KABALE, UGANDA – A total of 15 young women, whose education was interrupted by teenage pregnancy during the COVID-19 lockdowns, have triumphantly graduated with vocational certifications in Kabale district.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The ceremony, the first of its kind for the Addi Girls Vocational School and Addi Day Care and Nursery School in Mwisi, Kabale District, was a celebration of redemption and renewed purpose.
The graduates received certificates in tailoring and knitting, equipped not just with skills, but with the tools to rebuild their lives.
Presiding as guest of honour, the Kabale District LC V Chairperson NRM Flag Bearer, Hon. Denis Nzeirwe, called for collaborative leadership to address educational gaps.
He urged officials to seek out promising youth in remote villages for skills training and advised parents to support their children’s education without letting religious differences become a barrier to development.
The District Inspector of Schools, Wilberforce Nabaasa, praised the government’s job-creation efforts and stressed the life-changing power of skills.
The Kabale District Deputy RDC, Michael Muramira, commended the government-initiated industrial hub and lauded the school directors for community transformation.
Hon. Enid Origumisiriza, Kabale Woman MP Flag Bearer, specifically thanked the directors for focusing on the girl child and urged communities not to neglect teenage mothers.
A call to also support the boy child was made by Musinguzi Dan Nabaasa, an Independent Candidate for Kabale MP, who warned that neglecting young men also poses a community threat.
Pioneer student Amunsimire Eron, who became pregnant at 15 in Senior Two, testified that she gained tailoring and knitting skills, has her child cared for by Addi Day Care, and thanked the directors for their vision.
Another victim recounted a harrowing journey of pregnancy, child loss, and abandonment, yet declared she has no regrets after acquiring skills, embodying the ceremony’s theme of overcoming adversity.
“My boyfriend got me a room in Mbarara without providing lunch or supper and then neglected me after getting me pregnant, but now I am not regretting after acquiring skills,” She declared.
Trained in tailoring, hairdressing, and modern basket making, each graduate received a sewing machine and other start-up kits as seed capital to launch their enterprises.
Founded in 2021 to support vulnerable girls, Addi Girls Vocational School provides a critical lifeline by offering skills training and an attached daycare that removes the primary barrier of childcare for young mothers.
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