Macy’s Vocational Training Center

The Macy’s Vocational Training Center is an expansion of our Amaani Gabato (The Power of Kids) Program. We expanded our program to attract youth, ages 12-20, to encourage vocational training. We believe that by introducing entrepreneurial skills, we can help create self- sustaining adults, which leads to an economically stable community.

A grant from Macy’s allowed us to transform a storage room into a computer training center, offering computer skills, office programs, and a craft center for bead making and other crafts. The crafts department largely enrolled young women who had dropped out of school, ending up in early marriages, due to lack of alternatives. These women are now seeing hope in making a living wage from the skills they are acquiring.

Rukundo International is dedicated to fostering global awareness between children and adults in the United States and Africa, providing opportunities for individuals to authentically learn about new cultures and develop meaningful relationships with those outside their community. The computer center connects existing partners in the U.S. with our participants in Uganda through SKYPE and pen pal. Children in the United States can discuss how their day-to-day experience compares to that of a child in Uganda and possible solutions for becoming involved. Providing linkages to partners for development and global understanding to students who have never left their small community is not only an encouragement but also a learning experience for both parties.