My name is Tumaine Bahati, a congolese refugee living in Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement, Ntenungi A Zone, Uganda. I am 27 years old, and today I stand as a living testimony of what becomes possible when hope meets opportunity, and when refugees are empowered rather than pitied.

My journey has not been easy. Several years ago, my life changed dramatically when I fell seriously ill and was diagnosed with cancer in my leg. To save my life, doctors were forced to amputate it. While the surgery preserved my life, it also left me facing a future filled with uncertainty, fear, and emotional pain. I struggled to accept my new reality. Like many refugees living with disabilities, I left isolated, discouraged, and unsure whether I still had a meaningful role to play in society.

In the refugee settlement, opportunities are arleady limited. For a young person living with disability those opportunities often feel almost nonexistent. I questioned my future constantly. I wondered how I would survive, support myself, or ever become independent. Hope felt distant.

Everything changed when I heard that PICKNET was recruiting youth for vocationsl skills training through its Creative Youth Hub. Despte my doubts and fears, I made the decision to apply. That single decision became the turning point of my life.

From the moment I joined PICKNET, I experienced something different. I was not seen as a person with potential. I enrolled in tailoring and garment cutting, a six-month vocational training program designed to equip refugee youth and women with practical, income-generating skills.

The training environment was inclusive, supportive, and empowering. The instructors were patient and professional, and the learning process was hands-on and practical. For the first time since losing my leg, I left confident again. I was not defined by my disability, but my ability to learn, create, and contribute.

Through PICKNET, I did not only learn how to sew. I learned how to believe in myself again.

After completing the six months of training, PICKNET continued to walk with me. Unlike many programs that end at graduation, PICKNET believes in long-term impact. The Director and team followed up my progress closely and actively advocated for me. Through their dedication and partnerships, they helped connect me to livelihood opportunities that would allow me to put my skills into practice.

In 2024, through PICKNET's partnership with Finn Church Aid (FCA), I received a sewing machine. This support was life-changing. With this single tool, I transtioned from being a trainee to  becoming a small business owner. I began sewing clothes for members of my community, earning income with dignity and independence.

But PICKNET's support didn't stop.

In this year 2025, PICKNET once again recommended me for additional support under the RETI Project, implemented by FCA. Through this project, I received 500,000 UGX as startup capital. This funding enabled me to purshase materials, expand my tailoring work, and increase ny customer base.

Today, I am self-reliant, I earn my own income. I contribute to my household and community. Most importantly, I now have a vision for the future. Through the Creative Youth Hub, PICKNET also equipped me with essential knowledge beyond tailoring. I received training in entrepreneurship, financial literacy, agribusiness, climate-smart agriculture, and climate change adaptation. These skills taught me how to save money, manage my income wisely, plan for growth, and engage in sustainable farming practices that protect the environment.

I now understand that economic empowerment is not just about earning money, it is about building resilience, sustainability, and long-term stability.

Living with disability is no longer a source of shame or limitation for me. Instead, it has become a source of strength. I now see my journey as proof that disability does not mean inability, and that when inclusive opportunities are provided, persons with disabilities can thrive and lead.

My dream today is to expand my tailoring business and employ other vulnerable youth, especially follow refugees, host-community and persons with disabilities. I want to create jobs, mentor others, and give back to the community that once supported me. I am no longer just a survivor, I am a change-maker, innovator, and emerging job creator.

Why PICKNET Matters

My story is not only one among many. Across Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement. PICKNET is transforming lives by addressing the root caused of poverty, unemployment, and dependancy. As a refugee-led organization, PICKNET understands the realities of displacement because it is part of the community it serves.

Through its Creative Youth Hub, PICKNET delivers integrated solutions that combine:

Vocational skills, Entrepreneurship and financial literacy, Agribusiness and climate-smart practices, Youth and women's empowerment, Inclusion persons with disabilities.

This holistic approach ensures that beneficiaries do not just acquire skills, but also again the confidence, resources, and support systems needed to build sustainable livelihoods.

A call to Donors, Partners, and Supporters to join PICKNET in transforming Lives.

When you support PICKNET, you are not funding short-term aid, you are investing in lasting transformation. You are enabling refugees and host communities to move from dependency to dignity, from vulnerability to leadership.

My life changed because PICKNET existed. Because partners believed in refugee-led solution, because donors chose to invest in people not problems.

With your support, many more young people and women especially those living with disabilities can access skills, and become contributors to their communities.

Together, we can turn displacement into opportunity, disability into strengthen, and hope into measurable impact.

PICKNET is not just changing lives. It is building futures.

Thank you so much for hearing my success story.