Kadaga Commends ‘Youth Initiative for Empowerment and Local Development’ for Transforming Youths
First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of East African Community Affairs Rebecca Kadaga has applauded the leadership and founders of Youth Initiative for Empowerment and Local Development (YIELD), a Community Based Organization (CBO) that was stated with the aim of enhancing the socio-economic transformation of disadvantaged young through evidence based interventions that: advocate; create linkages to services and information; and encourage social and livelihood skills development for self-reliance.
While launching the organization at Kaiti Primary School in Namutumba, one of the 11 districts of Busoga sub region, Kadaga, the speaker Emeritus of the 9th and 10th Parliament of Uganda commended YIELD for supporting youth empowerment through creating platforms and infrastructure with which youth can debate critical issues, build their capacity, carry out lobbying and advocacy, and generate policy change.
Kadaga urged youth to use YIELD as a linking bridge to opportunities and unite for a cause, reminding them that the government is looking for people in organized groups and ready for any opportunity that may arise. She also pledged to give the necessary guidance and support as per the objectives of the organization.
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Speaking during the launch, Mr. Godfrey Mutundi, the Chairperson of the YIELD noted the importance for the young people to have an umbrella through which they can tap opportunities adding that its one of the main reasons as to why he started the organization.
‘These projects will help in creating a stronger foundation for sustainability of youth led action, since they focus on working with individuals and groups. Also, being based in Namutumba, Busoga, YIELD will be working with many organizations that exclusively work on youth development, Government departments like the Ministry of Gender, among other stakeholders in order to create momentum and scope for continuation and sustainability’’, Mutundi said.
Mutundi further noted that much is set to be attained by not only youth leaders but the youth fraternity of Namutumba if there’s such a channel that will link them to opportunities, asking Kadaga on behalf of the government to give them the necessary support through connections to key stakeholders.
In attendance were the Namutumba District Woman Member of parliament (MP) Hon Mariam Naigaga, Namutumba District Chairperson Mr David Mukisa, Deputy RDC Josephine Isaberet and security officials, Busoga Sub region National Youth Council members and the local leaders.
Hon. Naigaga expressed her disappointment with the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development over its unequal distribution of resources under the Jua-Kali initiative, citing that Namutumba has not benefited from its projects over the past years.
Contributing towards harnessing youths potential as active citizen for peace and development in Busoga, YIELD sets agenda for empowerment of marginalized youth from different clusters of Namutumba and Busoga at large with objectives to encourage active citizenship and to identify and promote young change-makers whose leadership will catalyze the achievement of peace and SDGs in Uganda.
The organization is determined to initiate projects that will be implemented Namutumba, Busoga at large and later the whole country where to reduce different vulnerabilities of urban poor, mainly working with youth, to build their vocational skills.
YIELD also looks at supporting the development of marketable skills that create opportunities for self–employment among the poor and unemployed youth. The Youth in Uganda are the youngest population in the world, with 77% of its population being under 25 years of age. There are over 7,310,386 youth from the ages of 15–24 years of age living in Uganda.
