In Uganda, 75% of the population is under the age of 30. Unfortunately, for many of these young people, opportunities are scarce. High unemployment rates, limited access to quality education, and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have left countless youth struggling to find a way forward. We, the Uganda Youth Skills Training Organization (UYSTO), have been dedicated to addressing these challenges for over a decade.

Our Mission
At UYSTO, we believe in the power of education and skills development to transform lives. Our mission is to improve the livelihoods of youth and women through community-based education, vocational training, and other innovative programs that drive social change, foster entrepreneurship, and promote sustainable development. By empowering youth and women with practical skills, we can help them build a brighter future for themselves, their families, and their communities.

The Challenge
Uganda faces a significant youth unemployment crisis. National unemployment among youth has risen to 16.5%, and nearly one in three young people between the ages of 15 and 24 is not in employment, education, or training (NEET). The situation is even more dire for young women, with 50% of those aged 20-24 classified as NEET.
The urban poor in the greater Kampala metropolitan area, where many depend on precarious day-to-day work, are particularly vulnerable. The majority of the people in this area depend on the “Mere yalero” or “Kagwilawo” (literally meaning “day’s survival”) slogan, which is very dangerous to our society.
The COVID-19 pandemic has only made matters worse, leading to job losses, increased poverty, increased pregnancies among young girls, school drop offs, and limited opportunities for education and training. Young women have been disproportionately affected, facing higher rates of unemployment, early marriages, and a lack of social protection. For many, the road to financial independence seems impossibly out of reach.
Youth unemployment is prevalent due to the following factors below:

1. Limited vocational skills training infrastructure facilities, skilled personnel, equipment and tools (Read Abstract on the rationale for TVET in Uganda).
2. Possession of inappropriate skills, wrong mindset, and pessimistic attitudes.
3. The economy creates fewer than the required jobs due to inadequate production, productivity, and value addition.
4. Excessive cost of doing business leading to high mortality of businesses that would otherwise have provided neither employed nor in education or training (NEETs) with jobs.
5. Disjointed employment interventions.  

Our Solution: A New Vocational Skills Training Center
To combat these challenges, we need to expand our efforts and build a new Vocational Skills Training Center in the greater Kampala metropolitan area. This Center will offer crucial vocational and life skills training as well as industrial training services to the most vulnerable groups—youth and teenage mothers—helping them create opportunities for themselves and break free from the cycle of poverty.
The Center will serve the most vulnerable and marginalized groups in Kampala and the neighboring districts: Buikwe, Luwero, and Mpig, totalling an estimated popuIation of 6,709,900. Learning technical and vocational skills, coupled with entrepreneurship and career education, will empower vulnerable youth and women (teenage mothers) with knowledge, skills, competences, positive attitudes, and transferable expertise that will help to address their social-economic challenges.
But we can’t do this alone. We need your support.

Why Your Contribution Matters
Your donation will directly support the construction and equipping of the new Center, which will provide skills training in areas like carpentry, tailoring, ICT, automotive mechanics, brick laying concrete and practice, entrepreneurship and accommodation of our current Cultural Center. With your help, we can empower Uganda's youth and young women and mothers to gain the skills, confidence, and resources they need to secure stable employment, start small businesses, and become financially self-sufficient. Together, we can transform lives and create a brighter future for Uganda’s youth.

Will you join us in making this vision a reality?
Donate today and be part of a movement that empowers and uplifts.  

How To Donate?
You can direct your donations to Uganda Youth Skills Training Organization and we will provide a confirmation for your donation along with a receipt that will help you to deduct the amount from your taxes if applicable in your country.
To Donate, please use one of the following options:
1. Mobile Money (for Ugandan nationals and foreign residents):
• MTN using MoMo payments and our organization mecharnt code number 716277
• Airtel TBD
2. Sendwave and Wise money transfer applications (for donors outside of Uganda)

3. You donate using Paypal

These two realiable applications allow you to donate (transfer money) from your bank account outside of Uganda to either our bank or Mobile Money accounts in Uganda, converting your local currency into Ugandan Shilling currency (UGX) with the lowest transactions and exchange fees.
Please download either of these applications on your device(s) and create an account. Add „new recepient” using our organization’s information below:
Bank Name: ABSA BANK UGANDA LIMITED
Bank Address: P.O BOX 7101 KAMPALA UGANDA
Account Owner: UGANDA YOUTH SKILLS TRAINING ORGANIZATION
IBAN Code/Account Number: 6001548466
BIC/SWIF Code: BARCUGKX
Recipient Email: bobmaahe@gmail.com
Owner’s Address: P.O BOX 72164 CLOCK TOWERS KAMPALA UGANDA
150 METERS OFF KASUBI TOMBS STREET BEHIND ST ANDREWS KASUBI CHURCH OF UGANDA

Due to lack of options on Sendwave, the Mobile Money telephone numbers are registered on Bob Maahe Turyatunga, Executive Director of UYSTO:
• MTN (+256) 783 294 738
• Airtel (+256) 753 409 415

Your donated funds to his Mobile Money numbers above will later be transferred to the Uganda Youth Skills Training Organization using the merchant code and you will receive a confirmation for the transferring transaction. If you have any issues with these donation options or need more details about our program, please CONTACT US:
Phone/WhatsApp: (+256) 776 830 887 or (+256) 706 508 959; Emails: bobmaahe@gmail.com or info@skillsforyouths.org

On behalf of our team and young trainees, we THANK YOU for your contribution!