Gulu is a district of Northern Uganda that has been ravaged by the longest running war in Africa for more than 20 years.  This war has been long and very complex  with one outcome that has led to nearly two million people in Northern Uganda displaced from their home villages and living in IDP Camps.  Those living in the IDP camps (Internally Displaced Persons) are struggling to survive in the most deplorable conditions imaginable.  With reports of close to one thousand people dying each week throughout the camps, there is a desperate need for help on so many levels.  The people in Gulu are now in a rebuilding stage and TTW Uganda is working with one of many camps to train the people in skills and trades that will provide a sustainable income and hopefully help them relocate with confidence back to their home villages. Our Dream Center Training Program has recently graduated 18 students from the course this past summer and now 45 students who live in the camps are enrolled.  Those that have completed the training are starting their own businesses, using their skills in sewing to provide a new life for their families and fulfilling dreams they never knew possible.

DREAM CENTER SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM

The mission of Touch The World Uganda is to equip the people of Uganda to live in communities of self-sufficiency, sustainability, and spiritual transformation. We achieve this through various forms of community development and primarily through our “Dream Center” Training Program. Job and skill training are vital to a future of hope for those living in Northern Uganda. Without proper training and practical education, those living in IDP Camps will never be able to escape the bondage of poverty they currently live under. Training in a job skill will enable the people to begin their own businesses and provide a sustainable income for their families.

In the past year, Touch The World Uganda has been training over sixty students in tailoring and sewing skills. A new class will soon begin training in brick making, masonry, and basic construction skills. The nine month course will adequately equip each student with the ability to start a full time job with experience or to even start their own business. Additional courses of instruction are added every nine months in new areas of training including tailoring, masonry, carpentry and baking. These trades are all important skills within the Ugandan culture and will enable each student to change the future for his or her family.

The cost to sponsor one student for an entire course is $500.  This amount will cover the expenses of tools for each student for them to learn with and keep for their own business, uniforms and training materials, a portion of the Skill Training Teacher's salary, and one meal each day during training.

To learn more about Dream Center and how you can sponsor a student, please click here.