Young women equipped with bakery skills to help them recover from Covid-19 effects

By David Magere

A total of 35 young Women in the Districts of Gulu and Amuru are optimistic about uplifting their means of livelihood after attaining hands on skills training in the Bakery- courtesy of Gulu Women’s Economic Development and Globalization (GWED-G), a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) supporting Women in Gulu.

The beneficiaries were a sample of 300 young women, selected by GWED-G, especially young girls who got pregnant during the COVID-19 lockdowns that rendered them vulnerable to society who needed to be uplifted economically and socially.

The Women were being passed out from their training school in Agwee Sub-Ward, Senior Quarters Ward, Laroo-Pece Division, Gulu City on Wednesday, after attaining a six weeks training course in Bakery.

Concy Alur- now 19, a teenage mother, and resident of Keyo Village, Lamogi Sub-county, and Amuru District said that after getting pregnant, she started selling millions of fish that were not sustaining her well financially.

Jovia Kwolonyo,now 20 a young mother and former student of Pakwach Primary School primary two years ago explained that she got pregnant while in Primary Seven and she could not continue studying because the schools were closed, and also after opening the schools, she was unable to start.

Cyndrella Aromorach-now 22, a resident of Awach Mission Village, Awach Sub-county, and Gulu District expressed that she was facing hard times because she has been limited in finding any job opportunities due to less education.

Aromorach said that through the training, she is going to start up some trail bakery to benefit herself in making daily ends meet.

Sunday Acayo, a resident of Toro Village, Amuru Sub-county, and Amuru District explains that she used to study at Bungatira Primary School, but now she cannot go back to school coupled with abusive language that was coming out from her caretakers.

“I was a pupil at Bungatira Primary school, but when COVID19 broke out I got pregnant due to some abusive language that my guardians were using against me while I was at home-and to get married away”, said Acayo.

Acayo said that with the support from GWED-G, she is ready to start a bread project through the groups that she has currently enrolled.

Pamela Angwech, the Executive Director of GWED unveiled those women during pass–out –after taking six weeks of training in Bakery, saying that the young women potential businesspersons who can change their lives and societies.

Angwech however asked the government through the Local Government Leaders to consider the women in the fourth coming Parish Development Model (PDM) Program.

She also cautioned the women not to be jealous when they start their bakery enterprise and include the other young mothers to benefit from what they are engaged in.

Angwech also expounded that the 35 women were a sample of 300 young women who were sampled from over 600 of them who were left in dilemma after the effects of COVID19 that that ed the economy seriously.

She said that as GWED-G they came out to mitigate the challenges faced by young girls/women due to lockdowns.

“As GWED-G we did two things; one is to influence policy to allow teenage mothers to return to school. This came because of the statistics of the Acholi Sub-region where 17,222 girls were pregnant. We had to demonstrate the need to consider that these are our girls who needed attention”, said Angwech.

Shs. 500,000 also supported the women for the four groups each and one Oven each for three of the four groups- as a startup resource for their Bakery Project.

The Students were also awarded a Certificate of Completion during the pass-out ceremony.

Statistics from GWED-G show Over 17, 000 girls got pregnant during the COVID19 lockdowns in an attempt to reduce the spread of the COVID19 pandemic, mostly stemming from Domestic related issues.