Vision for Empowerment Center and Capacity Building
VECECAB empowers vulnerable young people and families in Uganda through practical skills, education and community development.
Since 2009, we have worked with communities in Mukono District to help people build the knowledge, confidence and practical skills they need to become more self-reliant.
Who we are
VECECAB is a legally registered Ugandan Non-Government Organization working with youth, families and vulnerable community members.
Our work responds to household poverty, youth unemployment, food insecurity, poor health, school dropout, environmental degradation and poor housing conditions.
We believe that lasting change comes from giving people practical opportunities and tools to improve their own lives, strengthen family income and become masters of their environment.
Read more about VECECAB →Vocational training
Practical vocational training gives young people the opportunity to earn an income, find work and create a more secure future.
Tailoring & Fashion
Students learn to make dresses, skirts, shirts, shorts, trousers and other garments while developing practical skills for employment and self-employment.
Discover tailoring training →
Hairdressing & Salon Education
Students develop practical hairdressing and salon skills through hands-on training in hair care, plaiting, styling, grooming and client care.
Discover salon education →
Carpentry & Joinery
Young people learn to make doors, desks, tables, sofa sets, stools, beds, windows, benches and other wooden furniture.
Discover carpentry training →
Building & Construction
Students develop practical construction skills and apply what they learn through real projects that also benefit vulnerable families in the community.
Discover building training →
Brick Making
Students gain practical experience in producing building materials while learning teamwork, quality control and production skills that can support future employment and income.
Discover brick making →Our unique approach
Poverty should not prevent a young person from learning a trade.
Many of the young people who join VECECAB cannot afford even subsidized tuition fees or the basic costs of staying in vocational training.
Through our social enterprises, students are given opportunities to take part in real production. Their work can contribute toward tuition and also provide money for basic needs during training.
This approach does more than teach a trade. It encourages hard work, responsibility, discipline, practical business skills and confidence in the world of work.
Gain practical vocational and life skills.
Work on real products through VECECAB social enterprises.
Receive support toward training and personal needs.
Leave training with practical skills and work experience.
More than technical skills
Young people need skills, but they also need hope, confidence and the ability to make good decisions.
VECECAB combines vocational training with life skills, communication, problem solving, creative thinking, self-awareness, stress management, reading and writing.
Sports, music, debate and other activities help young people build confidence, reduce stress and rediscover enjoyment while they prepare for work and adult life.
Students learn by making real products and completing real work.
Problem solving, communication, decision making and confidence.
Training prepares students for assessment through the Directorate of Industrial Training.
Students can gain mentorship and internship experience with established organisations and companies.
Inclusive opportunity
Women and young people make up a major part of our communities, yet they do not always have equal access to practical training and economic opportunities.
We want more women to have access to practical training that can support independence, confidence and income-generating activities.
Skills training can provide an alternative pathway for young people who have had limited opportunities through formal education.
When people become skilled and more independent, the benefits can extend to their families and the wider community.
As part of VECECAB’s work to improve food security and household income, we engage women and youth in practical group-based activities. The aim is to help families become more self-reliant, increase the availability of nutritious food at home, and create opportunities to earn an income.
Women and youth receive practical training in vegetable growing for both home consumption and quick income generation. Because vegetables mature relatively fast, families can improve their nutrition while also selling surplus produce in the community.
Participants are also trained in poultry farming for eggs, meat and manure. Poultry contributes to both nutrition and household income. The manure is used in vegetable growing as organic fertilizer, while eggs and meat can be sold or consumed at home.
VECECAB also encourages women and youth to work in groups, support one another and strengthen teamwork. Through simple saving schemes, members are helped to save money for farm inputs, future investments and emergencies.
Together, these activities help build skills, improve livelihoods and strengthen the well-being of households and communities.
Skills in action
Students do not only practise in the workshop. Their skills can become real improvements in the lives of vulnerable people around them.
Students work with VECECAB to help repair and improve poor or dilapidated homes for vulnerable community members.
Community projects can include toilets, bathrooms, washing racks and other practical sanitation improvements.
Young people gain hands-on experience while their work creates something useful and lasting for others.
Community development
Supporting orphans and vulnerable children to access, remain in and complete primary education.
Helping women build income opportunities, access health information and participate in agriculture value chains.
Providing free healthcare for vulnerable families, including community care in Kasala, alongside disease prevention and health education.
Explore our health work →Supporting better waste management and environmental awareness for cleaner and healthier communities.
Promoting farming for food security, income, value addition and conservation-based agriculture.
Improving living conditions for vulnerable people, including elderly community members living in inadequate shelter.
Volunteers
Every year VECECAB welcomes volunteers from Uganda and abroad.
Volunteers work alongside our staff, students and communities, sharing professional knowledge in areas such as health care, carpentry, building and construction, education, planning, communication and organisational development.
Their contribution strengthens our programs while creating meaningful exchange between people from different backgrounds.
Recent volunteers have contributed in hospital care, vocational education, furniture making, brickmaking, translation, website development and other areas.
Placements can range from short professional assignments to longer periods of service.
Working together
Partnerships help VECECAB strengthen training, research, volunteering and community development.
News & stories
Follow training activities, community projects, volunteer visits, student achievements and life at VECECAB.
Help create opportunity
Your support can help vulnerable young people gain practical vocational skills, remain in training and build a more independent future.
Visit or contact us
Kyabakadde Village
Kyampisi Sub-County
Mukono North – Mukono District
Uganda