Today’s Youth – Tomorrow’s leaders

Today’s Youth – Tomorrow’s leaders

Through the Habitat Youth Program, young people are trained and encouraged to develop their fundraising, public speaking, and construction skills. Knowing that today’s youth are tomorrow’s leaders, policy makers and donors, Habitat for Humanity Uganda is encouraged that our program will only get better and stronger till poverty housing is eradicated.

The Habitat Youth Program started in Uganda in September 1998. The program, the first in East Africa has since grown from one chapter to more than 8 active youth groups. The program includes an Alumni club consisting of young professionals that enjoyed their university years with HFHU and desired to continue serving in Habitat’s housing program.

The youth groups ranging from junior school to university students are involved in building, awareness and fundraising activities. Supported and guided by a Resource Development Officer based at the Kampala head office, the youth have been able to gear their energy and zeal into the work of Habitat in Uganda by performing three roles;

young people help a family in the construction of their home.

Hands-on Home Construction/Building: Through the construction work going on at the affiliates, the young people venture out every quarter to help a family in the construction of their home. Typical builds include morning devotions, then building with breaks in between for snacks and lunch. The breaks are usually spent chatting and hunting wild fruit. The students wind up construction reclining by warm campfires to eat roasted maize (corn) or beef as they recount the day’s events. The peak of the youth programs construction work in Uganda is an annual ‘Youth Pamoja Festival’ which attracts youth from different clubs, schools and higher institutions of learning.

Fundraising: The young people in Uganda are actively involved in fundraising. Working closely with the head office to ensure we do not knock at donors’ doors twice, the youth have been involved in different fundraising activities ranging from cookie sales, car washes, dinners, sports galas and door to door asks at the university.

Awareness: HFHU’s work and its impact on the youth has been drawn into the limelight as a result of the awareness activities carried out by the youth. Talk shows on national media, concerts and drama have served to bring the program great exposure especially in emphasizing the dangers of poverty housing and its effects among the youth and elderly.

The Habitat national office in Uganda continues to provide training to the young people encouraging them to develop their fundraising, public speaking and partnership skills.  As a result of increased youth involvement in the different school campuses, more are seeking to join the program.

HFH Uganda’s active youth groups include; Rainbow International School, Makerere Universtiy (MUK) Campus Chapter, The International School of Uganda, Uganda Christian Univeristy (UCU) and Agakhan High School.