The Spark Igniting Livelihoods in Eastern Uganda

by Jackson Were, Founder & Executive Director Droha Uganda | A 2026 LDA Program Partner

Busoga sub-region in Eastern Uganda was ranked 3rd among the poorest regions in the country, according to the 2016/2017 Population Census conducted by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics. Despite being a culturally rich area with fertile soils, most children rarely go beyond Primary 7, with a small number reaching Senior Four and Senior Six.

In 2018, out of Uganda’s 41.5M population, 73.5% was under 30 years old, making it a very young population. In 2019, the Daily Monitor, one of Uganda’s newspapers, reported that in Jinja and Kamuli districts, 91% of school-going children drop out of school at the primary level. The percentage of youth (aged 18–30) who are Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET) is indeed significantly high, with recent reports and government statements citing figures ranging from approximately 41% to 51%.

At the time, all this information sparked my desire to establish a skilling centre for out-of-school youth and young mothers, the most vulnerable in such situations. Young people who are the most affected yet most productive, and struggle to find something to test their abilities, and young mothers who bear the biggest burden of caring and raising children too early in their lives.

Personal Ambition to Community Opportunity

My lived experience is similar to many young people and mothers who wake up every morning with hopes of studying, getting a livelihood, and providing for their families, but lack access to training and resources. The same was once true for me. This was not a lack of ambition; it was a lack of opportunity.

In 2009, when I had just joined High school at St John’s Senior Secondary in Jinja, Uganda, East Africa, near the source of the River Nile, my late father, who was a smoker, fell sick with what was believed to be cancer. At the time, my parents relied on coffee to educate their children. Unfortunately, the coffee plantation was struck by a disease that caused most of the plantation to dry up.

Young Men under the Skilling for Sustainable Livelihood Program learning about welding and metal fabrication | August, 2022.

I remember at one time when I returned home for school fees, and he asked me what he could do; clearly, he had lost the means of supporting his child’s education, and my hope to get school fees vanished, and I almost dropped out of school. My sister at the time was working with an organisation that sponsored very young children’s education, but despite her best efforts to secure sponsorship, I could not qualify because I was beyond the organisation’s targeted age. Fortunately, my siblings supported me through high school, and I was forced to get out of boarding school and start day schooling so that I could fit the budget.

In 2010, after high school, I joined the job market. I didn’t have skills, vocational or otherwise, and the only available opportunities were casual labor, which I did until I saved some money and later joined a University in 2013 for my first degree in Social Work and Social Administration. I didn’t like the course, but I did it because it was affordable; I primarily wanted to do law. However, one lecturer made a statement during our entrepreneurship lesson that changed my perspective on how I was looking at my background:

“As social workers, you are supposed to be entrepreneurs who must think innovatively and provide solutions that can eradicate poverty in your communities.”

Reflecting on the huge number of high school dropouts in my community, some of whom were my childhood friends who could not afford to get support to join vocational institutions, in 2016, I incorporated a company limited by guarantee. Then, in 2018, I registered ***Droha Uganda*** with the NGO bureau using my personal savings.

Young Women and Men under our Financial Inclusion program during their saving day in their SWIPIC group/VSLA | July 2022

The Startup Kit: Training to Trade

Droha started with 7 tailoring machines, 1 welding machine, and salon materials under the program Skilling For Sustainable Livelihood. The program targeted out-of-school young people and women aged 15 to 35years. Since its inception, Droha has scaled up and has reached more people like Asuman and Tracy.

Asuman dropped out of school in Primary 6 as his family lacked the means to provide school fees. He desired to join a vocational institute, but it was very expensive, and he could not afford to pay. Frustrated and confused, he resorted to sugar cane cutting. In 2019, at the age of 19, he joined the Droha Skilling Center and trained in welding and metal fabrication. In 2020, Asuman graduated with a startup kit containing tools and machines that he could use in his trade.

He’d also been saving up money in one of the self-help groups, and using his savings, he established his own welding and metal fabrication workshop in Kanonoga village, 5 kilometers away from the source of the Nile. Today, he can get a livelihood and support his family. He plans to grow his workshop and open another branch in one of the busy trading centers.

Tracy, age 17, dropped out of school in Primary 5 because her parents could not afford to pay for even small school requirements. She was frustrated. She worked as a maid in Kampala until 2021, when she learned about Droha Skilling Center through a friend who had joined earlier. Later, she joined the Droha Skilling Center and trained in tailoring. She graduated with a startup kit of a tailoring machine and materials, and started working.

Young Women from the 2024 Cohort Learning about Tailoring under our Skilling for Sustainable Livelihood program | April 2024

She then joined a self-help group and started saving together with her well-known and close village members, for which Droha trains them in financial inclusion. Using her savings, she has managed to pay rent and support her business. Tracy is one of over 5,000 young people and women who have graduated and started their own business or started working in factories.

Individual Success to National Development

Today, Droha has established two (2) skilling centers within Jinja district and has directly supported over 7,000 young people and women in welding, shoe making, hair dressing, baking, tailoring, and modern farming practices. Many of whom are now working in different areas have also formed 32 Self-help Saving Groups (SWIPICs) with total savings of UGX 25 million (USD 6,944).

While previously many were unable to get loans without collateral, they can now access soft loans from their own groups’ savings, invest in their own business enterprises, pay school fees for their children, and support their households. Contributing to the economy of the community, which in turn translates into national development.

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