Life Skills / Vocational Program

Young adults in Uganda face tremendous challenges in finding work to support themselves, let alone a family. The statistics* on secondary education and job opportunities are alarming: after primary school, about 15% of children move on to secondary schools. Approximately 2% move on to university. Only 30% of those who graduate with a college degree are able to secure gainful employment.

The focus of the PI Life Skills/Vocational program is to increase the number of children who advance to secondary and university levels. And in doing so, ultimately increase the number who can seek and gain meaningful employment. Simply stated, we strive to ensure that the children in our orphanages and schools gain skills that will lead to paying work in Uganda, where they can contribute to society and become community role models.

These efforts are led by PI's Life Skills/Vocational specialist who administers various programs and training within the homes, exposing the children to different vocations. The orphans learn about farming, sewing, making jewelry, construction, wood working, and cooking--practical skills that will serve them well as adults. To give older orphans the ability to sustain themselves, PI relies on partnerships with local organizations to provide vocational training. Additional expertise and instruction is provided by our Life Skills/Vocational development specialist who is entrusted with community service and relations activities, arranging field trips and camps for the children, developing exchange programs, and providing career and spiritual guidance.

The primary Life Skills/Vocational program goals:

• Provide the children a solid understanding of the importance of being an active/productive member of society
• Develop age-appropriate skills that enable children to learn and perform a variety of vocational skills
• Expose the children to higher level training to include technical education in coding, website design, and other programs that will enable them to compete in an international market
• Increase the number of children who attend secondary and university level schools

Financial support is needed to pay for the following program needs:

• The salary for two Life Skills/Vocational specialists
• Vocational training supplies: sewing machines, tools, beads, etc.
• Computers and software.
• The cost of partnering with local entities to provide training and skills development for young adults
• Funding for field trips and camps to build fellowship and share the gift of outreach in their communities.

Please donate today. Every dollar makes a difference.

*Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. About 86% of eligible Ugandan children attend primary school. This high level of participation is in part due to the universal primary education program.