UGANDA YOUTH DEVELOPMENT LINK (UYDEL)

INERNSHIP REPORT

FROM 26TH JUNE TO 4TH AUGUST 2023

NATEETE DROP IN CENTER

TO THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

MR. KASIRYE ROGEROUS

UGANDA YOUTH DEVELOPMENT LINK

COMPLIED BY

NAMPEBWA JOVIA

SOCIAL SCIENTIST - PSYCHOLOGY MAJOR INTERN

INTRODUCTION:

The internship practice started on 26th June, it is meant to take a duration of 6 weeks, I selected Uganda
Youth Development Link as an organization to practice my internship from because of different reasons
as discussed in the essay below.

DESCRIPTION:

Uganda Youth Development Link was initiated in 1993 and very 26th June they cerebrate their year of
existence, it has different funders the government of Netherlands, and United Nations Office on Drugs
and Crime (UNODC) who provide support to the beneficiaries and these range from the age of 13-24.
UYDEL has different centers and these include; Nateete, Makindye, Bwaise, Banda and Masooli.

UYDEL has different projects that help different people depending on the services provided that’s say
helping the young people to earn skills, the teenage mothers, school drop outs, street kids among others
and currently there are two projects that are running and these include; youth development
empowerment (YEP), and enhanced access to age appropriate sexual reproductive services for out of
school youth below 25 years (EASY). Nateete Drop-in Center has beneficiaries who reside from nearby
places which are nearby; Mutundwe, Kabojja, Kitebi, Kabuusu, Kaboowa, Ssembule, Wakalijja, Kidomoli
among others.

Uganda Youth Development Link trains young people different vocational skills and these include,
electronics, tailoring, hair dressing, knitting, bakery, shoe making and these are accompanied with
different activities that help them to improve on their talents that’s to say netball, football, music dance
and drama, indoor games, debate competitions, and every Tuesday and Thursday behavioral change
session regarded as BCC are conducted so to improve on their ways of conduct.

Different personnel are sent to different centers so as to train life skills to the beneficiaries like saving,
sex related issues, drugs among others.

OBJECTIVES OF DOING INTERNSHIP:

❖ To enable me to handle life experiences.

❖ To know how to deal with different problems and to find solutions for them.
❖ To develop understanding of work ethics, employee demands, responsibilities, opportunities.
❖ To put in practice what I learn and gain field or real-life experience.

EXPECTATIONS:
❖ Requiring knowledge and practical experiences.
❖ Improving confidence in problem solving.
❖ Working with potential employers and employees.
❖ Appreciating work experience and profession ethics.

ROLES, RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACTIVITIES CONDUCTED:

These activities include;

❖ Data entry
❖ Compiling reports
❖ Recruiting and assessing beneficiaries
❖ Conducting cognitive behavioral therapy sessions
❖ Conducting motivational interviewing sessions
❖ Conducting debates and supervising the beneficiaries
❖ Writing case stories
❖ Conducting behavioral change session
❖ Home visits
❖ Making material requests
❖ Peer led sessions
❖ Staff meetings
❖ Assessing and recruiting beneficiaries

ASSESSING AND RECRUITING BENEFICIARIES:

Here beneficiaries come from different areas near Nateete and they want to learn from UYDEL after
dropping out of school and luckily, they come to know what the organization does, after reaching at the
center, they are identified, evaluated through asking them different questions so that we can know
more about them that’s to say where they come from, their parents what they are doing and what they
have been doing.

We identify the age gap like whether they are between the age of 13-24, UYDEL extends services to
those who dropped out of school before finishing or reaching form6. After identification, they are
assessed after some time so that to gather more information about them, we make a file that talks
about them, we counsel them about the issues mentioned like if you find that they have some problem
or they went through trauma or they are traumatized they are given a therapy so that they can get
relived.

You make a file, you attach it with a case story, a photo and the photocopy of their IDs or their parents
IDs. And we make them sign that to provide prove that they were not forced to bring their biodata and
they are ready to learn a certain vocational skill.

DATA ENTRY:

This was done online whereby Mr. Kawuma send me link and use I used it to log in so that I can enter
data from the files into the computer system so that to provide a backup and proper accountability for
the beneficiaries, the data that enter was mainly for EASY beneficiaries and I was able to do it accurately
under his guidance.

