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“From one man he made every

nation of men, that they should
inhabit the whole earth; and he
determined the times set for them
and the exact places where they
should live.”

WORKING ABROAD Acts 17:26

Aidah Mercy Nabyonga January 2019, Issue 81

One doesn’t need to look far from their neighbourhood to appreciate what a as an intern gives one more chances to penetrate the job market, it provides
big problem unemployment is in Uganda. According to the last national one a chance to go abroad at a relatively low cost since some places offer
population census, 58% of Uganda’s productive population is unemployed as accommodation to their international interns, offers you a real chance of
evidenced by the crowds at betting houses, bars and other ‘recreational’
places.
To escape being a part of the 58%, a number of Ugandans, mostly the youth,
have travelled to other countries in search of meaningful employment. In
2017, the Uganda Association of External Recruitment Agencies (UAERA) put
the figure of Ugandans doing odd jobs in the Middle East at 65,000 most of
them working as either cleaners, waiters/waitresses, drivers, tailors,
construction and factory workers or security guards.
There are many channels through which one can get a job abroad. The most
common channel is through hire agencies. Nelson Mulindwa, an agent with
an employment agency says, “For one to tell a legitimate employment
agency in Kampala, it must be registered with the Ministry of Gender, Labour
and Social Development. “For one who has no contacts abroad, going
through an employment agent is easier.” Mulindwa advises.
The other channel is through applying to multinational companies/NGOs Aidah with friends before she left Uganda.
Catherine Amanya, a Ugandan working in Canada, says. Previously working
interacting and making useful contacts that can connect you in the future, but
with an international NGO in Uganda, Catherine expressed interest to her
also a possibility of being retained by an organisation.
employers who helped connect her with a sister NGO in Canada, where she
works now. But like all opportunities in life, not all is rosy when it comes to working
abroad. Those who have sought work abroad have confessed to facing
“Applying through a multinational company, for professionals, especially,
challenges such as poor living and feeding conditions, less pay than promised,
gives one a base on which to start. You can even be asked to volunteer for the
confiscated passports, mistreatment and harassment, poor working
first few months in the company while still here, to test whether you have the
conditions, working overtime, high costs of living, high taxes, just to mention
capabilities instead of starting totally from scratch. This is, however,
but a few.
challenging for a walk-in and normally easier if one has already been an
Sources:
employee,” Amanya says. -https://www.monitor.co.ug/Magazines/Jobs-Career/Finding-employment-opportunities-abroad/689848-4624334-lkx3f9/index.html
-https://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1304970/rough-times-ugandan-workers-dubai
One can also find work abroad by applying first as an intern. Applying abroad -https://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1420713/census-unemployment-biting-hard
-https://allafrica.com/stories/201702240024.html

AIDAH’S EXPERIENCE WORKING ABROAD

1. You recently left Uganda for work abroad. never make it in life.
Which country are you in at the moment? 4. Do you feel you have achieved the objective for which you travelled?
I am in Ontario, Canada. I can’t say yes or no but I am getting there. At the moment I am happy with how
2. What exactly do you do in Canada? much I am able to save and my relatives have also started speaking positively about
My work at the moment is data entry. me.
3. Why did you feel the need to find work abroad? 5. Have you found a church to fellowship with in Canada?
During my studies at MUBS we learnt about how the No I haven’t. Twice, I attended service in a catholic church but did not understand
taxation system in Uganda works. There are just so what they were doing. So at the moment I just read my Bible and pray on my own.
many taxes one has to pay in Uganda and that made 6. What advice would you give to someone also thinking about travelling abroad
me feel uncomfortable working here because a big in search for work?
chunk of my income would be taken by the Pray about it. Tell God about your desire to travel and why you want to.
government. I did not think I would be able to pay all
those taxes and still have some money left to meet my other obligations. Have an objective why you want to leave your homeland.
My mother was the other motivation for my travel. My mother sacrificed a lot Know your values as a Christian. There are a lot of distractions out here so one must
through toil and hard work to see that my siblings and I grow up and get an be grounded in their beliefs and values.
education. Sadly, because my other siblings are not doing so well, sometimes, they
 Aidah is the last born in a family of four—two girls and two boys.
 Aidah came to accept Jesus as her Lord and Saviour through

“
My mother was the other Awana Children’s Club.

motivation for my travel  She has a diploma in accounting and finance from Makerere
University Business School.

go back to her and she has to share the little she has with them. So, I wanted to get
a job paying me enough to be able to, first, provide for and take care of her. I want
to make my mother proud. I want her to have a good life and be happy.
Thirdly, I wanted to prove those who thought I would become nothing, wrong.
Growing up, there were many people, including family members, who said I would
The KEY RING is a monthly publication by the Kampala Baptist Church Media Team
that seeks to provide an avenue where men and women can share knowledge and
understanding of the word of God, experiences and encourage one another as the
older perform the act of ‘paralambano’ to the younger.
Our prayer is that the Lord will speak to you through this publication.

Drop us an email at kbcmediateam@gmail.com | Visit the church website at www.kbcuganda.org