|  At the end of August, the Disability Programme Manager, Julius travelled to Masaka to see how the Deaf youth who had been trained in jewelry making were faring. He was joined on this trip by Heidi- the Chair of the UK Board of Trustees, Richard Dowden- a Trustee and Anisha- the International Development Advisor. There was a lot of excitement as the team travelled to Masaka. Heidi and Richard who had heard a lot about the 3 August training and had read about it on the website, were eager to see how the young people had progresses since returning to Masaka. Julius and Anisha were confident that the Deaf young people must have put the learning to action given the enthusiasm and motivation that was clear over the 3 days of training that was conducted.
 After a two hour drive, the team arrived at Noeline Nakaggwa’s house, which has been a safe haven Deaf young people for over five years. This was not the first time that KTU was visiting the home of Noeline, who due to her outstanding work with Deaf youth had received the British Council Manager of the year award in 2009. It was great seeing what she had initiated bearing fruit once again but this time for an even wider group of young people. At the home, the team observed that, the Deaf young people were far more confident and freer in the manner in which they greeted the group from Ka Tutandike.
Previously only a few were forthcoming but now the majority were expressive. There was more direct interaction, there were more hugs this time round. The confidence is largely due to the fact that the young people were able to make better jewelry. They now have a wider range of vibrant designs and sizes. Obviously, a lot of passion, time and creativity have gone into this. The young men are also still very much a part of the team that makes jewelry. The fact that the out of school youth are empowered and confident in terms of wanting to become independent through having a source of income is very positive and encouraging. They are in the process of identifying a market for their goods.
|
