Background – Uganada has lived for decades under various dictators. The war in the north of the country that has been going on for over 20 years has driven 1.6 million people out of their villages. In spite of this, the southern part of Uganda shows surprisingly stable economic growth. Unfortunately, the north sees almost no benefit from this positive development and Uganda as a whole is one of the poorest countries in the world. The average income is less than one dollar per day. Roughly 40 percent of the population in the south lives below the poverty line, in the north it is over 70 percent. A majority of youths in Uganda have had little or no formal schooling. The majority of them are unemployed. Even the most basic practical vocational training is unavailable to them and their chances of finding paid work are very small.
 
Project – Giving more youths access to vocational training and to the job market is the the goal of a project that Swisscontact and several partners are implementing in the districts of Mbale and Iganga. Through this project, for example, young women can train with qualified hairdressers in salons. If they have already mastered their craft, Swisscontact gives them access to courses in running a business so that they can open their own salons. The courses are located where the participants live. They don’t need to leave their own social and cultural environment, which lowers the hurdles to joining the courses. The types of skills that are taught are also determined by the local demand. In the countryside, there is an emphasis on agricultural skills, in the city, on technical skills. The project particularly supports communities where there are no existing training programs. The goal is to have 30 percent female participants in the courses, and by the end of 2010, 1,000 trainees will be working as small business people or in newly-created positions. Their steps out of poverty will create new opportunities and serve as a positive example for many others.