Aber

Aber is a local community in Northern Uganda. Since the creation of the Lord's Resistance Army (1986), economic and social development in the region has been reduced a great deal. The rebellion of the army has resulted in homeless families and a great number of orphans. Lost hopes and development in Aber have to be restored by joining hands.

Natives of Aber are welcoming and friendly people, reaching a population of 90,000 in the village (youth being 75% of this population).

Due to the low per capita income, education for these youths is often highly inaccessible, as parents can't afford to pay the fees. Some can't even afford food.…

In Aber a major occupation is the making of crafts to be used in the traditional dances held during the summer holidays. Examples of these crafts are mats, baskets, and drums made of banana fibre and whistles made out of horns. Teaching youth these traditional works could be used as a form of motivation and informal education.

The Project

People of Aber want to establish a vocational centre, where young people can learn skills in the fields of administration, finance, and education. This would contribute in the improvement of the standard of living of orphaned youths in camps and poor villages of Aber sub-county, Apac district.

Vocational training has been selected from the many alternatives, because of its better contribution to the improvement of the situation in Aber. It is efficient and it provides the local community with the hands on skills needed to improve many aspects of life.

The first step of the project is to provide assistance to around 40 young people. This is a way for youth to be better prepared to enter the job market and not fall prey to drugs, prostitution, etc. Its aim is to give assistance to youth within the age-range of 15-35 years.

The community has already donated land and is willing to help with providing labour and community support. Hopefully, the Nabuur Neighbours can assist with ideas, information and equipment. Moreover, there is water available for the facilities, but no electricity at the moment.

The idea is to start small and then slowly grow to assist around 150 young people. A group of young people will join the courses for 2 years to learn skills such as carpentry, welding and fabrications, bricklaying, tailoring, computer training and business management. Then, a new group will enter to begin their classes and equip them with business management skills, so as to be able to generate income by the end of the courses. Each student will choose the course he wishes to follow. At the end of the program, each will be given a tool kit, with the minimun requirements to enable him to start working. The tool kit is proposed to be given on a small affordable loan scheme basis, the cost of which will be paid back, over a period of time, to enable another to benefit.

This project is proposed to be a self sustaining one, in that the beneficiaries would be required to pay a minimum of 30,000 Ug. Shillings per term. Those who cannot afford paying it at once can pay it in installments.

The initial budget proposed is around 882,000,000 Ug. Shs, approximately 370k€ (450k$).

Nabuur

Nabuur (founded at the end of 2001) is an online network where communities in developing countries in need of assistance and committed people willing to help come together.

The process starts when a community applies for support. After examining the application the local community is given a Village and a Local Representative. A Facilitator coordinates the online volunteers (or "Neighbours") of the Village and together they will work to reach the needs of the community by utilizing their existing skills.

The ultimate goal is to provide local communities around the world with a means to solve their problems and improve their lives.

From Nabuur we are committed to helping the community of Aber build a better future for themselves by bringing them the opportuinity of getting an education. With the effort of our team of volunteers and your support we will achieve our goal: giving a future to Aber!