West Nile, Uganda, 16 January 2017 – The Aga Khan Foundation in Uganda has joined Partners in Community Transformation (PICOT), a civil society organisation based in Koboko, and the Koboko district local government, in a new four-year project designed to promote the social and economic empowerment of young people.

This project, “Promoting Youth Social and Economic Empowerment through Civil Society and Local Authorities”, is co-funded by the European Union -- which has pledged € 505,816 (2 billion UGX) in support for the initiative -- and the Aga Khan Foundation UK.

The overall objective of this project is to improve the social and economic opportunities available to vulnerable youth in Koboko district by strengthening the capacity of PICOT and the local government.

The Aga Khan Foundation will work to improve the government’s Functional Adult Literacy (FAL) program to better empower young women and men (aged 15-30) with relevant employability and life skills aligned with current market needs. The Foundation will also work with stakeholders to review and enhance the existing FAL curriculum and pilot the new curriculum in 25 existing FAL centres in Koboko, with the goal of eventually extending it to FAL centres throughout Uganda. The project will be implemented in all 13 sub-counties of Koboko, targeting 1500 youth.

NOTES

The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) is a private, not-for-profit, non-denominational international development agency that works to improve the quality of life of communities in remote and resource poor areas. AKF is an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), a group of international development agencies, institutions and programmes that work primarily in the poorest parts of Africa and Asia. The Foundation implements its programmes without regard to the faith, origin or gender of the people it serves.

In Uganda, the Aga Khan Foundation works predominantly in West Nile, promoting early childhood development, enhancing the quality of primary education, integrating ICT into primary school curriculum, encouraging environmental conservation, supporting community-based savings groups and empowering youth. The Foundation strives to be gender-responsive in all of its programming.

The European Union (EU) is a unique economic and political partnership between 28 European countries. In 1957, the signature of the Treaties of Rome marked the will of the six founding countries to create a common economic space. Since then, first the European Communities and then the European Union has continued to enlarge and welcome new countries as members. The Union has developed into a huge single market between the 28 Member States at present, with the Euro as the common currency in 19 countries. The relations between the EU and Uganda are mainly based on aid to development, including support to sustainable growth and employment, and trade.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Riana Topan
Communications Specialist
Aga Khan Foundation Uganda
M: 0780 132421 | [email protected]