Co-Founder and Executive Director, Natukunda Fortunate, celebrating graduation from university with a bachelor's degree in social work (top left and center). She also competed post-graduate studies and received a certification in monitoring and evaluation (top rights and bottom row).
GRADUATION UPDATE - NOVEMBER 2023
Below is our original post where we shared our plans for hosting a graduation ceremony to celebrate our 110 program graduates from 2022. Unfortunately, we were unable to raise the money needed to host a graduation. Instead, we decided to focus on continuing our work, and train more women in baking skills. We hope to host a graduation at some point, but at this time we believe funds are better spent continuing to grow our training center, and supporting the most vulnerable women in our communitites.
We would like to thank you for your continued support. We will be posting updates this week to share the progress made in 2023.
Original Post:
Graduation ceremonies are a milestone in many lives. They mark the accomplishment of finishing a part of one's education, whether that be high school, university or graduate studies. Many look back on graduation with fond memories and pride in their accomplishments.
Sadly, most of our community members never got to experience graduation. Most come from low income families and were forced to drop out of school in primary school. Some of our member, especially those with mobility issues, were told they are unworthy of going to school and were not even taught to read or write. Despite what they have been told by others, we work to help them find their voices, and discover their talents.
Margaret & Emma Organization knows the importance of celebrating accomplishments, especially in vulnerable communities. In 2022, we trained 80 women in catering skills, and 30 in baking skills. These women worked hard, learned quickly, and are motivated to use these skills in new careers. To celebrate their success, we are hosting a graduation for these incredible 110 women! This is the first graduation for many of our trainees. Many of them dropped out of school by 12, married young, and never had a chance to return to school. They work hard to support their families but rarely get to celebrate their own accomplishments.
It is important to celebrate our members, especially when they complete training. We have high quality standards for trainees, and push them to learn quickly, and expect them to fully participate. Once training is complete, they must pass an exam to show they can work independently and without supervision. Not everyone passed their first exam, but with a bit of extra coaching and follow up exams, all of our trainees have passed.
We are in the beginning phase of planning; getting estimates, looking for partners, and working out logistics. We will be inviting all of our graduates, along with their guests and will provide transportation in order to ensure they are able to attend. The groups closest to M&E headquarters will be catering and baking for the event to share their new skills with attendees. Invitees include local and national NGO leaders, partner organizations, political leaders, and the media. This is the first event that M&E has hosted, and is the perfect opportunity to share our mission with the larger community.
If you would like to support our programs, or would like to help fund the graduation ceremony, please go to our "donate" page.
If you are a vendor in Uganda who would like to partner with us for this event, send us a message and we would be happy to work with you.
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