COMPILING REPORTS:

After every activity that I did, I managed to write reports like a peer led report of Kidomole village, a
report about Masooli event, cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational interviewing session reports

A sample of the report is as heighted below;

ACTIVITY REPORT FOR A PEER TO PEER LED SESSION HELD AT SSEMBULE (KIDOMOLE) ON DRUG
ABUSE, HIV/AIDS, AND CONDOM USE.

compiled by

NAMPEBWA JOVIA

NATEETE YOUTH CENTER

RUBAGA DIVISION

INTRODUCTION:

This is a report of what took place during the peer led session on drug abuse, HIV/AIDS that’s to say its
causes, effects and ways to prevent them, and lastly, we emphasized condom use among the youth that
we met in Ssembule village. This was spearheaded by MADAM GERTRUDE, OPENDA JOY NATHAN,
KUGUMISIRIZA MERCY, MUNYAGWA, ANDREW, peer leaders such as Nakabuye Brenda, Katumba
Joshua, Nanziri Chathy, Namutosi Easter.
DESCRIPTION:

The activity targeted twenty youth (20) who were only men and the peer leaders, openly shared
experiences, lectured about condom use, drug abuse and HIV/AIDS with the help of staff members as
highlighted in the introduction.
 • HIV/AIDS The peer leaders told the youth that HIV/AIDs is everywhere and it can be spread

through sexual intercourse, sharing sharping objects if they are contaminated with blood.
• They encouraged them to use condoms if not they should abstain from sex so as to prevent
themselves from being infected with HIV/AIDS.

CONDOM USE

• The youth in Ssembule village were taught how to use condoms like the right way to put it on,
when to use it and where to dump it
• They were encouraged to make condoms their friends because it’s one of the ways to prevent
themselves from being impacted with HIV/AIDs and other sexually transmitted diseases.

DRUGS

• The youth were informed that drugs are dangerous to their lives and so they had to abandon
them.
• They were taught the negative impacts of drug abuse such as mental disorders, unemployment,
environmental pollution and depression
STATISTICS OBTAINED

AGE GROUP FREQUENCE

15-19 15
20-24 5
TOTAL 20

ACHIEVEMENTS:

• The youth Ssembule village got to know the dangers of consuming drugs like Mira, marijuana,
cocaine, and alcohol.
• The youth got to know how to use condoms and why they should use them.
• The youth from Ssembule village got more knowledge about HIV/ADS that to say, its causes,
impacts and ways on how to prevent it.

CHALLENGES:

• Physical barriers while moving to Ssembule village like remoteness, stunted water was
everywhere and it was so muddy and tidy.
• Unconducive environment due to present drug addicts that were taking their drugs while the
session was taking place.
• The youth of Ssembule(Kidomole) had more knowledge compared to the peers more so about
sexually transmitted diseases.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
 • More peer leds should be conducted so as to make the youth to know how to keep themselves
self from sexually transmitted diseases, the negative impacts of drug usage.
• More projects should be put in place so as to enable the youth to become busy because some
them take drugs because they are redundant.
• Providing more information to the peer leaders so as to explain to in detail to the youth that
they find in the community because some youth have more knowledge compared to the peer
leaders.

CONCLUSION:

This peer led made the youth from Ssembule village aware that condoms are not bad and they should
be used to it so as to prevent themselves from being impacted with sexually transmitted diseases, the
dangers of drug abuse and they were encouraged to go and acquire life skills such as electronics,
tailoring rather than being ideal which makes them to resort to drug abuse.

PEER LED SESSESSIONS:

Peer leds are conducted in villages whereby the peer leaders with the help of staff members go to
different communities and they lecture people about different issues which are mostly related to their
lives like HIV/AIDS, condom use , substance about and these ask the community members to actively
participate and ask questions sop that they can be guided or given more information about certain
issues and given more clarification about the issues that they know and the wrong perceptions that they
hold. The young people are directed where UYTDEL is located so that they can come and learn rather
than being the community doing nothing.

The staff members request the community leaders or other people to help them gather and sensitize
the community that these a certain group of people who want to talk to them about certain issues
which are crucial to their lives and their ways of living.

