PROJECT PROPOSAL
PROJECT TITLE: LIVELIHOOD SUPPORT AND SKILLS TRAINING FOR YOUTHS
COUNTRY/REGION: UGANDA: KANUNGU DISTRICT
PROJECT AREA: KANUNGU DISTRICT-MPUNGU SUB COUNTY- RURAL COMMUNITIES
FUNDING AGENCY: ———————————
DURATION OF PROJECT: 12MONTHS
TOTAL BUDGET REQUIRED: Sixty Six million Two Hundred thousand only (66,200,000)
NAME OF ORGANISATION: UPLIFT YOUTH ORGANISATION (UYO)
P.O. BOX 48, KIHIHI, KANUNGU
TEL: +256 753481290/+256 776020327
Email: upliftyouthorganisation@gmail.com
Date of proposed Project January 2023
MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR UPLIFT YOUTH ORGANISATION (UYO)MRS KYOMUKAMA EDIVINAH
Dear Partner/Funder,
This proposed skills development project expresses the need for capacity building for the youths in the project area who are left behind and are not living meaningful lives. We have given a brief on the status of the youths in the proposed project area, and the knowledge and skills needs of the youths and training required as a key starting point. The proposed work is the beginning of long term programme our organization intends to do in the area as part of improving the youths’ livelihoods wholly for a prosperous community.
Our primary focus is to change youth’s ideology and mindset in our communities by training them in hands on activities such as tailoring, business management and livelihood skills to better manage their lives.
Once this project takes off, many youth will be self-employed in various activities from the skills the project will be giving them, there will be reduced poverty, improved business knowledge and skills, reduced commission of crimes, and the trained youths we believe will live meaningful lives and contribute to sustainable households and communities. Also early marriages, child neglect and unwanted pregnancies for the female youths will be reduced once idleness and unemployment will be reduced.
We request and pray that your funding and effort to this noble cause from you and your agency will take us a long way to help save the current youths who are the future generation of our society.
Thank you.
…………………………………………
Ms. KYOMUKAMA EDIVINAH
TEL. +256753481290/+25783223488
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR UPLIFT YOUTH ORGANISATION (UYO)
Table of Contents
1.0 BACKGROUND AND PROBLEM ANALYSIS. 1
2.2 Project Strategic Objectives. 3
2.4.Project Area and Target Population. 3
2.1 The Main Component of vocational Training. 3
Objective one: Provide vocational, numeracy and financial competence skills to youths. 3
3.1.1 Youth involvement and ownership. 5
3.1.2 Involving communities and other key prayers. 5
4.0 ORGANISATION AND MANAGEMENT. 6
4.1 Management and staffing. 6
5.0 PROJECT SUSTAINABILITY PLAN.. 7
6.0 PROJECT MONITORING PLAN.. 8
Annex One: Budget Presented in Uganda Shillings. 10
ANNEX 4 INFORMATION ON UPLIFT YOUTH ORGANISATION.. 16
MISSION STATEMENT OF UPLIFT YOUTH ORGANISATION.. 16
List of abbreviations
CBO: Community Based Organisation
UYO: Uplift Youth Organisation.
HIV: Humane Immune Virus
AIDS: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
TLM: Teaching and Learning Material
NGOs: Non-Governmental Organisation
DIT: Directorate of Industrial Training
1.0 BACKGROUND AND PROBLEM ANALYSIS
Analysis of the social economic circumstances of youths (males and females) in Uganda reveals that due to various social- cultural factors, some do not often benefit from the fruits of economic growth. Rather, economic growth often impacts their situation adversely. General social-economic challenges faced by Uganda exacerbate the circumstance of a high percentage of unemployment among the youths.
The Uganda National Youth Policy defines the youth as “Young men and women between the ages of 18 and 35 years of age. According to 2014 Uganda Population Census, these form about 60% of national total population. It is contended that a large proportion of youth are marginalized. The worst affected groups include;
- Youths with disabilities
- School dropouts
- The unemployed
- Rural youths
- Commercial sex workers
- Drug addicts
- Youth living with HIV/AIDS
- Victims of sexual abuse
- Pregnant girls
- Teenage mothers
- The youths from the minority groups like the Pygmies (Batwa communities).
