“My name is Avayo Denis. I am 19 years old and I am HIV positive. I have been living positively since 2012 and am now on ARV treatment. My family and I came from South Sudan in 2016 as a result of the crisis.”  

Denis’s classmates at the catering class in the Skills Training Center of Welthunger Hilfe in Rhino Camp in Northern Ugandan district of Arua refer to him as “Manager Denis” because he aspires to become a manager of a hotel one day.

One striking thing about Denis is that he does not try to hide his HIV status and has written on the right side of his pocket shirt – “HIV++++”. He says: “Life for me has just started. My health status does not impact my future, because these catering skills I am learning will make me self-reliant in society while fighting stigma among youth living with HIV/AIDS”.

In recognition of the vulnerable persons such as Denis, the Support Programme for Refugee Settlements and Host Communities in Northern Uganda (SPRS-NU) funded by European Union Emergency Trust Fund (EUTF) addresses cross cutting issues in its programmes supporting the refugee and host communities in Northern Uganda. As such, BTC Uganda is operating a Skills Development Fund that is specifically targeting vulnerable youth to acquire skills relevant for the labour market and is working with training centers in the settlements to mainstream gender and HIV awareness in the curricula.