PRESS RELEASE: Friday 27^th August 2021, Arua, Uganda: EU, Faraja Africa Foundation flag off digital ambassadors in West Nile

The European Union in Uganda together with its implementing partners, Advance Afrika and Faraja Africa Foundation have today rewarded a group of digital ambassadors in the Arua district.

The event that took place on Friday 27^th, August 2021 at Heritage Courts saw 10 young people rewarded with tablets that would enable them to digitalize their businesses, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We believe in creating an accelerator system that can reboot businesses in the West Nile Region, during the pandemic. The project is targeting 350 young people in the districts of Arua and Zombo, as they were hit the most, because of businesses closing in the wake of the pandemic. The programme will also target 200 inmates from Arua, Nebbi and Paidha prison units in Zombo districts and 300 truck drivers from Vurra in Arua District and Alangi & Jangokoro in Zombo district. This initiative includes a business accelerator, entrepreneurship skills, capacity building, digital skilling, and psychosocial support (for the inmates). At Faraja Africa Foundation, our focus is on the social and entrepreneurship skilling,” Emmanuel Wabwire, the foundation’s founder explains.

The Improving Economic Resilience of West Nile(IERC)  project is a two-year intervention that is spearheaded by Advance Afrika and Faraja Africa Foundation and funded by the European Union.

“Advance Afrika is focusing on addressing the negative impacts of COVID 19 during the lockdown hence empowering the vulnerable youth whose businesses were greatly affected. We support rehabilitation programs in prisons for instance training in entrepreneurship and life skills as well as setting up in prison projects with guidance from Prisons officials for instance tailoring, bakery and other hands-on skills to enable the inmates to properly reintegrate back into their communities,” says Emma Wachal, a project officer at Advance Afrika.

By Faraja Africa Foundation -Admin

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The National Youth Parliament is an important political and legislative space and creative advocacy vehicle that brings together the National Youth Council (NYC), the Uganda National Students Association – UNSA, an activist network, You Lead Network, Platform for Youth Inclusion in Politics and young people from civil society organizations, the private sector and cultural institutions among others. Since its inception in 2018, it has been held around the UN International Youth Day as part of the commemoration engagements that play a vital role in amplifying youth voices to legislators.

This year through the Platform for Youth Inclusion in Politics (PYIP), in partnership with the Parliament of Uganda, European Union, ActionAid Uganda, Restless Development, Westminster Foundation, Advance Afrika and PYIP members are organizing the fourth National Youth Parliament on 17th September 2021; under the theme “Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health,” adopted from the UN International Youth Day 2021 theme. PYIP is a special purpose vehicle to galvanize joint efforts and collaboration towards youth inclusion in politics.

The plenary is a special sitting of the Parliament of Uganda, made up of 200 young leaders (across all spheres) and people and will represent the young people at the National Youth Parliament Sitting on 17th September 2021, which will take place both physically and online in a bid to ensure the government’s guidelines on COVID 19 are followed.

This is a call for youth representation across all districts in Uganda.

Do you want to speak up for young people? Do you want your voice amplified? Do not miss out on this opportunity.

Click the link here to fill out the form: https://forms.gle/7GgEw5ZCLbMioTmP8 and follow instructions to be part of the National Youth Parliament 2021.

For more information please email info@farajaafricafdn.org