Various estimates indicate that unemployment is the highest among youths especially between the ages of 18 and 35 years. The poverty index affirms that young adults especially between the ages of 18-24 are among the poorest of the poor.
It is widely claimed that economic inequality and unemployment are major factors in youths being engaged in political riots in the recent presidential campaigns, youths being involved in criminal activities forming the majority in Uganda’s prisons – many youth engage in such activities in the hope of economic benefits and future security.
Currently most youths experience lack of employment opportunities for productive engagement and as such, they have engaged themselves in alcoholism, drug peddling, gambling, prostitution and theft. Some female youths in urban areas engage in commercial sex, which has been adopted by many youths as a means of survival which exposes them to infections of sexually transmitted diseases- including HIV/AIDS on the rise among this age.
Another consequence of youth poverty since the 1986 has been accelerated by the pace of rural-urban migration in search of elusive opportunities- a fact which depresses production potential in the rural areas and also leads to increased frustration of such youth in their urban destination areas
Youths are generally explosive in behavior and difficult to control because of their varied wants. Many of them are illiterate, school dropouts, unemployed and idle, living in deplorable conditions in rural as well as urban areas. Numerous such youths have psychosocial problems. They are social misfits and today swell the ranks of the unemployed and unemployable. Their problems also need to be addressed urgently.
With the high rate of youth unemployment and high levels of poverty among youths in rural areas, coupled with the growing demand of the skill enhancement in every field of work in Uganda, UYO has spread its hand to work or the betterment of youth in the best way possible. UYO is dedicatedly working to enhance the skill of youths in Mpungu Sub County who form the lower strata. This will be achieved by conducting different vocational trainings in the four parishes of Mpungu Sub County.
2.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Promote the social-economic status of the youths through providing vocational skills for sustainable livelihood.
a) Provide vocational skills to youth
b) Empower the youths with income generating opportunities.
c) Promote and protect human rights of the youth.
The project will be implemented in 24 months
2.4. Project Area and Target Population
The project will be implemented in all parishes in Mpungu Sub- county; these are Ngara, Mpungu, Muramba and Buremba.
Target Population
The project will specifically target female and male youths between the ages of 18-35 years in Mpungu Sub County. These include; school dropouts, unemployed youths, the physically challenged, youth from minority groups of pygmies (Batwa).
2.1 The Main Component of vocational Training.
The project intends to train the youths in tailoring.
- Specific activities
Objective one: Provide vocational, numeracy and financial competence skills to youths.
- Vocational training Training in tailoring option will be provided to improve the knowledge and skills of youths.
- Academic: The majority of the youths are illiterate or semi illiterate and this necessitates basic literacy and numeracy courses which shall be taught. This is to introduce the trainees to the specific basic professional numeracy and financial knowledge.
- Hands on practical exercises. Youth will get hands on practical knowledge during training sessions
- Linkages with government institutions like the Directorate of Industrial Training and technical schools for purposes of certification.
Objective two: Empower the youths with income generating opportunities
- Equipment and tools: Trainees will be provided with the appropriate basic tools/equipment upon successful completion of the course as startup package.
- The youths that successfully complete these apprenticeships will be encouraged to form credible youth groups that meet basic requirements qualifying them to get financial support from SACCOs and Parish development model (PDM) initiative.
Objective Three: Promote and protect human rights of the youth.
- Awareness rising among the youths on their rights.
- Partnership and collaboration with community development officers, Police, probation office and Local council system in enforcement of human rights activities.
- During the life of the project, UYO will engage in networking and collaboration with partners and other agencies working in the district or elsewhere in the country to enhance learning and to complement each other’s effort.
The strategy for project implementation will fall under two distinct categories; namely- general strategy approaches that cut across all the three components and those that are specific to the components.
3.1 Cross cutting strategy
3.1.1 Youth involvement and ownership
This will include the involvement of youths in the identification of needs and supporting them on their choices, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of projects. This is to promote ownership, self-esteem and control over development processes.
