In Uganda, 530 people are being trained in various courses

Last Sunday (26), the Ugandan capital, Kampala, received an event that marked the lives of hundreds of citizens of the African country. On this day, a training ceremony was held for 530 people in ten courses such as architecture, carpentry, accounting and teaching. Each person’s effort is, of course, very different; But the Força Jovem Universal (FJU) program, run by the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, provides free education for the necessary structure.

After the opening lecture, with the aim of capturing the importance of this moment for each student, there were performances of traditional Ugandan dances. Afterwards, local authorities – including police and education – will speak in a festive atmosphere. At the end of the ceremony, two certificates were given to each new professional.

According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), as of 2020, 20.3% of the population lives in poverty – one in five cities. Além disso, second only to the World Bank, 41.3% of Ugandans live without electricity and 71.1% have limited access to health resources. Therefore, every city learning a trade means, in addition to a great personal opportunity, an opportunity for the nation to advance.

Live to serve

FJU’s social work officer in the country, Ercilio Palang, says the initiative came as a result of an appeal from the government itself. “Based on demand, young professionals from FJU Uganda will be available and offer free courses to the general public,” Ercilio says. The main goal, secondly, is to serve the community, according to the needs of the Ugandan people: “We want to create jobs and reduce poverty,” he explains.

Opio Emmanuel, 29, was one of two volunteers who took part in the FJU initiative. He highlights how satisfying he is to share his knowledge of how to make some difference in the lives of others: “It is an inexplicable joy, especially to see the impact this project has had on so many families,” says the volunteer.

For Felipe Mukasa, 42, the impact of the program is clear – and now he’s seen it. Felipe was a police officer, but he also wanted to contribute to society in another way: “I always dreamed of becoming a carpenter. With this social event, my 20-year-old dream came true. “I’m already dating contracts and getting some extra money,” he explains. Al-Najjar said that from now on, his dreams will be bigger: “As I learned, I intend to open my own business, teach others and involve as many people as possible,” he concluded.