U-TOUCH Uganda
The Youth, Empowered, Assertive, and Resilient Project
The Youth, Empowered, Assertive, and Resilient (YEAR) Project is a 4-stage training and mentorship program aimed specifically at preparing vulnerable populations for the online global freelance market within 8 weeks.
COVID-19 has exacerbated the unemployment crisis for Ugandan youth and women. These groups are already the most vulnerable and lack job opportunities.
YEAR’s goal is to reduce Uganda’s unemployment crisis with COVID-safe and immediately accessible jobs. In partnership with CodersTrust (CT) Franchise, U-TOUCH’s YEAR Project teaches disadvantaged youths and women online and in the U-TOUCH facilities in rural Gulu and Mbale.
In the past decade, U-TOUCH has successfully trained over 5,500 students through their intensive ICT coursework (which includes the Microsoft Digital Literacy Curriculum) and the Women’s Empowerment Program (WE) at their Mbale and Gulu centers. In the financial year 2019, 102 trainees from the Women’s Empowerment Program began entrepreneurial ventures and 156 ICT trainees gained or improved employment. Youth and women have significantly increased their incomes and economic independence.
U-TOUCH has now partnered with CodersTrust whose online “Learn and Earn” freelancing program has benefited over 11,000 beneficiaries in 11 developing countries. CodersTrust has demonstrated a scalable model for success, especially in Bangladesh. Multiple batches of Bangladesh’s free “Empowering Women in Tech” Project saw 100% success where all participants completed the digital technology training and started earning their first salaries online.
Women being taken through the ICT training.