I remember he asked, “What is the endgame? What’s the long-term goal?” It wasn’t the first time Sonja or I had been asked this question, but we still didn’t have a great answer. We had just committed to educating 45 kids. We had promised them school, come hell or high water. They deserved it, and with the support of our community, we could provide it. That’s all we knew.
Fifteen years later, I’m still not sure what the endgame is. We’ve talked about it on and off every year. What is the purpose of everything we do at Beautiful Response? Where does it all lead? I think the truth is that there are as many end-games as there are kids we help. At one point, we perhaps thought there would be one clear and simple graduation moment for every child RUHU cares for. That would be nice, wouldn’t it? An unmistakable finish line for each person to cross.
But this work is not so straightforward. It is as complex as each child’s story. For some, the endgame was a job that became available in a town near some relatives far from Kampala. For another, the endgame is a university degree that will hopefully lead to a meaningful career. For others, an unexpected pregnancy has changed the goal and what it looks like to flourish.
We are funding and launching the RUHU Vocational Institute because we listened and learned that the ambitions and goals of the youth we are committed to needed a new endgame. Traditional education wasn’t meeting the real-life demands of our recent graduates. For the majority of Ugandan youth, employment and self-sufficiency will only come with employable skills and the human resources needed to identify real job opportunities.
This month, the RUHU Vocational Institute is launching programs in welding, computer repair, fashion, hair dressing, metal fabrication, and salon services. Each specialization is being led by community members with years of experience in their fields. We have 12 students currently enrolled in these pilot programs, which we plan to expand.
Over the next 5 years, we will be making a substantial investment in this program. We would love for you to get on board and help us grow this into a top-tier institution, providing training and skilling for hundreds of people. What’s the endgame? Well, right now we have 12 students, which means 12 endgames – 12 human beings who will be empowered to care for themselves and their families. That’s all I know today, and that’s enough.
Peace, Caleb
