I am Nyesiga Dickson, 19 years old and I stay in Kyaka II refugee settlement camp. I am a metal welder by profession, trained by URDT Institute.

I heard that URDT Institute was training young people from a radio talk show and got interested. I walked from the place where I stayed to meet the artisan who gave me the details especially about metal welding. I started training in April and finished in July, then graduated in September 2022.
I chose to study welding because I believed I would earn more from it especially since it is rare finding a welder in the camp.
Upon graduation, I was employed at someone’s workshop where I learned more skills and experience and also saved up some money with the hope of starting my own workshop.
I started my workshop in October 2023 with 1,800,000/=; 700,000/= from my savings and 1,100,000/= from my parents.
My current capital is 2,400,000/=, which I want to increase to 5,000,000/= in the next 2 years. I also want to work harder such that my monthly income increases from 200,000/= to 500,000/= per month, create 2 more branches and employ the young people that I train. I also want my business to be fully registered and widely known in Kyegegwa district where the camp is located.
I am currently training 2 students who are paying 400,000/= and 450,000/= respectively. One of these students is a boy from my village whose life I wanted to change so that he can learn and earn as well.
I am grateful to URDT-I and Mastercard Foundation for the free skills and training. I also thank my artisan, Mr. Vicent for being patient with me during the training, and our Epicenter Manager, madam Rose for all the support.