From skills to self-reliance

“Before the training, I did not believe I could do anything on my own,” says Jentrix, a young mother from Kamnarkut Town Council in Kween District.

Like many out‑of‑school adolescents in rural eastern Uganda, Jentrix faced daily struggles shaped by limited opportunities, low self‑confidence, and little access to practical knowledge to support her health, protection, and livelihood. As a young mother, the pressures were even heavier. She lacked basic information on personal care and menstrual hygiene and depended entirely on others for survival.

These challenges are common among adolescents who drop out of school due to poverty, early motherhood, and harmful practices such as female genital mutilation. Without life skills, economic opportunities, or safe spaces to learn, many girls remain caught in cycles of vulnerability, exclusion, and dependence, with little reason to believe their future can be different.

In Kamnarkut Town Council, however, that story is beginning to change. Through the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), out-of-school adolescent girls and boys are taking part in life skills training that gives them more than information. It gives them confidence, practical knowledge, and a sense of possibility. Using activity-based learning, the programme helps adolescents build social, emotional, and everyday skills that strengthen their wellbeing, empowerment, and participation in community life. 

Through the initiative, 180 adolescent girls and boys in Kween District are creating safe spaces for learning, peer support, and personal growth.

For Jentrix, the training opened a door she had not imagined for herself. What began as a learning opportunity became a turning point in how she saw her life and her future. She gained practical knowledge on personal care and menstrual hygiene, but just as importantly, she began to believe in her own potential. “I learned how to take care of myself and how to think differently about my future,” she says.

Today, Jentrix speaks with confidence about changes she once thought impossible. She now understands how to manage her personal hygiene and health, something she says has restored her dignity and self‑worth.

The impact did not stop there. During the training sessions, participants received a small daily income. Instead of spending it immediately, Jentrix saved the money and invested it in baking supplies, including flour, sugar, yeast, and cooking oil. With these, she started a small mandazi (pancake) business in her community.

“The business skills I acquired during the training pushed me to start my own business so I can be self‑reliant,” she says proudly.

Her initiative has improved her household income and inspired other adolescents in her group to explore small income‑generating activities of their own. Jentrix’s journey shows how targeted life skills training can build confidence, promote healthy practices, and unlock economic potential among adolescent girls.

Through stories like hers, the Global Programme demonstrates how investing in adolescent girls can lead to transformational change, breaking cycles of dependency and opening pathways to empowerment, dignity, and hope.

Despite the progress they have made, Jentrix and her peers know their journey is just beginning. They dream of expanding their small businesses and becoming financially stable enough to support their families independently: "If we receive a little start‑up capital, we can grow our businesses and help ourselves.”

As the programme continues in Kween District, there is hope that with sustained support, adolescent girls like Jentrix will not only secure better futures for themselves but also become role models and change‑makers within their communities.