In the words of Shekinah Miriam Alice: In a carpentry workshop women do the least critical tasks, but with training they produce more products
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Shekinah Miriam Alice, 33 years old, is a refugee from Democratic Republic of Congo and has lived in Kyaka II Refugee Settlement in Kyegegwa district since 2021. Alice is one of the refugee women who has acquired vocational skills through UN Women’s second chance education intervention implemented under the Leadership Empowerment Access and Protection (LEAP) project funded by the Government of Norway. Through second chance education, refugee women are gaining skills enabling them to engage in productive activities and rebuild their lives.
Providing for four children as a single mother and a refugee is an uphill task. I have lived here in Uganda since 2021 when I was resettled in Kyaka II settlement in Kyegegwa district. Every day, I had to walk 5 kilometres to get some work on farms in the host community to be able to provide for my children. Sometimes, I was paid in food, and other times in cash. I remember one time when I ploughed an entire acre for just 5 USD.
In October 2023, when UN Women’s partner Refugee Law Project came to our community with information about second chance education intervention, a spark ignited within me. While most women gravitated towards tailoring or catering, I was drawn to carpentry, a field dominated by men. Even when women do get into carpentry workshops, they often end up with the least critical tasks. Despite this, I was confident that carpentry would offer me a better future and more opportunities.
Starting the training was incredibly challenging. There were moments when I wanted to give up, especially since I didn’t even know the basics of measurement. But my instructor was very encouraging, and over the past six months, I’ve mastered the craft. I can now make a wide range of products, including tables, chairs, stools, and doors.
In our community, six women, including myself, enrolled in this carpentry training. We all share a dream: to start our own workshop, become self-employed, and train other women to join us. To make this dream a reality, three of us have formed a savings group where we contribute money weekly.
My personal dream is to become a carpentry instructor to help other women who have lost hope. The biggest challenge I face right now is acquiring the starting capital to buy equipment and materials. But with perseverance and the support of my community, I believe that we can overcome this hurdle and turn our vision into reality.
