Kalangala skilling centre offers lifeline to teenage mothers

A skilling centre has been opened at Kasekulo landing site to equip teenage mothers and out-of-school girls with economic skills for self-reliance.

Kasekulo, located on Bugala island in Kalangala district, is one of the hotspots for early pregnancies and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), according to Willy Nkumbi, the district senior probation and social affairs officer.

Nkumbi said that with this skilling centre, hundreds of vulnerable girls and young mothers will receive training in tailoring, baking, hairdressing, beadwork and crafts. The facility is equipped with modern sewing machines, fabrics, salon and craft materials, while baking trainees have access to ovens.

Upon graduation, the girls will be supported to start and sustain businesses and provide for their families. Already, over 200 beneficiaries have completed their training and are working. The majority have become trainers and are also running a savings group, where they save a portion of their income.

The centre was donated under the Heroes for Gender Transformative Action (H4GTA) programme, implemented by women’s rights and development organisation MIFUMI, in partnership with AMREF Health Africa and Cordaid, with funding from the Netherlands and Iceland embassies.

While launching the centre on March 23, 2026, Sveinn H. Gudmarsson, the head of cooperation at the Icelandic Embassy, thanked the young mothers for using the skills to turn their lives around.

“Our focus on Kalangala is not a coincidence,” Gudmarsson said. “We have had projects here over the last 15 years, but I am really impressed by the results so far.” However, he tasked the district to ensure the sustainability of the skilling programme even after the Heroes programme exits Kalangala this year.

Immaculate Akello, the SGBV project manager under MIFUMI, thanked the donors, saying H4GTA has impacted many girls who were at risk. Some experienced teenage pregnancies, others were defiled, and many are victims of SGBV.

“We also have 15 and 18-year-olds who are heading families.” In addition to the skills, they were also trained to be GBV champions in their community, identifying victims and survivors and reporting cases for support.

Akello added that this month, they enrolled 77 girls in different vocational institutions in Kalangala and Masaka districts. The first cohort of graduates includes 139 girls in hairdressing and 70 in tailoring, who are now able to support their children.

She asked the district to support the girls’ businesses by offering them contracts to supply snacks and uniforms to schools and other institutions.

Statistics

Based on the 2024 National Population and Housing Census data, Kalangala, an island district, has a population of over 74,000 people.

Of these, more than 29,000 are women, representing 39%. Children aged 0–17 number about 27,000. However, a majority of these women and children have experienced physical and sexual violence.