Projects - With Rotary Club of Upper Kololo
Naguru Remand Home Helping Youth Build Skills and Hope
N aguru Remand Home, a Labour and Social Development, has transformed what might be perceived purely as confinement into a dynamic space for rehabilitation, skills development, and reintegration. In collaboration with the Rotary Club of Upper Kololo, the Home offers youths in conflict with the law a chance to rebuild, rediscover hope, and prepare for a positive future. government institution under the Ministry of Gender, Since 2022, the Remand Home has run a structured skilling programme in partnership with the Rotary Club of Upper Kololo – “Boy Child Uplifting Programme” in coordination with the Uganda Vocational and Technical Assessment Board – UVTAB, formerly Directorate of Industrial Training – DIT. The main outcome from this project has been to empower the adolescent boys and girls in remand with nationally accredited skill sets in areas like self-care, effective communication, empathy, and vocations like poultry, horticulture, tailoring, hairdressing, mushroom and rabbit rearing, among others. By the end of 2023, more than 160 young residents had earned Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT) certificates in poultry
transformed dormitories, kitchens, dining halls, and administrative blocks, creating dignified accommodation for about 150–160 children awaiting trial. Progress continued in June 2025, when Naguru hosted its first on site Juvenile Criminal Session. Presided over by Lady Justice Deepa Verma, the session resolved multiple cases and cleared the Mpigi docket,an important advance for child friendly justice. Overall, the results are compelling, with >400 youths who have earned market ready certificates in trades such as poultry, tailoring, horticulture, and hairdressing. Many return home to pursue legitimate livelihoods and often re engage with the remand home as “change agents” within their communities. At Naguru, confinement is a passage toward empowerment, one that equips young people with practical skills, emotional resilience, and a renewed sense of purpose. For God and My Country BY MS. MARY KYOMUGISHA Senior Probation & Welfare Officer, Naguru Remand Home
farming, rabbit husbandry, tailoring, hairdressing, and horticulture, raising the programme’s total graduates to over 400 since inception. Alongside these formal credentials, the remand home puts equal weight on life skills and psychosocial growth. Structured lessons in teamwork, problem solving, and emotional resilience, reinforced through counselling and group therapy sessions, help participants process trauma, rebuild confidence, and adopt healthier coping strategies. Naguru Remand Home has reimagined custody as a springboard for growth. Young residents now channel their energy into team sports, individual athletics, and creative arts activities that cultivate fitness, self discipline, cooperation, and confidence. Supervised community service projects deepen their sense of civic duty and emerging leadership, while strong partnerships with the family of Rotary, community organisations, and government agencies pave the way for seamless reintegration. Former residents frequently return as peer mentors, reinforcing a self sustaining cycle of change. Founded in the 1950s, the facility once grappled with overcrowding and deteriorating infrastructure. Recent government led renovations have
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