sector actors, input dealers, mentors, work-based learning hosts and other value-chain players. Organisers say this collaboration is critical to ensuring that youth enterprises continue operating even after project support ends.
“The sustainability of youth businesses cannot rest with the project alone. Local government, private-sector actors, input dealers, mentors and other value-chain players all have a role to play in providing the connections, advice and services these young businesses need,” the organisers said.
The one-day stakeholder engagement in Bulopa brought together approximately 130 participants, including youth representatives, district and subcounty leaders, technical officers, private-sector actors and consortium partners from Cordaid, CEAVA, Rikolto and Enabel.
The wider WeWork intervention targets 350 young people organised in 35 groups, with women expected to constitute 50 percent of the beneficiaries. The project is being implemented in Jinja and Kamuli and focuses on market-relevant skills in fish, poultry and piggery enterprises.
Funded by the European Union and the Government of Belgium, the project combines skills development with work-based learning, financial readiness, organised markets, business coaching and mentorship.
The ultimate goal is to enable young people to build viable businesses, access markets and create pathways towards green and decent work and sustainable livelihoods.
The WeWork project is also being implemented in Kamuli District with a focus on equipping young people with practical skills and supporting them to establish sustainable livelihoods.
