By Our Reporter
KUMI
Action Aid, a nongovernmental organization based in Kumi district has trained over 60 youths on leadership and governance skills.
The youth leaders who were trained on Friday,19th, May, 2023 at plain springs hotel in Kumi Municipality and brought together youths from different sub counties of Kumi district like Nyero, town council and others.
During the training, the trainees were taught about activism, power, feminism and other topics with hope of bringing about change in their communities.
According to Frank Byaruhanga, the Roving Digital campaign of Action Aid Uganda said that he received 60 young people from Kumi district who include teenage mothers and students as they revamp the activists in Kumi district.
He also explained that amongst the topics taught during the three days include feminism and a great impact was observed following the ideas raised by the youth during the training.
“There are a lot of injustices and a lot of things that marginalized youth, children and women are facing and through the three days training, the young people came up with a work plan of activities that they are going to use to bring in impact in their societies through carrying out dialogues, charity activities and reaching out to some of the affected areas and people,” he said.
He also however noted that during the training, the youth also raised a community concern caused by the truck drivers like early teenage pregnancies, high school dropout rates that can not be handled by the organization but rather they will help empower and strengthen the young people to take up the spaces and change their own communities.
What the trainees say
A number of trainees who spoke to this website testified learning a lot and have their mind sets changed saying they have always been blindfolded on certain topics.
“An activist is a person who speaks up for the community and through it, I have also learnt that one has to do it voluntarily, we have a number of issues happening but we have been scared but right now, I feel I can raise voices,” Aikomo Zerubabel from Nyero, Kumi district says.
“In Nyero, we have been allocated a slaughter shade but ever since it was constructed, we have never seen it being used as it now acts as a play ground for the kids around the community but after attaining this knowledge, I shall get in touch with our leaders and change the mindset of the people in the community for them to know that they have power,” he added.
Okiror Stewart from Kumi town says that he has learnt about the different norms in the society and through it, he believes that ladies play a big role in society and should be respected and fight for the equal rights for all people and not practice segregation.
Lokol Joseph, a student of Kumi university who hails from Kaabong district said that through activism, he has been able to learn how to fight violence and corruption following different circumstances that his region has gone through in regards to land.
“I came to realize that some people are inferior in the community as they can’t speak out and through this training, I believe that I am the voice of the voiceless and appreciate Action Aid for the knowledge,” he added.
Byegero Josephine, a female councilor representing Mukongoro in Kumi district appreciated the organization for calling upon the young activists for the three day work shop and believes that it will highly bring in change in the societies as they will be able to raise up issues affecting them thus calling up on government intervention.
