At Kasumi and sons workshop about 10 people can be seen bustling and hustling each holding a sew saw or hammer or any carpentry machinery as they work to make artistic materials like chairs, tables, beds and wardrobes among others.

Mumbere Nickson is 18 years old from Kikonzo village in Kasese district one of the employees in the workshop busy joining a bed he has been making for a few days now. He easily flexes his hand muscles around the corners of the bed as he quickly hammers nails into them to make a steady bed.

He is a first born of five siblings to his mother, he lost his father at a tender age of 2. He stopped in senior two after his mother failed to raise enough money to continue with school. It is after two years that he hears about a skills training opportunity by Enabel on a radio show and later through another announcement over the same radio.

Nickson applies and enrolls for skills training in Carpentry and Joinery. After the training he went for industrial training and was retained at Kasumi and sons workshop because of his due diligence. Mumbere learned skills through hands on training from his colleagues and soon after started receiving job orders from the community, he reveals.
“The training has helped me avoid bad peer groups like alcoholics,” says Mumbere. His first job was to make a coffee table set which he made in 3 days and got paid 20,000shs. He went on to get more orders and over 7 orders in week which earn him over 50,000shs.

He has developed a saving culture where he saves half his earnings of the week. He plans to start farming with his savings, he now has three hens and one goat which he is rearing for his dream farm.

Mumbere also uses part of his income to maintain himself and help his mother with family basics like sugar, soap, food among others. Over 2000 youth have been trained in hands on skills in Albertine Rwenzori to enable them get jobs and improve their livelihood as well.