HYT training giants Philip Yiga, Fred Koire, Mathias Kabaala and their team of trusted assistants have successfully pulled off one of HYT’s most ambitious projects to date. The team have worked miles from home, far from friends and family, in Uganda’s largest refugee settlement. As an organisation we could not be more grateful for the hard work and commitment the team has shown.
This being our first venture into a settlement, HYT had a lot to learn. District, UN and Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) operate stringent control over activity within the region. Our partners, Mercy Corps, alongside our friends at the UNHCR and the District Engineers office have guided us through the various legislation and helped us complete the project.
16 young men and 10 woman completed training with HYT. Of the graduates 20 were refugees. HYT’s ‘train as you build’ methodology has proved a success once again.
The two roomed Kiosk will be rented out to service providers, giving refugees and Ugandans in rural areas access to products and services such as residential solar installations and microloans.
The large open space shown above will be accessible to organisations for meetings, training sessions or events. Before construction was complete it had already been booked to hold UNHCR Shelter Partner meetings and training sessions with Gulu Agricultural Development Company (GADC).
During the project, HYT ran sensitisation workshops to over 150 people in refugee and host communities. The workshops were designed to introduce communities to sustainable construction practices and raise awareness about the environmental destruction associated with brick burning. Our trainees were vital in the delivery of these workshops, acting as translators and running demonstrations.
Following the training we were thrilled to find out that 10 of our graduates have formed a group, the Yoyo United Youths Construction Group. They have already written proposals to build a business around their new skills. HYT and our partners, Mercy Corps are committed to supporting this venture with expertise in business management, construction and subsidised tools.
There is huge potential for ISSB within Bidi Bidi settlement. HYT hopes to create a pool of trained masons within the host and refugee communities that can fulfil this potential.
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