National Slum Dwellers Federation of Uganda and ACTogether Uganda continues to make great effort for inclusive, safe resilient and sustainable cities where urban poor exploit opportunities to metamorphose their communities. In Kibuye 1 Parish, Makindye Division, Kampala, Uganda, a group of young people, frustrated by their community’s struggles with poverty, lack of education, and limited opportunities, decided to take action. Rejecting the status quo, they sought to bring change and improve their circumstances.
Led by Isaac sserwadda, a bright and ambitious local council one youth leader, a group of friends decided to take matters into their own hands. They formed “ABC YOUTH DEVELOPMENT GROUP” a collective dedicated to improving their community’s livelihood. “We started a saving group in the names of ABC youth group but our savings was normally aimed for luxury expenditure on expensive wine and beer during Christmas season.” Isaac said.
The group engaged in savings for two years but their saving focused on buying expensive wine and beers especially during the festive season. This took a new stride after meeting a National Slum Dwellers Federation of Uganda leader who taught them many beautiful reasons of savings with bigger aim and also the need to formalise their saving group. A number of trainings on formal group formation and leadership were carried out by ACTogether Uganda and ABC YOUTH DEVELOPMENT group members were always involved, this influenced them to change their understanding about their saving culture.
During the course of formalising, their group name was changed as they were directed by Kampala capital city authority since the name ABC YOUTH DEVELOPMNT was already used by other party. This traumatised them but later on they managed to come up with the name YUMMY DEVELOPMENT YOUTH GROUP which was registered by Kampala capital city authority as a Community Based Organisation.The group comprises of 20 members; 8 female and 12 male. They also decided to join the National Slum Dwellers Federation of Uganda movement.
YUMMY DEVELOPMENT YOUTH GROUP received a cash grant of Ugandan shillings 1,000,000 from the National Slum Dwellers federation of Uganda through their programme of empowering youth to support their initiatives. The grant has had a significant impact on the community in various ways. The group established the Yummy Bakery, providing employment opportunities for local young people. They also launched a skills training program, empowering youths with valuable vocational skills. Through their collective savings efforts, members were able to increase their financial resources, enabling some to start their own businesses and others to purchase plots of land. Their success has inspired other youths in the community to take similar actions, sparking a wave of positive change and encouraging more young people to actively work towards improving their futures.
The empowerment of youth has had valuable lessons, including that youth-led initiatives can drive sustainable development and create lasting impact. They learned that collective action is a powerful force for meaningful change, and that when individuals come together with a shared vision, they can overcome challenges and transform their community. Most importantly, young people realised that empowerment begins with learning and access to opportunities, as these are the foundations upon which growth and success are built. The grant was a turning point. It brought their efforts together and provided the resources they needed to make a tangible impact.
Written by Mukungu Abel, Know Your City TV Makindye
