MU-JHU links skills training to start-up capital for vulnerable girls

27 June 2026, 5:31 pm

By Geoffrey Okwong & Bonny Mike Okello

A livelihood empowerment programme targeting vulnerable girls and young women in Pader District is beginning to yield results, with beneficiaries who have completed vocational skills training now receiving start-up kits to establish small businesses.

The initiative, implemented by MU-JHU Care Ltd under the Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) programme with support from the Global Fund, aims to help vulnerable girls transition from vocational training to sustainable income generation.

The programme has equipped participants with vocational skills in tailoring, hairdressing, baking, craft-making and other small-scale enterprises. Officials say the objective is not only to provide skills training but also to empower the girls to become economically independent.

Francis Kasumba, Project Officer at MU-JHU Care Ltd, said the programme targets girls and young women aged between 10 and 24 years, a group considered highly vulnerable to HIV infection and gender-based violence (GBV).

He said the intervention is informed by research and government guidance that emphasise targeted economic empowerment programmes as a means of reducing new HIV infections among adolescent girls and young women.

Kasumba explained that since 2024, the programme has been implemented across several sub-counties in the district and has already supported thousands of girls and young women through phased vocational skills training and the provision of start-up kits.

Although some beneficiaries have requested additional support, such as rent for business premises and funds to purchase extra materials, Kasumba said the programme remains focused on its core mandate of vocational skills development and the provision of start-up kits.

Among the beneficiaries is 18-year-old Mutesi Abalo, a resident of Pagwari Village in Acoro Parish, Pader Town Council, who received bakery equipment under the programme.

Abalo, who dropped out of school in Primary Five and is the eldest of six children, said the support has given her renewed hope after years of relying on her single mother for survival.

She said she plans to use the bakery equipment to establish a small business and gradually expand it to support both herself and her family.

Abalo urged fellow beneficiaries to make good use of the equipment they receive rather than selling it, saying the tools have the potential to improve household incomes if used responsibly.

Another beneficiary, 20-year-old Sunday Ajok, a resident of Lubele North Ward in Luna Parish, said the programme has come at a critical time in her life as a young mother striving to provide for her child.

Ajok, who has a three-year-old child, said she has been relying mainly on farming to support herself and her child, but hopes the vocational training and start-up kit will enable her to establish a more stable and sustainable source of income.

She thanked MU-JHU Care Ltd and TASO for supporting the girls throughout the programme, from vocational skills training to the provision of business start-up kits.

Ajok also urged other young girls to remain in school where possible and avoid early pregnancy, saying they should learn from the challenges experienced by young mothers.

A total of 400 girls in Pader District have received start-up kits following vocational skills training in various trades.

In total, 1,551 girls across the district are expected to benefit from the programme implemented in 10 town councils and sub-counties, including Pajule Town Council, Acholibur Town Council, Puranga Town Council, Pader Sub-county, Angagura Sub-county and Awere Sub-county, among others.

The programme is being viewed by both beneficiaries and implementers as a step towards equipping vulnerable girls with practical skills, enabling them to build sustainable livelihoods and reduce dependence that often exposes them to exploitation and other social risks.