Hundreds of youth in Kole North are witnessing notable improvements in household income generation through technical investment and small business growth across various sub-counties, including Alito and Aboke town councils, Okwerodot and Aboke sub-counties.
While many report better livelihoods, the success remains uneven, with reports indicating a stronger impact on those effectively creating sustainable income.
On Saturday, April 26, 2026, a cross-section of SOA Foundation beneficiaries from different areas of Kole North demonstrated their massive victory and appreciation for the incumbent Kole North Member of Parliament, Dr. Samuel Opio Acuti.
They credited him for lifting them from nothing, noting that they are now earning decent resources on a daily basis based on the skills they were trained in over a period of six months to two years.
Sam Odongo, 24, a resident of Te-Opok village, Okwerodot parish, Okwerodot sub-county, shared his personal experience regarding the challenges he faced before the establishment of SOA vocational training centers.
He said, “I stopped in Primary Seven in 2017 at Okwero Primary School due to lack of school fees. I stayed home until 2022, when MP Dr. Acuti opened his vocational training centers to support especially poor families that cannot continue with their studies at a higher level.”
“I joined the SOA Foundation skilling center from 2022 to 2024, concentrating on motorcycle repairs. I sat for the DIT certificate. After obtaining this certificate, I generated around 700,000 UGX immediately when I opened my workshop in 2024,” Sam added.
On a monthly basis, he earns between shs400,000 and shs500,000. “My dream was to become an engineer. Currently, since I have my workshop, I have trained six more youths.”
Another beneficiary, Able Opio, 19, from Lwala B village, Lwala Parish in Okwerodot sub-county, also shared his personal experience. He told journalists that after stopping in Primary Seven at Lwala Primary School in 2019, he had no hope of proceeding with his education due to coming from a poor family background.
In 2022, he joined the SOA Foundation skilling vocational training center and sat for his DIT certificate. After completing, due to lack of money, I stayed home for another year, looking for funds to open my workshop, which I named Badi Padi.
“Currently, I have trained more than four other people. I am now earning between shs500,000 and shs700,000 monthly. Besides that, I have also employed my carpentry teacher at my workshop.”
Sandra Acen, 23, a resident of Obuto Center village, Obuto parish in Okwerodot sub-county, shared her personal experience. She explained that she stopped in Primary Seven at Lwala Primary School in 2019 and did not continue her studies due to financial shortages.
She stayed home with her parents until 2024, when the SOA Foundation skilling center was established. She joined a six-month training program in tailoring and earned a DIT certificate. “Currently, I am now earning my own money,” she said.
Acen added that after one year, she has generated over one million. “I used that money to finish constructing a house for my parents, which cost over shs4–5 million. Within the same year, I have trained three additional students in tailoring and garment cutting.”
Joshua Odongo, 23, from Arwot Pe Ribere Village, Apuro Parish in Aboke Sub-county, stopped in Senior Two at St. Peter’s and Paul Aboke. His education ended during COVID-19. He confirmed that he joined Dr. Samuel Opio Acuti’s vocational training center in 2023 for a BCP program.
“Currently, I have experience in house construction because I have expanded my knowledge. Before joining SOA, I worked as a helper at various construction sites, and that motivated my interest in expanding my skills in BCP. In a week, I now earn over shs100,000.”
In Uganda, over 1.2 million learners fail to complete Primary Seven annually, with about 43% of pupils dropping out before finishing.
High dropout rates, particularly in P.5–P.7 classes, are driven by poverty, school fees, early marriage, lack of school lunch, financial constraints (inability to pay for uniforms), lack of interest, and pregnancy, especially in rural areas.
Statistics indicate that more than one million pupils drop out between P.1 and P.7—a figure that has remained high since the government introduced Universal Primary Education (UPE).
Currently, dropouts are most common in upper primary classes (P.5–P.6), with few pupils reaching P.7. Girls are heavily affected, with over 90% of those who enter P.1 failing to complete P.7.
On April 6, 2026, over 500 youths in Kole North graduated from Dr. Samuel Opio Acuti’s vocational training program at Abim Primary School.
The graduates were awarded Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT) certificates by the Ministry of Education and Sports after completing a skills program that equips youth with practical abilities to boost self-employment and local economic growth.
MP Acuti has rolled out free vocational training skilling centers across Kole North, opening over seven training centers within a period of four years to support free vocational training across his constituency.
This initiative aims to boost self-employment and local economic growth for youths who did not complete their Primary Leaving Examinations and those who did not finish Senior Four.
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