Smart Girls Foundation Outs First Cohort Of Mechanics, Electricians

By Aloysious Kasoma

WAKISO – Thirteen female students and one male have received certificates in electronic installation and maintenance and automotive mechanics after two years of training under the Girls with Tools programme run by Smart Girls Foundation.

Speaking at the inaugural graduation event on Wednesday (February 22) at the institute’s premises on Gayaza Road, Eng. Irene Ssewankambo, the Uganda Communication Commission (UCC) Executive Director challenged the graduates to serve with diligence.

“I am so glad the curriculum is making you so rounded, you need to learn beyond soft skills and work with integrity. We need people with integrity in this country, to be role models and hold the torch for other ladies in the profession,” she urged the female students.

Ssewankambo also encouraged the engineers to be creative and be solution solvers so the success journey will be smooth.

Girls with Tools has been supported by MTN Uganda with over sh400m in the last two years.

According to Sylvia Mulinge, the MTN CEO, the initiative fits well with the telecom’s objective of growing strong societies.

“The big obligation we have as a company is to empower communities with strategic partnerships because our society could not grow services they can’t afford, it is our responsibility to make sure people are progressing,” she said

Mulinge explained that the telecom company has committed millions of money to the project to see that the girl child thrives and the partnership which started in 2019 will keep going.

Jamila Mayanja, the founder of Smart Girl Foundation said the institute started with five girls in 2018 and by 2020 it had attracted over 200.

“I wanted to prove to the girls can start anything and stand on their own. These have been skilled for two years and they are ready for the market,” she said.

Mayanja also observed that the demand is too high and they received over 500 applications last year but because of the space, they take them in cohorts.

“This is the first graduation, we are taking these girls to go global, we plan to equip tools in our garage as they work. We want to develop an online development program,” she explained.