suomi

On Sunday (26/11), the capital of Uganda, Kampala, hosted an event that marked the lives of hundreds of citizens of the African country. That day, the graduation ceremony took place for 530 people in ten courses, such as architecture, carpentry, accounting and teaching. Everyone’s effort, of course, made all the difference; but the Victory Youth Group (VYG) program, maintained by the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God in the country, provided free education and the necessary structure.

After an opening lecture, with the purpose of recording the importance of the moment for each graduate, there were presentations with traditional Ugandan dances. Then, local authorities — including from the police and education — took the floor, in a festive atmosphere. At the end of the celebration, certificates were handed out to each new professional.

 According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), with data from 2020, 20.3% of the population lives in poverty — one in every five citizens. Furthermore, according to the World Bank, 41.3% of Ugandans live without electricity and 71.1% have limited access to sanitary resources. For all these reasons, each citizen who learns a trade means, in addition to a great personal opportunity, a chance for the nation to advance.

Live to serve

The person responsible for VYG social action in the country, Ercilio Palange, says that the initiative arose from an appeal from the government itself. “In response to the request, young professionals from VYG Uganda made themselves available and offered free courses to the general public”, says Ercilio. The main objective, according to him, is to serve the community, according to the needs of the Ugandan people: “We want to create employment opportunities and reduce poverty”, he explains.

Opio Emmanuel, 29 years old, was one of the volunteers who participated in the VYG initiative. He highlights the satisfaction of sharing what he knows and making a difference in the lives of others: “It is an inexplicable joy, especially seeing the impact that this project has brought to many families”, reports the volunteer.

For Filipe Mukasa, 42 years old, the impact of the program is evident — and it came at a good time. Filipe was a police officer, but he really wanted to contribute to society in another way: “I always had the dream of being a carpenter. With this social action, my 20-year dream came true. I’m already closing contracts and earning extra money,” he shares. The carpenter makes it clear that, from now on, his dreams will be even bigger: “With what I learned, I intend to open my own business, teach other people and employ as many people as I can”, he concludes.