Lessons learned from Komo's work to strengthen skill development amongst adolescents in Uganda

• In Event: What works in adolescent skills: How evidenced, localized solutions are equipping young people with the skills that Africa needs

Proposal

Komo Learning Centers (Komo) is a non-profit with a mission to facilitate radical change in the Ugandan health and education systems. Since 2009, Komo has supported 120 students through secondary and tertiary education, provided entrepreneurship and vocational training to over 4,000 out-of-school adolescents, and worked with 30 Ugandan secondary schools to improve learning outcomes through the Do It Yourself (DIY) Clubs.

Komo has been implementing DIY clubs for seven years. During this time, Komo has seen too few adolescents’ transitioning into and completing secondary education. Secondary education may be the last chance for those who missed foundational life skills at the primary level. It is at this stage that adolescents have a deeper understanding and application of essential life skills.

Kukuza’s DIY Clubs program provides a model where adolescents take the lead through student-led initiatives. Following a foundational life skills course, DIY Clubs are delivered to strengthen students’ social, critical thinking, problem-solving, and leadership skills. Through student-led projects, adolescents practice life skills and demonstrate their abilities. These opportunities have transformed adolescents’ skills, and their teachers’ perceptions about adolescents’ potential and agency.

When learners are given a platform to lead and demonstrate their abilities, it encourages participation in school and fosters a belief that they can contribute meaningfully to their community. This requires creating a supportive environment at school. Komo recognizes that fostering school leader buy-in and building teacher capacity is vital for sustaining a school culture that values and supports student participation.
In schools where student participation is valued, there is a heightened sense of community among students. When students are involved in decisions that affect their lives, it gives them a stake in their own success and motivates them to stay and complete school.

Komo recognizes the need to create an environment that ensures no one is left behind. This is important for girls, who face unique challenges brought about by harmful gender norms. In DIY, after exposing students to sessions on gender, power dynamics, and youth adult partnerships, learners themselves identify the gender issues affecting them and design appropriate projects.

Komo has found this focus on gender issues vital. It supports learners within the community to raise and address sensitive gender topics in a safe space. This not only fosters open dialogue but also builds trust, making the interventions more relevant and impactful. Komo has observed the significance of preparing a workforce that is receptive to the relationship between gender and development. That’s why they’ve integrated gender into their adolescent skilling programs. Without this, there is a risk of reinforcing existing inequalities.

The reality is that the dropout rate is high both at primary and secondary levels. This cannot be ignored. These young people are part of the 100 million young Africans that will enter the labor market in the next 10 years. The DIY approach supports adolescents to become mentors, change agents, and capable individuals who can tackle local challenges and drive societal progress – ensuring a more vibrant and inclusive future for all.

Author

• Elizabeth Nabuyama, Komo learning centres