Vocational Training

Currently, our Vocational Training is spread across two separate projects; the African Friends in Need Network (Afinet) and the Mubende Girls project.

Afinnet

Afinnet is an acronym for African Friends in Need Network. It is the brainchild of Bishop George Sinabulya who is now retired and living in Mityana. He grew up there and in fact began his schooling at Bukuya (our oldest link schools). It was (and is) his wish to give young people a second chance and to provide some vocational training for them. Afinnet has three departments:

• Tailoring
• Home economics
• Carpentry

To this, at their request, we have added a small computer lab with ten desk tops courtesy of Computer Aid and other businesses, friends and organisations. Further to that we have provided UPS systems to protect the computers and our 2013 gap students gave support to the Afinnet students. Even though some of the students live without electricity we want them to be able to feel confident when they travel into Mityana and want to communicate electronically from an internet cafe.

The students at Afinnet remain there for a year and they learn to use both treadle and electric sewing machines. They learn basic cooking, using charcoal stoves as well as the outside fire and practice their skills in the catering department. The boys are taught to make beds, chairs and tables amongst other things.

Our partnership with Afinnet is about sustainability and therefore our efforts have been focussed on making some areas of the organisation income generating. The Carpentry and Catering departments have explored ways to generate income.

Mubende Girls Project

In 2007 we gave this organisation some money to buy beds so the girls didn’t have to sleep on the dirt floor In 2012 we gave them some new sewing machines and we have plans for further help in the future.