3.1.2 Involving communities and other key prayers.
Tapping the community’s own resource potentials to implement the project through animation, participation in planning, awareness creation will be emphasized. A community based management group will be established to serve as monitoring and advisory group to the project. The emergence of community based management structures will be facilitated. These structures will be encouraged to develop community action plans through which they can enhance community development initiatives. Youth groups will be encouraged to participate in initisatives that will emerge.
Proposed training centers and skills required.
| Location | Rationale | Skills/knowledge clusters |
| Parishes 2 parishes (rural) | High presence of rural youths unemployedAvailability of local apprentice practices for appropriate skills.Available market | Tailoring Business |
| 2 parishes (Rural) | availability of local artisans for appropriate skillsHigh presence of unemployed and unskilled youths. | TailoringBusiness |
4.0 ORGANISATION AND MANAGEMENT
4.1 Management and staffing
The project will be under the overall management of the Director who will be the project manager, he/she will be the head of finance and will ensure the financial management of the project. There will be a field manager who will be responsible for the day to day management of the project.
The project manager will work directly with 2 project officers to implement field level project activities. Strong links will be maintained with Directorate of industrial training (DIT) to provide technical supervision.
Existing and credible institutions e.g. technical schools and CBOs with requisite institutional capacity and experience will be encouraged to provide support for implementation, supervision and monitoring of work in close collaboration with UYO and youths beneficiary groups. UYO will operate a sound accounting system for recording and reporting transactions. The accountability system will include production of monthly activity progress reports, quarterly reports derived from monthly management accounts that show planned expenditure, actual expenditure, utilization levels and variances. UYO shall adhere to a sound accounting systems and procedures which will be strictly followed to in the use of funds committed to the project. The programmme will be implemented with the sole objective of uplifting youth livelihoods and dignity through sustainable intervention.
5.0 PROJECT SUSTAINABILITY PLAN
The project design envisages continuity by the end of the funding period. The following will be taken to ensure constructive disengagement with project beneficiaries.
- Development and creation of alternative skills for self-employment: The project will promote the development and creation of skills that will provide opportunities for self-employment of beneficiaries. It is felt that once self-employed persons are organised to live and work together to address their common problems, they are less likely to depend on external support.
- Involvement of beneficiaries at all levels: The project will be demystified with the participation of all stakeholders through various sensitization activities and this process will continue throughout the life of the project. It is felt that the involvement of all beneficiaries will not only create local capacity but will also foster the sense of ownership and control of the project.
- Training and institution building: Beneficiary training in productive skills, leadership and management will be the vehicle to accelerate the process of transformation or change in the society. Youths, especially female youths will be particularly focused for the various training activities. With start-up kits, beneficiaries will be encouraged to work in groups to address their common problems.
- Investment in micro-finance activities: Beneficiaries will be encouraged to embark on income generation activities with a view to revolving funds to allow for growth and expansion. By small business training acquired they can sustain their finance
- Community service information collection and analysis: The project will involve the consistent collection and analysis of information through networking, collaboration and partnership to guide the process of implementation. Such information will be fed back to communities and other agencies for the purpose of replication and to guide the phase out process. The project will also facilitate the linkage of communities to essential service providers and information sources at phase out.
6.0 PROJECT MONITORING PLAN
Monitoring will be carried out throughout the lifespan of the project. UYO staff and the project beneficiaries will play a major participatory role in the entire monitoring process. A framework for monitoring and evaluation, including measuring the impact of this intervention will be agreed with the intended beneficiaries, the management committee and members of the community.
The following will be monitored;
- Youth participation in skills training and literacy classes.
- Youths successfully completing skills training
- Micro-businesses established by youths and levels of profitability.
- Progress in understanding of participatory development concepts.
- Community initiatives involving the youths
- Number of youths trained and income generating associations established.
\Data on the above indicators will be collected through the following means;
- Work schedules of field staffing over seeing implementation of the project
- Monthly activity implementation reports by field staff in collaboration with the project manager.
- Field visits and project review reports by project manager and project field staff.
- Quarterly progress reports to donor by project manager and
- Half yearly progress reports to partner.
