Trained, mentored and funded: 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 show results, as beneficiaries trained in vocational skills are now receiving start-up kits to launch 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, is aimed at helping vulnerable girls transition from skills training to practical income generation.

The programme has equipped participants with vocational skills in tailoring, hairdressing, bakery, craft-making and other small-scale enterprises, with officials saying the goal is not only to train girls but also to support them to become economically independent.

Francis Kasumba, Project Officer at MU-JHU Care Ltd, said the programme targets girls 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 empowerment programmes as a way of reducing new HIV infections among adolescent girls and young women.

Kasumba explained that since 2024, the programme has reached several sub-counties in the district and has already supported thousands of girls through skills training and start-up assistance in phases.

Although some beneficiaries have requested additional support such as rental fees for business premises and money to buy more materials, Kasumba said the programme remains focused on its core mandate of skills development and start-up facilitation.

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

Abalo, a Primary Five dropout and first-born in a family of six children, said the support has given her a new sense of hope after years of depending on her single mother.

She said she plans to use the bakery equipment to start a small business and gradually grow it so she can support herself and her family.

She urged fellow beneficiaries to make proper use of the equipment they receive and avoid selling it, saying the tools can improve household income if used responsibly.

Another beneficiary, Sunday Ajok, 20, 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 struggling to provide for her child.

Ajok, who has a three-year-old child, said she has been relying mainly on agriculture to meet the needs of both herself and her baby, but hopes the training and start-up tools will help her establish a more stable source of income.

She thanked MU-JHU and TASO for supporting the girls from the training stage to the provision of business start-up kits.

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

400 girls in Pader district were given start-up kits following skills training in different trades.

In total, 1,551 girls across the district are expected to benefit from the programme 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 beneficiaries and implementers alike as a step toward helping vulnerable girls gain practical skills, build livelihoods and reduce dependence that often exposes them to exploitation and other social risks.