The peer leds that I attended include; kidomole, kabojja, kaboowa, ssembule A and I actively
participated mostly when it came to the drug topic because the peer leaders had little knowledge and
they needed some help.
STAFF MEETINGS:

These meetings are conducted every Monday and the staff member talk about thing that they managed
to achieve, factors hindering and the future plans like what they are going to do in the coming week,
teacher Andrew informed us in the first meeting that hes taking the electronics students for a workshop
and most of them where being prepared for internship, teacher Joel told us that he was doing follow ups
for his former beneficiaries and those who are doing internship, madam Angel told us that her students
had learn more like most types of cornrows but they lack braids which make most beneficiaries inactive.
My fellow interns appreciated the staff members for the support that they extend to them. We as
madam Gertrude and madam Mariam are always answerable for the challenges that the instructors face
that’s to say 24th July, the instructor Andrew asked as to why it’s always him whose beneficiaries receive
equipment last. A big credit was given to the bakery class for being so active and using the products that
they make to save and keep the center glowing. These students make cakes, daddies, cookies, they cook
food and so many products
CONDUCTING COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY:

I had 14 individual sessions with different beneficiaries and I did this through building rapports, using
minimal encouragers, attaching meaning, empathy, and making them to find solution and be able to
adjust so that they can live a normal life.

I meant the beneficiaries after some time and they were all in a good condition, they have real changed,
they actively associate with their fellow beneficiaries, they are no longer depressed, I evidence it when I
pass by and I find them playing with other beneficiaries which wasn’t the case before the session.

HOME VISITS:
These home visits are conducted so that we can relate the information that a beneficiary is saying, the
behavioral conduct at home, the relationships and the associations at home, what are the some plans
that the parents have for their kids after learning the skill, the risky and protective factors at home
and the neighboring society.

I conducted five home visits of different beneficiaries who live in different places. that’s to say two from
Wakaliga, one from Mutundwe, kaboowa and Busega

SSEMANGO AARON;

He’s 18 years old, he lives in Busenga with his relatives. He’s mum and dad separated.

I talked his aunt who told me that Aaron is a good boy, he follows his aunt’s orders and other relatives
that they live with, they have a fenced home with the gateman who provides security.

He’s currently studying bakery, he says that he came to UYDEL after his dad had forced him to go to the
garage and learn mechanics so that he can be able to repair cars and he was like I don’t like it then he’s
dad got pissed and told him that his not going to give any single coin if at all his doing another course, he
met his friend who told him about UYDEL and he requested at the workplace to reduce on the time that
he does work so that he can be able to learn something.

At home he’s able to get basic needs and he has his own bedroom; they are seven people at home. His
aunt told me that the security is nice and they are good friends with the chairman LC1, their neighbors
stay in their homes, they don’t cause any trouble.

Aaron told me that the most challenge is transport whereby the road that takes him to UYDEL is so
dusted and very dirty which is full of polyethene bags and when it rains its worse because everywhere
floods and they have nowhere to but unless they remove their shoes and pass in the flooding water.
CHALENGAT VICTORIA:

Victoria lives with a certain family in Mutundwe, the woman is a teacher who is Chemutei Grace, Ms.
Grace says that Victoria came to take care of their baby but when she had that there’s an organization
that trains vocational skills, she took her there so that she can acquire some skills. They always go
church every Sunday.

She says that Victoria is a good girl and they wish her all the best and they want her to have a better life
therefore they have left her to make a decision of going back to her parents or staying with them and
make so money so that she can assist her siblings and the family as well. If she stays, she’s planning to
set a salon nearby so that she can utilize the skills that she has learnt.
NAKABUYE BRENDA:

Brenda is 18 years old, she lives in Wakaliga village with her mum, her mum an dad separated but their
dad sends basic needs for the children. The mum is NAKIBULE ROSETY who heads the family and they
are 6 children in the home.

Ms. Nakabuye says that the neighbors are nice and the landlord is always a good man, though there’s a
time when they stole their clothes from the hungers.
She has a plan of taking her to the salon so that she exercises the skills that she has got and after
sometime when they get money,s they can make a salon for her.
NANZIRI CATHY:
 Cathy is 19years old, she lives in Wakaliga village with her sister, they live in a single room which is very
small for the two people, it has one door and one window.