7.0 Risks
| Risk identified | Impact | Probability |
| limited community/youth cooperation | Medium – Project implementation will be hampered | Medium – Sensitization of community members |
| High youth expectations | High Limits youths participation and apathy | Medium Sensitization and ensure greater participation of youths in project implementation |
Annex One: Budget Presented in Uganda Shillings
The activity schedule for 12 months of the project implementation is shown below. Subsequent annual schedule will be drawn based on the reality on the ground.
| Inputs/personnel | Unit | Number of units | Duration | Unit rate in Uganda shillings | Total |
| 1.0 Human resource | |||||
| 1.1 Salaries of trainers and project staff (gross amount) | Person (s) | 4 | 12 months | 400,000@ person per month | 19,200,000 |
| 2.0 Equipment and supplies | |||||
| 2.1 Tailoring equipment | |||||
| Sewing machines | 20 | 450,000 | 9,000,000 | ||
| Threads | 50 rolls | 30,000 | 1,500,000 | ||
| Cloths for trainees | 20 rolls | 80,000 | 1,600,000 | ||
| 3.0 Local office rent and supplies | |||||
| Office rental/equip with furniture. | 4 tables and 25 chairs | 2,000,000 | |||
| Office supplies Office stationery and supplies | 2,000,000 | ||||
| Telephone bill | 12 months | 100,000@ month | 1,200,000 | ||
| Transport costs | 12 months | 300,000@month | 3,600,000 | ||
| Office running expenses.eg. transport refund and teas/refreshments for stakeholder meetings | 12 | 300,000@month | 3,600,000 | ||
| 4.0Start-up tool kits for the above groups | Persons | 50 sewing machine | To depend on availability of funds | 450,000 Ug.Shs @ | 22,500,000 |
| Total amount required in UG.Shs. Sixty Six million two hundred thousand only | 66,200,000 |
Notes to the budget
- Supervision and training: UYO will recruit 2 trainers and one project manager with requisite experience for the proposed youth project.
- Light refreshment at steering committee meetings: In order for non- formal sector of the Directorate of industrial training (DIT) of the Ministry of education and sports (MOES) to be actively involved in the project, quarterly meeting with them for updates is required wherein light refreshment will be provided.
- Trainers and project staff coordination meetings: In keeping abreast with what is going on with the project, facilitators will be required to give coverage of monthly coordination meeting, update and joint monthly plans. This will reflect stationery, lunch, transport refunds to facilitators.
- Teaching cost: This will constitute teaching and learning material (TLM) for the various vocational skills and academic, maintenance of TLM for vocational skills (10% of procurement cost). Purchasing of T- shirts for trainees will also be costed.
- Operational cost: This constitutes transportation and minimal administrative cost as related to monitoring and supervision. Hence, the budget for transportation of equipment and materials, stationery and documentation for one year will be costed.
Two community training Centre (s) will be identified and rented at a strategic location (s) to serve as a multi-purpose Centre for training youths who will be drawn from the different communities(two parishes will be usually be combined together).
