Gov’t, UNICEF and 15 Universities Partner to Skill Young People 

The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development in collaboration with UNICEF Uganda and over 15 Universities in Uganda have partnered to accelerate 21st century skilling amongst young people in Uganda using a digital life coach dubbed ‘FunDoo.’

Mondo Kyateka, Assistant Commissioner Youth and Children’s Affairs at the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development said, “FunDoo presents a platform through which young people can get equipped with 21st century and employability skills, while preparing them for their future.”

77% of Uganda’s population are children and youth, below the age of 30 years, of which 64% are unemployed.

Mondo urged young people to consider technology to better their skills, by signing onto Chat bots such as FunDoo, which is readily available at no cost, making learning timely whenever required.

Khushbakht Hojiev, Adolescent Development Manager UNICEF Uganda said, “At UNCEF Uganda, we believe in advancing greater skilling opportunities amongst young people by offering 21st century skills through tools such as ‘FunDoo’, a digital life coach.”

He added, “We recognize that a multi-sectoral approach that blends UNICEF Uganda with the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, together with all the 15 partner Universities will deliver a progressive change in accelerating 21st century skilling amongst young people faster.”

Khushbakht said that the rapidly changing future ready skills and the new ways of learning done even outside schools is what makes ‘FunDoo’ relevant for young people.

‘FunDoo’ gives learners content through experiential learning, where they choose the skills they want, and embark on an engaging and fun learning experience.

It’s also divided into learning modules or ‘tasks’ which take 30-45 minutes to complete and have a specific learning outcome. The platform also has an organized, modular library of tasks that learners can choose from and in the order they prefer.

Okot Francis, President Uganda National Students Association said graduants need to embrace FunDoo to “support us adapt to the changing environment of work which is unpredictable and requires both class and soft skills.”

With FunDoo, young people can access a range of information, from 21st century skills like communication, problem solving; job readiness skills, employability skills and mental health to climate change, vaccine uptake, and much more, which prepare young people to seize opportunities and confront challenges in a rapidly changing world, enabling them to make informed decisions, become responsible citizens, and achieve their full potential.

Khushbakht further said, “Due to its chat-based medium, ‘FunDoo’ provides access to learning with low internet connectivity, making it accessible to all young people, including those who in hard-to-reach areas.”

Once a task is completed on FunDoo, young people can get automated certificates and giveaways in the form of skills badges, certificates and learner boards where they can track their ‘FunDoo’ learning journeys.