She says that they cook from inside the house, it’s her mum and the sister who pay the bills though
money is scarce these days.

The environment is too unconducive, the surrounding people are thieves, drug abusers. Cathy says that
its always cold during the night mostly on the floor since they settled in a slum area which is full of
water.
The mum and the sister have plan of taking her to a saloon so that she can perfect what she has learn
and make some money.
KARUNGI HASSAN, NAKABUYE HANIFAH AND NANFUKA SHAKIRAH:
These beneficiaries live in Kaboowa village with their mum, they are renting and they reside in one
room. They live five in the house.

They get on meal in the day because money isn’t there, their mum MS. NAMUJJUZI HADIJJAH told me
that her and the father of the kids separated and they hustle to get what to eat though sometimes, he
sends some support so that his kids can have something to eat. All kids are moslems but they go to
church because of the situation at home but during Ramadhan, they fast and even go to the mosque.

They narrate that UYDEL is very far and they sometimes skip class because of the distance yet they have
no transport money to facilitate them, they say that they skip class because sometimes they fall sick like
these days flu is the order of the day.

Since hanifah and shakirah are studying hair dressing, she’s planning to set for them a salon but for
Hassan, he has to hustle and get a job since he not serious and very redundant, he’s not committed.
conducted 5 home visits that’s to say two from Wakaliga, one from Mutundwe, kaboowa and Busega.

MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWIG:
This was done twice as I conducted 14 girls and 5 boys differently at places and days and we talked
about the problems that they are facing;

MATERIAL REQUESTS:

These requests were made under the guidance of instructor who told us the material that’s require, its
quantity and quality like for the bakery training they needed a bagiya machine, the hair dressing, they
needed a sink machine, to mention but a few but they are all in need of the material so as the
beneficiaries can learn more and
.

WRITNG CASE STORY:

These are written after conducting an assessment on a beneficiary that was identified and you write
about his or home background, the education background, exploitation, sex status, how they came to
know UYDEL and their future plans and the accessor has to provide guidance and counseling.
CONDUCTING DEBATES, SUPPERVISIG AND MONITORING ACTIVITY TRAINING:
Debates are always conducted on every Wednesday and the students are given achance to express
their opinions and they agree or disagree mostly its always an open debate and if not that they are
always 8 main speakers who oppose or propose the motion.
0n 21st July, I conducted a debate and the motion was that love without money cant win, they opposed
and prosed though it was an open debate but I evidence that most of the beneficiaries don’t want to
debate and they don’t want to challenge their brains because I gave them a motion tat says
neocolonialism has done more harm than good but they were all saying that it’s too difficult however
much I tried to explain to them, they still said that it was too difficult.

❖ I was requested to supervise electronics beneficiaries as they were doing a theory test, the
students knew the answers but they were unable to read and interpret the questions.
❖ I supervised the beneficiaries as they were participating in MDD and cleaning the environment.

BEHAVIORAL CHANGE SESSIONS:

These are conducted by the staff members whereby they lecture the beneficiaries about the
misconduct and they tell them to do certain acts so as to change and be good children both at the
center and in the society like in one BCC session, madam Florence said that there’s a click of
beneficiaries how used to air pout bad words and they were heard by the chairman LC1 whom she
gave authority to punish whoever airs such words.

❖ The first session was conducted by Ms. Gertrude and she gave us a chance to take with the
beneficiaries of which I talked about communication skills, time management, health
relationships, absenteeism, discrimination.
❖ I conducted the second behavioral change session and I lectured the beneficiaries about H
IV/AIDS, its causes, effects, how to prevent it. We talked about condom use and I lustrated
to use it, its importance and why to always use it, I lectured them about body
because some of didn’t know how to shower, when to shave which products to use, which
 clothing to put on among others.

LESSONS LEARNT:

❖ The beneficiaries learnt about communication skills, goal setting, the importance of BCC session,
CBT, MT session, conducting skills, how to manage time, life related issues, debate conduct,
stress management among others.
❖ I learnt how to conduct assessments, how to recruit beneficiaries and to write case stories.
❖ I learnt how to make reports, conducting home visits, data entry activities and their importance.

