EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This concept note has been prepared in response to the request for Consideration of a partnership with Work skills foundation in the execution of our projects.

We believe that we were born and mandated out of a call to see the world become a better place through leaders who demonstrate humility and giving.

Our vision: “To be a national skills training and empowerment Centre to Ugandan youth and disadvantaged categories like vocational skilled ex-convicts for self-reliance”

Mission Statement: To train, skill and empower the Ugandan youth and skilled ex- convicts in vocational occupations for self-employment and sustainability.
Strategic Objective: to provide livelihood opportunities through skills enhancement and vocational training.

BACKGROUND: SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS

According to the research conducted by the foundation research team in May 2017, it shows that upon release from prison custody, ex-convicts face a myriad of challenges. Imprisonment is generally a dehumanizing experience and life after custody is a dreaded wave of uncertainty. From the findings in Western - Region of Uganda, 17.2 % of these ex-convicts claim that they reoffend (recidivism) because they are not welcomed, stigmatized and discriminated due to their criminal past record. Furthermore, given the dynamic and ever changing nature of society, ex- convicts who spend long periods in prison are released into an environment that is very different from their former environment before imprisonment thus posing a big challenge for their post-release social reintegration with the community.
Research also shows that when people commit crimes and are incarcerated for a long time, their socio- economic lives get disrupted and rebuilding them after imprisonment is extremely hard necessitating diverse interventions.
While in prison convict inmates of varying sentences undergo vocational and entrepreneurship skilling as part of their rehabilitation. Vocational training activities like; carpentry, tailoring, farming, metal fabrication, handcrafts making, saloon and hairdressing and others are specifically meant to empower them with vocational practical skills to help them have a sustainable productive life after prison custody. There is need for promotion of community sensitization about restorative justice initiatives such as mediation, reconciliation/ healing activities aimed at deliberate efforts to bring back the lost bond between the offenders and the community members like the immediate families, victims and complainants.

Therefore Work skills foundation requests for your Social and financial support.