Facilitation fee- Facilitation fees varies depending on the type of training and location
Total number of beneficiaries 50 (50% females
Annex 2.LOGICAL FRAME WORK FOR THE PROPOSED PROJECT
| S/N | OBJECTIVE | ACTIVITIES | OUTPUTS | MEANS OF VERIFICATION | REMARKS/EXPECTATIONS |
| 1 | Provide vocational skills to youths | Train the youths in one vocational skills tailoringEducate the youths on basic literacy and numeracy (tailored to basics for the above skill professionsEducate the youths on the basic business/ entrepreneurship Community mobilization and sensitization on projectSelection of traineesRecruitment of trainers skilled in tailoring and one professional person to teach numeracy and literacy businessDevelopment of training manuals/syllabusProcurement of training kits and materialsHands on practical training for the youths on tailoringDevelop and promote collaboration with training institutions e.g. Technical schools and directorate of industrial training (DIT) | Number of trainees trained to completion | Trainees attendance for the various vocations identifiedEnrollment/daily attendance registerVideo chip on practical sessions of traineesPictures of trainees undergoing trainingPictures of products made through video taken while trainees doing/ making productsAssessment report by credible assessing and examination institutions e.g. Directorate of Industrial (DIT)Procured and receipts of training equipment bought.Developed training manuals. | Responsible individuals |
| 2 | Empower the youths with income generating opportunities | Procure tailoring kits for the traineesProvide equipment and toolsFormation of youths groups with ability to access government support e.g. benefit from parish development programme. | Number of tailoring kits procured ii) Kits given out to qualified youths. Procurement receipts of the equipment bought. | Youths groups formed and capacity to access government support | Follow up later after 2 years. |
| 3 | Promote and protect human rights of the youths | Awareness raising among the youths on their human rightsPartnership with stakeholders e.g. LC system, police, probation Officers, in enforcement of human rights for youths.Procurement of information materials on basic human rights relevant to youths. | Attendance lists /registers of youthsTrainees showing/ demonstrating awareness/institutions on human rights which can help them when in need of serviceNumber of collaborations and meetings/ workshops held with partners.Sensitization meetings with youths/partners, rights protection groups/institutions/individuals | Panelists present | Successfully implemented |
ANNEX 3. PROJECT WORK PLAN
| S/N | ACTIVITY | TIME FRAME |
| 1 | Preliminary management of project activitiesSensitization and mobilization of communitySelection of traineesProcurement of staff training equipmentDevelopment of training curricular | 1st-2nd month from start of project |
| 2 | Skills and development trainings on various skills (vocational) selected Development of training manualsProvision of startup kitsPractical assessments | 2nd month to 12th month |
| 3 | Project review /Evaluation | 6th month- 12th months |
ANNEX 4 INFORMATION ON UPLIFT YOUTH ORGANISATION
MISSION STATEMENT OF UPLIFT YOUTH ORGANISATION
A youth focused community based organization (CBO) that works with government, NGO and the private sectors to empower youth at family and community to live healthy and productive.
1.1 VISION OF UPLIFT YOUTH ORGANISATION
“A community where youths are empowered to live healthy and productive lives”
UPLIFT YOUTH ORGANISATION (UYO) is a charitable, not for profit community based organisation (CBO), it’s a non-political CBO, seeking to advocate for the rights and economic empowerment of youths and render services for holistic development of youths and their communities. UYO, is formally a youth empowerment for development initiative registered as a youth serving agency with Kanungu district local government registered in 2018.
UYO is a dream of Ms. Kyomukama Edivinah a founder, who was able to use her inter personal skills through team building to inform a working group committed to the promotion of the ideals of this initiative. Through her and team, they envisage changing the youths by imbibing the spirit and commitment to personal and community development as a collective approach in enhancing the socio economic living conditions of youths through making them self-reliant and contributors to national development.
Starting first, UYO is engaged in various programmes which include education, skills training, income generation schemes advocacy and various other interventions relative to youth empowerment, promoting women’s rights and emancipation and human development advocacy.
UYO plans to set new standards of community involvement in the development and skills development activities at consultation, planning and execution level.
The core activity is on skills development and mindset change to enhance personal and household income we wish to establish “Youth Forum” as an outstanding effort of UYO to provide a base to the youth to get together, discuss and resolve their problems.
The proposed project aims at achieving the following;
- Empower the youths with employable skills that should be used to foster individual economic and social development.
- Reduce youth unemployment in the area.
- Substantially reduce poverty among the targeted group
- Promote environmental conservation program in the area
1.3 Experience of UYO with youth empowerment.
In the past UYO has conducted baseline underlying community assessment to diagnose the challenges faced by the youths in some parishes in Mpungu including; Mpungu, Muramba and Buremba. The findings of the survey explains that youth have challenges including unemployment, poverty, illiteracy, living unproductive lives, early marriage for both boys and girls , others being caught up in poaching activities in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
In additional to the baseline, UYO has also carried out community education and sensitization work, shops for the youths with the purpose of ensuring that the youths access their self-worth and be aware of opportunities to be taken advantage of in uplifting their social and economic including moral empowerment.