I learnt how to use condoms and this helped me to conduct a behavioral change session (BCC) about
condom use and HIV/AIDS. KARUNGI HASSAN, NANFUKA SHAKIRAH AND NAKABUYE HANIFAH:

These beneficiaries live in Kaboowa village with their mum, they are renting and they reide in one room.
They live five in the house.

They get on meal in the day because money isn’t there, their mum MS. NAMUJJUZI HADIJJAH told me
that her and the father of the kids separated and they hustle to get what to eat though sometimes, he
sends som support so that his kis can have something to eat. All kids are moslems but they go to church
because of the situation at home but during Ramadhan, they fast and even go to the mosque.

They narrate that UYDEL is very far and they sometimes skip class because of the distance yet they have
no transport money to facilitate them, they say that they skip class because sometimes they fall sick like
these days flu is the order of the day.

Since hanifah and shakirah are studying hair dressing, shes planning to set for them a salon but for
Hassan, he has to hustle and get ajob since he not serious and very reduntant, hes not committed.
CHALLENGES FACED:
❖
 ❖ Too much sunshine since I had no permanent place or room to conduct CBTs and Motivational
interviewing sessions.
❖ Inadequate facilities mostly during peer led sessions and home visits.
❖ Poor transport routes whereby I had to cross stranded water places, dust was the order of the
day, polluted environments that’s to say full of polythene bags and smoke from drug users.
❖ Most students didn’t recognize me as part of the staff like during the Masooli event.
❖ Poor network system at the center mostly for internet services.
❖ Attaching meaning, values, and ethics which make beneficiaries not to open up or associate with
other fellows.
❖ Ignorance of some beneficiaries since some of them have never gone to school and most of
them have no smart phones and they are not updated.
❖ Lack of writing material this was evidenced when it came to writing case stories and put them in
the file, I had pull out the papers from the books as only way to get the writing material.
❖

RECCOMENDATIONS:

❖ Some support in terms of food should provided because most beneficiaries come from very far
and they have no motivational mechanism for studying and going back home.
❖ Some room or special place should be put in place so as to conduct individual sessions like
cognitive behavioral therapy, counselling, assessments among others so as to provide a
conducive environment for such activities.
❖ More peer leds should be conducted in different areas so as to sensitize the youth in slum areas
about important issues which are crucial to their lives.
❖ Adequate equipment and tools should be supplied to the center so that the beneficiaries can
practice what they are studying and always attend classed without fail.
❖ More cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational sessions should be included on the time
table so that the beneficiaries can reduce on the rate of depression, stress and to boost on their
self-esteem because most of them are going through a lot and they have nobody that they trust
with their problems.
❖ Computer training skills should be extended to the beneficiaries because I have evidenced most
of them observing me using them and they really yean to learn how to use computers.
❖ Different types of t-shirts should be provided to both the stuff and the beneficiaries during
events for easy identification.
❖ English classes should be conducted so that those who have never gone to school can learn
basic English because most theory papers are set in English.
❖ Adequate ream of papers should be supplied to the centers so that staff members can do their
work effectively.
❖ At least printing machines should be put at the center because sometimes the social workers
want to supply documents to the beneficiaries but they cant do it effectively because
beneficiaries have no smart phones and so the social work has to fist go to nateete trading
center to hand it to the photocopier which is kinder risky because important information which
sometimes must be kept confidentially is being exposed to the outsiders.

CONCLUSION:
Initial, the internship practice has been effective and so beneficial under the supervision of Ms.
Gertrude, guidance from MR. Kasirye, and the extended help from other staff members that’s to say,
madam Mariam, Mr. Kawuma, madam Annette, Tr. Andrew, madam Florence, madam Angel, fellow
internees; Mercy and Nathan, and the beneficiaries too.

Working with the above team has helped me to acquire a lot of skills and experience, problem solving
tactics, improving on my self-esteem and confidence hence exposing me to real life experience and
practices both in the field and at the work place with the employees and employers.

I believe that UYDEL has really helped me to learn more and exercise the theory lessons learnt during
lectures at MUK into practical and this help has brought a positive impact on my life and towards my
career building.

I truly appreciate the opportunity that UYDEL has extended to me through guidance, assistance so as to
enable me to learn and practice from their work place, May the Almighty God bless you abundantly.