Saint Bakhita’s Vocational Training Center (Saint Bakhita’s) is a renowned girls-only boarding school located in Kalongo, Uganda. Established in 2007, Saint Bakhita’s is dedicated to offering educational opportunities to young women who have experienced abduction and captivity by the LRA, often returning home with children after years of missed education.

Named after Saint Josephine Bakhita, the patron saint of modern slavery and human trafficking, Saint Bakhita’s has recently relaunched in collaboration with Notre Dame and the Archdiocese of Gulu. Their innovative program, the Innovation Scholars program, aims to revolutionize vocational education by offering 78 scholars the chance to learn various skills such as tailoring, hairdressing, agriculture, and catering. Moreover, scholars receive extensive training in agroforestry, computers, financial management, and entrepreneurship.

Through partnerships with Notre Dame, students at Saint Bakhita’s collaborate with their counterparts to develop entrepreneurial innovations that positively impact the economic prosperity of the region. The school also implements solar power and actively combats deforestation by planting charcoal trees.

With the support of Professor Wendy Angst and her design thinking course, Saint Bakhita’s students work with Notre Dame students to address challenges through problem-solving and empathy. The collaboration has resulted in the implementation of various impactful initiatives, including combating deforestation and launching an e-commerce platform to sell products made by Saint Bakhita’s students.

This inspiring collaboration not only aids Saint Bakhita’s in becoming self-sustaining but also empowers the Innovation Scholars to envision a brighter future and contribute to the development of their communities. Stay tuned for more updates on these exciting projects from St. Bakhita's Vocational Training Center.