About TAL YOUTH
TAL Youth Uganda was co-founded in 2020 by Onapa Ambrose, Akurut Sylvia, and Ocaye Opio. The founders recognized the need to economically empower young people, particularly girls, many of whom were school dropouts. In communities like Akokoro, Apac, it is uncommon for students to complete secondary school and even rarer for them to graduate from university. The dropout rate is alarmingly high.
These young people often lack the skills and opportunities to find work or contribute meaningfully to society, leaving them vulnerable to risky and harmful lifestyles. This understanding inspired the creation of TAL Youth Uganda, which began by making and selling donuts. Along with this, the organization offers employment and skills training to school dropouts, helping them build better futures.
TAL Youth works in Northern Uganda to economically empower young people, especially women, to become resilient in the face of climate change. The organization has expanded its focus to include climate-resilient agriculture and skilling youth in handcrafts, further contributing to the empowerment and sustainability of local communities.
Our ongoing projects
Climate Resilient Agriculture
We aim to engage young people from rural Uganda in a critical examination of their role in using climate-resilient agriculture to transform communities and provide evidence on how to advance a people-centred locally-led adaptation to climate change. Since climate-resilient agriculture is one of our main themes, we aim to have dialogues and debates on ‘modern’ farms
TAL Bakery
In Akokoro, Apac, Uganda, 80% of sweet potato farmers experience losses due to oversupply, with families losing an average of $60 annually (UBOS). Sweet potatoes are abundant locally, but there is no bakery in the area, and products from neighboring districts are too expensive for most people. The situation is worsened by rising wheat prices due to the Russia-Ukraine war, making wheat-based products nearly unaffordable in Uganda (DW 2022). TAL Youth Uganda addresses this by purchasing surplus sweet potatoes from farmers to produce bakery products. These goods are more nutritious, rich in vitamins, and offer a healthier, affordable alternative to wheat-based products. This approach benefits both farmers and the local community by creating a sustainable market and improving access to nutritious food.
Skilling of Youth
TAL Youth Uganda also focuses on skilling youth to promote economic independence and leadership. We provide training in handcraft skills such as bakery production, liquid soap making, paper bag creation, and reusable sanitary pad production. These practical skills empower young people to support themselves while contributing to their communities. For example, the paper bags they produce are used to package our products. In addition to technical skills, we focus on leadership development by organizing youth into groups and selecting peer leaders for mentorship. This initiative helps reduce school dropouts and encourages entrepreneurship, with a long-term vision of nurturing transformational leaders who are equipped with practical skills and a strong commitment to environmental stewardship.
