MTN boosts Heta skilling center with equipment

Jinja, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | MTN has provided substantial support to the Heta Community Skilling Center in Jinja city, with operational equipment, internet connectivity, and WiFi worth 20 million Shillings. The donation includes industrial sewing and embroidery machines, computers, a phone repairing machine, and a free mifi, enhancing learning opportunities for students.

Located in Wanyange cell, Northern division, Jinja city, the Heta Community Skilling Center focuses on equipping teenage mothers and other community members with practical skills such as catering, bakery, fashion designing, motor vehicle engineering, decorations, and phone repairing.

These courses, which typically last between three months and one year, also attract housewives seeking to enhance their household incomes through soft skills training. Veronica Kyakuwaile, a student at the center, expressed renewed hope after acquiring bakery skills, enabling her to support her young son’s welfare.

Similarly, Madina Nabbanji, a housewife, has seen a significant improvement in her household income through tailoring skills learned at the center. Hellen Kirunda, the center’s proprietor, initiated these programs to empower teenage girls to lead dignified lives despite facing early motherhood.

She observed that many teenage mothers were vulnerable to drug abuse and neglecting their children, but with access to soft skills training, they are engaging in micro-enterprises and improving their financial independence.

Allan Njagala, MTN’s marketer for Eastern Uganda, emphasized that the donation aimed to support positive change-makers like Hellen Kirunda, who use their resources to uplift their communities. MTN’s contribution reflects its commitment to making a meaningful impact on people’s lives at the grassroots level.

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