Ms. Nabasumba Proscovia is a former scholar of the Unbound Kampala sponsorship programme. In 2017, she attained a Diploma in Fashion and Design from the YMCA comprehensive institute, and set up a vibrant workshop and training centre to equip youths with relevant skills in Fashion and Design to help curb rampant unemployment rates among youths in Uganda. The workshop, Pam Unique Fashions and Trainers, is located on Jinja Road in Bweyogerere town, Bweyogerere Parish, Kira Subcounty in Wakiso district.

Proscovia comes from a big family, with many of her siblings not having had the opportunity to get a decent education because their parents could not afford it. Proscovia’s desire to change her family’s educational and financial situation became a driving factor for her in setting up the workshop and training centre. The centre is somewhere where youth who have dropped out of school can acquire skills to help them find work.

Through the sponsorship programme, Proscovia received an electric sewing machine from Unbound to help her to start up her own business. Using her savings, she purchased two more sewing machines and rented a premises, where she opened a tailoring workshop in 2019. The training centre was registered with the Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT) in 2020 as Pam Unique Fashions and Trainers. The centre started with eight youth trainees. This number has since risen to 45. Over the past 2 years, there have been 78 graduates, 17 of whom received DIT certificates, and all of whom have gone on to find gainful employment. Currently, the centre sponsors 15 youths, 3 of whom are survivors of early marriages.

Proscovia says that “It makes me proud that I am able to support the youths, especially the girls to be able to acquire practical skills in fashion and design. By the end of 2 years, the learners can design beautiful, stylish clothes and accessories for different occasions, from casual wear, cultural to formal attires; outfits that match up to the current trends and styles of what the market demands. Unbound Kampala enabled me to acquire a meaningful education, and this inspires me to do the same in my service towards the youth.”

Proscovia case serves as a testimony of the potential that lies in practical skilling for youth and adult learners of all ages. Through her work, she can earn a decent living, and financially support herself and her extended family. As she says herself, “I am happy that I have supported five of my siblings to complete school”. She has contributed positively to the community where she works, where several of her learners are members. The trainers at the centre are former learners that excelled in their studies.

Adult learning and education offers an opportunity to learners from vulnerable households to acquire knowledge and skills that they have missed out on previously. It contributes to individual fulfilment, social cohesion, and economic prosperity. Unbound Kampala’s sponsorship programme is a part of this success.