Grace Moses – 16 years

Grace is an orphan with four siblings. She lives with her aunt, who is also a mother of three. Unfortunately, her aunt could not afford to support her studies. Therefore, she dropped out of school in standard six and used to spend most of her day in the field to make enough money to maintain herself and support her aunt. She also supports the household with unpaid work. If given a chance, she would like to be a trained tailor.

After enrolling in the vocational training program supported by ACCEL Africa, Grace Moses is now being trained in tailoring and fashion design. „The training is going well and my plan after I graduate from this program is to use the knowledge and skills I have acquired to start a tailoring business“. She expects that starting a business will help her make enough money to support her aunt and her siblings.

Mayeso Keyala – 18 years old

Mayeso is the third child in a family of 6, who dropped out of school in standard three due to the unavailability of financial resources. His mother is getting old, so the family relies on him to bring in something from piece works from other farm fields. Therefore, he has been working in the tea fields to make money for himself and his family’s daily needs.

Mayeso is one of the students that have been enrolled in the vocational and technical skills program to pursue Welding and Fabrication. „The training has been very beneficial for me, after graduating I would like to work in the tea factories closer to my village“. He hopes to be employed because he believes that a stable job will provide him with a higher income and help him support his family.

Innocent Chimkwapulo – 20 years old

Innocent is the firstborn in a family of three with a single mother who owns a small piece of land for tea farming. Innocent was born with a condition called Limb Length Discrepancy, a physical disability which limits his mobility. He dropped out of school after losing his father. Since then, it has been hard for his mother to support her family. Innocent was enrolled in ACCEL’s upskilling program on the Welding and Fabrication trade.

Alice is the second born in a family of four that lost his father. Her mother owns a small piece of land for tea farming and mostly depends on small jobs for extra income. As a result of this situation, Alice is also required to work to support her mother with some extra money. After enrolling on the vocational and technical skills training program, Alice chose the Welding and Fabrication trade. She chose this trade because it is more marketable in her home area, so she plans on starting a business after graduating from the program.

Elufe Saukila – 19 years

Elufe is the fourth born in a family of five and has stayed with her grandmother since she lost her parents at an early age. Due to financial constraints faced by her grandmother, she had to drop out of school in form one. Elufe ended up doing small jobs to earn money for her support and that of her grandmother.

Elufe is now enrolled in vocational training in the Welding and Fabrication trade. She chose this trade because she plans on starting a business. She’s very excited that she’s learning something and has a chance of improving her well-being and that of her family.

Lonjezo Kalajira – 18 years

Lonjezo is the last born son in a family of six, who dropped out of school due to the lack of resources. He lost his mother at a very young age, and when his father re-married he lost all support. As a result, his aunt is keeping him under her roof. His aunt owns a small tea field, bringing an insufficient income to support the family. Therefore, he has been spending most of his time in the tea fields for small jobs to support himself.

Lonjezo is now enrolled in the up-skilling programme on Welding and Fabrication. „ the training is going very well, and I am hopeful that after I graduate, it will be able to help my family“. After he graduates, he plans to find employment in tea factories around his area.