Ngariam Technical College has been running since 2014. It is a partnership between the government and the Church of Uganda. The college serves a very poor community in Ngariam. It aims to provide skill training to orphans and vulnerable children (OVC’s). There are virtually no employment opportunities in the area, with the majority of the population being subsistence peasant farmers. Those who have skills are able to start their own businesses such as making clothes, building work or providing furniture – which provides them with a small income. By training these young people, the college will enable them to take the first steps out of poverty – by being able to work and generate an income.
There are three courses running at the college: tailoring, brick-laying and carpentry. The tailoring class room has 12 machines and the trainees make clothes that are quite saleable in the local community. The practical carpentry classes are held outside, where they cut up a tree into planks and then make beds, tables and chairs. The items are usually very good! In the bricklaying class, the boys learn how to build walls and houses using bricks and cement they had made themselves. They are also taught how to properly design a building.
Stories from Ngariam Vocational College
Another 43 graduated with vocational skill!