By James Innocent
In a society where unemployment rates remain high, at least ten young girls who have dropped out of school are embarking on training to become Boda boda riders.
In many communities, young girls are being pressured into conforming to traditional housewife roles, which often means that they are not given the same opportunities to contribute to society in a meaningful way as their male counterparts.
This unfair treatment based on gender often leads to a lack of education and professional growth for girls, perpetuating gender inequality and limiting their potential in life.
By becoming Bodaboda riders, the girls are breaking free from societal expectations and carving their own path towards independence and self-sufficiency.
One of the trainees, Rose Kiden, proudly shares her progress, stating, “I have been training on Bodaboda for a week now, and we have learned to start the motorcycle engines and ride fearlessly.”
She says the training, supported by Araba Agro Cooperative Society- is progressing well and they are very grateful for the support.
“I am advising young girls who dropped out of school to join the training so that we can be able to compete with boys as a way of getting employment and it’s a great opportunity to women in Yei because we started freely without paying any amount of money like fees,” she says.
Juma Nickolas Kwajje, one of the trainers encourages young women to seize this opportunity, reminding them that acquiring skills and becoming self-employed takes time and effort.
The chairman of the Arabia Agro Cooperative Society, Lomoro John explains that their cooperative is committed to supporting vulnerable people, especially women.
Recognizing the lack of job opportunities, he said they formed the Araba cooperative to engage the community in farming and social activities.
Their latest initiative involves providing support to young girls who have dropped out of school through qualified trainers in general driving and mechanics.
This comprehensive training program aims to enhance their skills and improve their standard of living.
” We are going to support the young women despite the challenges we face as Araba cooperative and we urge the government and NGOs to support the initiative so that school dropouts have to become self-employed in society,” he says.