| dc.description.abstract | With the challenges presented by the global pandemic, Covid 19, which resulted into lockdown including closure of schools, such resulted into teenage pregnancies since many school going girl children dropped out of school. The Covid 19 situation was worsened by the social-cultural stereotypes of some of the parents not believing in the girl child education. Also, the prevalent high levels of poverty among the population worsened the situation since families could not support themselves to achieve better livelihoods. Consequently, young girls succumbed to early and unwanted pregnancies and have been forced out of their homes, married early yet their disparities like poverty have not been addressed. However, programs to cope up and manage with their situations have been put in place. Therefore, this research aimed at establishing how JESE Uganda with the skill-up program helped young mothers to improve their lives. The study was conducted in Kibiito Town Council, Bunyangabu District, Western Uganda where the program implementers, trainers of skills and the trainees were interviewed. The study used Qualitative data collection tools like in-depth interview guide, key informant guide and purposive interviews. Two program implementers, five trainers and ten trainees were interviewed from different training centres. The study found out that tailoring and hair dressing were the skills done by young mothers including soft skills like entrepreneurship, health and nutrition and sanitation. The challenges faced were: delays in the delivery of training materials, shortage of equipment, few trainers, late coming and absenteeism of trainees, lack of start -up capital, registration fee that was unaffordable, limited space and negative attitudes/values of some trainers. The key recommendations were: provision of adequate funding to help learners that are unable to pay initial fees to access the training and for those graduating to be helped to get employed; also, for the trainers to integrate methods so as to optimise the learning among the trainees; and for the organisation to always make prior community engagements to create awareness and mobilise sensitise more vulnerable young mothers to be helped through the training program. | en_US |
