YOUTH are the future of Uganda, Malawi and Africa at large. They are the reason our SSENGA AND KOIJA personnel are so valuable. The mentoring of this group on the issues surrounding HIV/AIDS prevention and reproductive health are realized through this mentorship process. Sports and Drama outreach are often used as spectacles to sensitize the youth on these issues – and our Community Development Centre (CDC) in Lyantonde, Uganda has put the region on the map as the host of these spectacles. An overall well-being is the first step for youth program implementation.

We are able to take the educational process one-step further by providing courses and vocational (trade) training that can be utilized anywhere, and anytime. That’s why SSF Established the SVEC-L (The Salama Vocational Education Centre- Lyantonde) – now VEC-L (for community ownership) to provide relevant skills training for youth in Lyantonde, Uganda.  These skills include carpentry, bricklaying, auto-mechanics, culinary arts, hospitality, tailoring, weaving, are all courses taught at the Vocational Education Centre- Lyantonde — with small-scale mining and resource management practices set to be established in the coming year.

In addition, the Vocational School provides a unique program called the “Mbuntu Dialogues,” which provides students with opportunities to learn about socioeconomic issues and prepare them for leadership roles in their communities. “Mbuntu” reflects the community-centred idea that “I am what I am because of who we all are.” The latter is an essential aspect of keeping the capacity-building processes alive.