Back in June, our International Desk Officer Stephen Cooper spent 12 days in Uganda, where we work with ARUWE (Action for Rural Women’s Empowerment) and their project, “Stitching a new tomorrow: supporting vulnerable girls and young women with education and income-generating skills in Nebbi District, Uganda”.
As we do in Dundee, ARUWE support young people during their school holidays, offering activities that have the potential to make a lasting mark. This is Stella’s story.
Background
Stella Mungungeo is a 17-year-old girl from Juputhwol village, Nebbi District. She lives with her parents and three siblings (three girls and one boy) where their home consists of two grass-thatched huts and an unfinished iron-sheet house.
Stella is currently in Primary Six at Pajur Primary School. She was transferred from Erussi School due to the lower cost and proximity to home, especially as the family struggles to pay fees for three school-going children.
During the school holidays, Stella enjoyed sewing activities at the ARUWE Skilling Centre. She performed exceptionally well and attributes her success to the trainers’ dedication and her own perseverance.
Stella’s father, Michan Raphael (53) said, “Stella’s interest in tailoring began way back when she was young. She would mold a baby out of clay and goes ahead to sew dresses, panties and shorts on it using a hand needle with leftover pieces picked from a nearby tailor in Erussi.”
Stella’s father, who had a difficult past, is deeply grateful for Stella’s training and sees it as a step forward not just for her, but the wider family.
“This training has given her confidence and together with her mother, we are looking around for a sewing machine to enable Stella to continue her sewing as a business on weekends and during school holidays. God willing, I want her to take her education very seriously and we shall see her through, but if funds do not allow, then she will have something to fall back on and I do not want her tailoring knowledge to die. I do not want my children to go through my ordeal, so I encourage all of them in family activities and they are very supportive.”
The family grows coffee, bananas, and fruits like pawpaw and soursop, and cultivates sugarcane and vegetables in the valley. They also rent land for cassava, beans, and maize to supplement income. Despite these efforts, education costs remain a challenge so Raphael is hopeful that Stella’s tailoring skills will provide her with options and independence, whether or not she can complete formal education.
“Since Stella can sew with ease, I am sure with this knowledge, she will not stay at home. I shall look for a way to support her to improve her skills and market herself. I have seen girls in other families help their parents. I am optimistic my daughters too will uplift my home.”
Stella’s story shows how a single opportunity, like a holiday skills programme, can spark confidence, create income, and lay the foundation for a better future.
