By Mbarara Rise |
Our Valued Donors!!!
Special Regards from
MBARARA RISE FOUNDATION – UGANDA (MRF)
WESTERN UGANDA- EAST AFRICA
CAKE BAKING SKILLS TRAINING FOR LGBTQ EMPOWERMENT
IN WESTERN UGANDA
Report on the training of 20 LGBTQ community members in
Bushenyi District February 5-6, 2018
Introduction and Background
Mbarara Rise Foundation (MRF) is a grassroots, community-based lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) organization based in Mbarara,western Uganda.Incorporated in Uganda in 2016, MRF isa registerednot-for-profit company limited by guarantee, bearing the registration number 80020000015131, MRF was formed in 2016 by a group of social activists and educators led by RaymondTwinamatsiko, who serves as MRF’s Executive Director. Experienced in the fields of development and social education, we have come together as MRF to give our services voluntarily, with the vision of a society that understands, appreciates and accepts diversity. MRF's mission is to foster a united voice for the rural, grassroots LGBTQ community in western Uganda, empowering and raising awareness on equal rights for all.
In 2016, MRF trained 49 young transgender women and men in cake baking and income generating activities, resulting in members gaining skills in commercial baking and decorations. The project supported MRF members to have real life experiences in starting businesses and also earning income for them and their families. Under this initial project the organization strengthened the social and economic capacity of the LGBTQ community to become financially independent and to overcome challenges of poverty and unemployment.
With the support of Global Giving and their Accelerator Program, from November 28 – December 31, 2017 MRF set out to raise $5,000 from 40 unique donors. This money was targeted to fund a program that would train 100 additional LGBTQ people in baking, bakery management and other means of self-employment in five districts in western Uganda. Donations poured in from all across the globe and in total MRF raised $5,323 from 72 donors (https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/cake-baking-for-lgbtq-empowerment-in-uganda/).This project will build skills in baking, bakery management and other means of self-employment for 100 LGBTQ people in western Uganda that have lost or been denied employment due to their perceived or real sexual orientation and gender identity.
Activity
As the first of five trainings, from February 5-6, 2018MRF carried out a two-day training in cake baking and bakery management in Bushenyi District for 20 LGBTQ participants, including5 lesbians, 9 gay men, 1 transgender man and 5 transgender women. MRF Executive Director Raymond Twinamatsiko and Programs Director Janet Mutesi organized the training with bakery trainers Anne Miriam and Robert Amanya. The training was held at Busiime Gardens, a local meetings and conference center.
Topics and activities carried out during the training included an introduction to cake baking, baking hygiene and baking management, among others. Trainees had a chance to engage in an open discussion where they shared business ideas as a way to be self-reliant.
Mbarara Rise Foundation’s Programs Director Janet Mutesi welcomed participants. MRF Executive Director Raymond Twinamatsiko gave opening remarks and a brief description of the cake baking project. Objectives of the training included:
An initial challenge in implementing the training was the fact participants primarily spoke the local language of Runyankole, which required the use of a translator between facilitators and participants. This slowed down the dialogue between the facilitators and most of the participants. Moreover, there were English terms that had no direct translation in Runyankole. Thus, the translator had to create learning terms with individuals who could understand English, who then provided translations to other participants. These strategies allowed for greater interaction and dialogue among participants, including the use of small facilitated groups. For future trainings, MRF will anticipate the language needs of participants, including the use of translation and small group work.
At the end of the first day, participants, facilitators and MRF met to evaluate the day’s activities. This allowed for feedback from the participants to the facilitators and MRF. The issues raised in these meeting were addressed during the next day’s session.
The participants appreciated the training methodologies, particularly the structured learning experiences. These included the use of participants’ own examples and the sharing of their own experiences, and the setting of key words to establish and reinforce concepts.
The cake baking and bakery management skills training were most successful as the participants were interested and passionate about them. The majority of participants rated the various aspects of the training very helpful: both 95% of the participants and 93% of the trainers rated the skills training very helpful.
Overall Comments – Based on attendance, quality of participants and evaluation feedback, the training achieved and exceeded its objectives.
“I have learnt that we are unemployed just because we do not have any certain skills in anything,” Shanie (not her real name) explains. “I have now learnt the way how to bake cakes and be self employed and this is going to change my personality, am going to start a small business with which ever money, Am going to save enough money and be self employed. In the past I never had any skills and unemployed Staying back at my home making me be idle. I feel now am empowered since I have skills and can be a happy Transwoman”
Next Steps
All 20 participants will soon begin interning at a local bakery, and they are super excited to put their newly acquired skills to work. MRF is hopeful that 20-40% of the participants will find full-time employment at the bakery upon completing their internships.
As per our project, we are also busy planning 4 additional trainings for 80 more people. That is, one training for 20 people in each of the districts of Mbarara, Ibanda, Ntungamo and Rukungiri.
MRF is working to save our LGBTQ communities from causes like poor education, poverty, unemployment, gender-based violence, human rights violations, insecurity and lack of access to quality health care services. And all the credit goes to all of you. Thank you for supporting and empowering members of the LGBTQ community in rural Uganda! Your support and donations allow MRF to have a positive impact on the activities performed for the LGBTQ Community.
As part of our activities, we are engaging the economically disadvantaged and poor in rural areas, where LGBTQ people face multiple challenges to run their lives and access safe spaces and timely medical support. From our analyses the majority of LGBTQ people are unemployed and economically disfranchised, creating a desperate need for food, a place to live and money to pay bills. Some transgender people are forcefully chased out of their homes because they are easily identified.
With your help, MRF is sensitizing the LGBTQ community about the importance of learning job skills like cake baking, bakery management and entrepreneurship, as well as providing trainings. With these skills trainings, LGBTQ people are able to start businesses on their own, to be self-reliant, pay their bills and not be seen by society as waste products or mad persons as they always call us.
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