Recently, Trainers of Trainees (ToTs) from the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative (WPDI) – with support from the Western Union Foundation – conducted their second five-day youth training workshop throughout the Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement and the four surrounding villages of Kalwala, Bweyale, Siriba, and Bududa.
The training was the second of four total, an initiative that began in June 2018 and is expected to continue until April 2019. Although our ToTs only graduated from their own training regimen last December, they are already making a substantial impact within their communities. In a ten-month period, our ToTs plan to build and strengthen the capabilities of 368 local youths in the realm of business and entrepreneurship so that they will be able to channel those skills into building sound business proposals for various community projects. Those proposals will eventually be presented to WPDI and its partners and have the potential to receive funding.
This is indicative of our core operating principle, that harnessing the promise of youths can bring about positive transformative change to conflict-affected or fragile communities.
In that regard, they have achieved remarkable success and reflect WPDI’s commitment to developing a grassroots peace force in northern Uganda. They have drawn a total of 368 local youths from the surrounding area – 214 males and 154 females – and have focused on building an understanding of conflict and how to resolve it as well as record keeping, financial management, and entrepreneurship skills – all imperative to building peace and sustainable development.
The workshop substantially impacted all of the young attendees. As John from the refugee settlement noted, “the training has given me more knowledge on conflict resolution and business skills that I shall use within the refugee settlement and when I go back home in the near future to help my people and my country at large.” Mary agreed, telling WPDI staff that “the business skills sessions helped me know that I have the potential of starting and running my own business.”
In the coming months, all WPDI looks forward to hearing more from our ToTs and their agents for peace and development in training. We have no doubt that they will continue to accomplish great things in their communities.