Lydia and I landed in Uganda just 4 days ago and it has been a full few days since then! Praise God we had a safe journey from the US and had no complications. Since we arrived, we have gotten involved with the orientation week for Workwell in Uganda.
Workwell is a program of GOD Int’l that provides youth with employment accompanied by professional development. It’s more than just a job: it’s an opportunity to be invested into by more experienced professionals, furthering the skillset of each student and making them the kind of employee managers are looking to hire. So far, we have been helping to facilitate the orientation week for our Workwell Uganda students. We’ve taught them lessons on soft skills like communication, active listening, and motivation, and developed their hard skills in hospitality and food service. They’ve learned to prepare multiple different recipes, learned to handle custodial tasks, had times to fellowship over meals, and built their team dynamic through various games/exercises before officially starting their work for this summer.
In Uganda, many youth go unemployed or migrate to other countries for work. There is a lack of jobs with safe working conditions, bosses who really care about their employees, and dignified work for young people to engage in. I’m so thankful that Workwell is providing opportunities for these young people to have an employment option this summer that is meant to invest into them, not just use them. It’s been a blessing to see the youth laugh with one another and display work ethic as they collaborate and develop skills. I have so much hope for the kinds of professionals these students can be.
These few days have reminded me of Jesus parable in Matthew 20:1-16. As with all of Jesus’ parables there are many things in this story to interpret, but the aspect I am reminded of is how Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a landowner who goes to the market, finds people idle in need of work, and makes a way for them to have an income. Jesus illustrates someone engaging the kingdom of God as a person who can help provide meaningful work for those who are unemployed rather than a one-time handout. Though developing young people to be professionals has its challenges, it’s so worth it to know that I am engaged in the kind of work that Jesus connects with the Kingdom of God.
Pictured is a snapshot from one of our first orientation activities: Charades. This game acted as both an icebreaker and a lesson on the importance of communication with your team.