Ruhabu Maniraguha is an 18 year old refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo and currently resides in Kyaka II refugee settlement, Kyegegwa district. She, together with her family are among thousands of refugees who fled their home country due to the insurgency resulting from there. She is a second born in a family 5 and as such, she is shares responsibilities that contribute to their household’s general wellbeing.
Ruhabu’s studies were also interrupted when she fled her home. When Oxfam called out to youth for training in Vocational Skills training, Ruhabu felt that she finally had an opportunity to gain some skills to help realize her lost dreams and get a well-paying job to enable her to contribute to her family living a dignified life. “I applied for the tailoring course and luckily, I was selected,’’ said Ruhabu. Herself and six other trainees have since been placed under a Local Artisan to get the skills in Tailoring and garment cutting for a period of 5 months.
Since the commencement of the training, she has been an excellent learner who pays attention to detail and all the pieces she produces are a little different from the rest of her fellow trainees. This can be attributed to her determination to achieve her dreams.
Asked what she wants to achieve in life, Ruhabu beamed with a smile as she ably listed a number milestones she envisages. She said, “With what we are going through, earning money-and seeing how successful tailors are making it easier for their family, I am determined to make sure that I complete this course, get the necessary startup kits and begin my own workshop. Of course, I will want to buy a shop from which I will be running my tailoring business. From this business, I should be able to cloth my siblings and parents, pay school fees for my young siblings, provide proper medical care, buy a phone to connect with customers and acquire more machines in order to employ others. I will build a very good house for my parents.”
Ruhabu also plans to further her skills by learning some more attractive designs in order to level up to her competitors. She continued to mention that, “In order to beat my competitors, I will have to go and get more skills in designing so that I capture more customers by making attractive designs for both male and female.”
With this kind of trainee, Emergency Food Security and Vulnerable Livelihoods (EFSVL) will certainly cause a change in the standard of living of many refugees undertaking vocational skills training. It will be interesting to follow this trainee, encourage and help her achieve her dreams.
Compiled by: Christopher Adide Odong, EFSVL Assistant
“In order to beat my competitors, I will have to go and get more skills in designing so that I capture more customers by making attractive designs for both male and female.”