Idea of the practical skills for self-sustainability was conceived by FARUG as a way to advocate through art, poetry and culture in forms that will help LBT women in Uganda speak their truths and share their life lived experiences through their different local languages while at the same time curbing the growing rate of unemployment in the country by equipping them with practical skills to enable them start self-sustaining projects to improve their livelihoods. The project which taught our membership how to make shoes launched a successful fleet of different shoe pieces on Friday 26th august 2016 at our office premises which attracted partners, allies and members to enjoy a showcase of art and talent.
What has been done?
Since the beginning of the year, we have been working tirelessly to implement the different sub projects from the huge practical skills for self-sustainability project. We started off with the poetry and spoken word art series in which our members went through and intense session of training on how to write poems, recitation and performance art. It was a very fruitful yet emotional session because together we were able to walk a journey of self-acceptance and affirmation. It was a moment of closure used by my of our members to share their life stories and testimonies about issues that affect them ranging from hate speech, sexual and gender based violence, hate crime, family eviction, intimate partner violence, corrective rape, forced marriage, transition to mention but a few
The second sub project which steered to the launch was aimed at teaching our members two things
What has been achieved?
As a result of the project, our membership has started small working groups which meet every week to make shoes to put on market as a fundraising strategy to enable meet the needs for the daily running of the organization. This is also an indicator of future sustainable job creation for LBTI women in Uganda. On the last Friday of every month (social Friday) they meet to recite poems in different languages and to share individual experiences from their different walks of life through visual and performance art.
