b'Zooming to Brighter Futures UGANDA in UgandaBy Isa Ainemagara, Paul Muliika and Bethany Ivie, photos by James AkenaNOTHING CAN STOP LEAH AMONGI, not even a global pandemic. Amongi is a 28-year-old single mother who lives and works in Ugandas Dokolo District. It is not all that easy to find employment [here], said Amongi. And thats putting it lightly. With more than 70% of its citizens between 18 and 30 years of age, Uganda has one of the youngest populations in the world. It also has one of the highest rates of youth unemployment in sub-Saharan Africa. With the help of Heifer Uganda, Amongi is working to give her peers the vital skills they need to change that statistic, and she isnt letting anything stand in her way. In 2019, Amongi joined Heifer Ugandas Learn for Agribusiness project and was trained as a community agri-input entrepreneur. Through the project, Heifer Uganda is working to help young people, many of whom were unable to complete formal educations, to earn a living income through farming. Itslarge sessions at 13 local farmer field Amongis job to teach participants theschools in Dokolo. Then came the essential skills they need to build apandemic. The first case of COVID-19 sustainable and profitable business inin Uganda was reported in March 2020. agriculture. Her lessons include weedShortly thereafter, all Ugandan borders and pest control, sowing good qualityand points of entry were closed, and seeds, and line spacing, to name aPresident Yoweri Museveni ordered a few. Fortunately, thats her passion. Istrict countrywide lockdown to limit the joined the Learn for Agribusiness projectspread of the virus. With a stop in public because I am inspired to work with youngtransportation, a dusk-till-dawn curfew, people participating in agriculture, saidand a ban on weekly markets and group Amongi. I love the work I do becausegatherings, the lockdown kept Ugandas it enables me to share my technicalCOVID-19 case count low but made life agricultural skills, which can make aextremely difficult for citizens, especially difference in the lives of the community.rural farmers. Before COVID-19 struck, AmongiAs restrictions eased and boda bodas, shared her expertise by facilitatingor motorcycle taxis, were allowed to 18| SPRING 2021'