14-year-old Ayikoru Fosca saw her future shrink to the four walls of her home. After dropping out of school due to early pregnancy, she felt isolated and hopeless. “I was better when I was still at school,” she recalls. Influenced by a bad peer group and with no proper help in sight, Ayikoru’s potential was fading. “Everything was becoming so hard for me.”
A Lifeline Through PALM Corps’ Bonga program
Her turning point came when she registered with the Bonga Centre at Aringa Jobi Primary School, part of the PACES project implemented by PALM Corps. The project, supported by the AKO Foundation through Stromme Foundation, targets out-of-school adolescents, especially young parents.
The journey began with life skills training. For Ayikoru, who admitted, “I used to be stubborn to the extent that people’s opinions were useless,” this was transformative. She learned to pause, think, and act with purpose.
“Two key things I learned were decision making and problem-solving techniques,” she says. “Now, I feel I can solve my personal problems or even contribute at community level.”
This change wasn’t just internal. The Anglican priest in Aliba paris confessed he noticed a dramatic shift in the youth, noting they now greet him with respect, a simple but powerful sign of behavioural change.
Nurturing Skills and Confidence
The project didn’t stop at life skills. Ayikoru and 299 other youths (a mix of refugees and host community members) moved to hands-on training.
- She embraced climate-smart agriculture, turning her earlier failed farming attempts into a thriving vegetable garden at home.
- She stepped into leadership, being identified by her trainer as the course leader for hairdressing.
- She found her voice, using drama and radio talkshows through the support of PALM Corps to share her story and warn other adolescents about the consequences of dropping out and early sexual relationships.
The Ripple Effect of Change
Ayikoru’s personal transformation is part of a larger wave of impact created by the community dialogues and sensitization efforts of the youth themselves.
A Surge in Education: While the project initially aimed to enrol 30 youth back in school, the powerful testimonials from participants like Ayikoru inspired 49 adolescents to return to the classroom (beyond the target).
A Leader Emerges: From a stubborn, isolated teen, Ayikoru is now a vocal advocate for education and a role model in her community.
A Hopeful Future: Her plan is clear: advance her hairdressing skills after the training and, most importantly, educate her children. She has broken the cycle for the next generation.
Ayikoru’s story is no longer about a closed door. It’s about a young woman who, with the right support, learned how to open new ones for herself, and for her community.
About the Project: The PACES project, implemented by PALM Corps in Obongi District, uses a holistic household model approach to empower out-of-school adolescents with life skills, climate-smart agriculture, vocational training, and reproductive health education, fostering resilience and sustainable change.
