By Robert Ojok Mone

Gulu

The Archbishop of Gulu Archdiocese, Dr.John Baptist Odama, has paid a visit to the juveniles at Gulu remand home in Laroo-pece division in Gulu City where he officially launched an Agricultural facility and youth skilling program for the juveniles.

The archbishop regrets seeing the juveniles undergo such an arrangement in the name of correcting them to become better people in future which he thinks that should have not happened if the parents and the society were playing their cardinal roles as required.

District Governor of rotary for Uganda, Edward Kakembo Nsubuga, who was part of the Archbishop`s team who visited the remand home planted a memorial tree. Mr.Nsubuga, decried the high number of boys getting into conflict with the law which he feels that must been addressed urgently.

He added that a number of interventions are mostly being geared towards uplifting the girlchild at expense of the boychild hence making the boychild to wander about on their own and in the process they end up getting in conflict with the law.

The officer in-charge of the remand Home, Joseph Musasizi believes that when young children are trained and guided well, there is likely little chance of committing crime.

The team leader for Northern Uganda skilling in Agri-entrepreneurship for increased youth employment, Agnes Amony under AVSI foundation says last year alone they trained 80 juveniles who were assessed by directorate of industrial training and this year there shall be grand graduation ceremony in September after assessing the current lot.

Fr. Denis Habamungu, from Don Bosco community from Atede parish in Omoro district says practical skills would make the youth to be productive when they get reunited with their families after getting out of the remand home.

According to Fr. Denis, there is a plan to construct practical room for training for the juveniles so that extreme weather like heavy rain and hot sunshine do not affect their training. The agricultural program which is supported by AVSI foundation and Don Bosco aims at enhancing skilling food security.

Currently, Gulu remand home has 142-juveniles meanwhile Naguru has 155 with only 3-girls. 

COVER PHOTO: Archbshp-JB odama in the middle at Gulu remand home By Robert Ojok Mone