Get trained to better your skills

SKILLING

When she dropped out of school, she ventured into the retail shop business but she noticed things were not moving as expected.

Allen Akampurira had nothing to do but to continue working as she gains experience to better her working skills.

However, as she was still in that dilemma she got to know that she could be trained to better her working skills and this would help her work without worrying about how to handle customers.

She achieved this by joining Street Business School(SBS) training where people in businesses are empowered with skills to better their working conditions and way of doing things while at their workplaces.

"My challenge was getting funds that I had to pay in order to be able to get trained, but to my surprise, I got to know that Habitat for humanity Uganda a non-governmental organisation helps street business people attain these skills, "said Akampurira.

She notes that she trained for six months and today her business in Fort Portal has grown and her clients have even increased.

One of the beneficiaries

Akampurirra is one of the 35 Ugandans who have skilled to better their working skills in areas of Mayuge and Kabarole.

These were trained on market research, business planning, bookkeeping, money management, coaching for success, business identification, confidence building, and growing customer base, finding capital and starting small among others.

Leticia Kiyingi the acting country director at Habitat for Humanity encouraged the graduates to put to use the skills they have been taught to help them keep in business.

Speaking during the graduation ceremony, Kiyingi said with the new levels of education and ways of generating income, such graduates in the business world, contribute to their local economies and create a brighter future for their families. They show their neighbours that change is possible and raise capable, confident children who will break the cycle of generational poverty.

"By adding income generation to their toolkits, these change-makers can help the people they serve unlock the transformational benefits of entrepreneurship and change their lives for the better, "she said.

She added that SBS model aims to create sustainable opportunities for participants to start their own small businesses and lift their families out of poverty. It provides practical, relevant and hands on business training.

Out of the 35 that were passed out, 17 have started new businesses, 9 have improved on what they had and only 8 have not yet started their businesses.