UGANDA

Educate!’s core experience centers the critical soft skills we see as building blocks for long-term success. On top of that foundation, we layer the entrepreneurial skills youth in East Africa need to thrive in their largely informal local economies. Ugandan Educate! graduate, Ronnie, is leveraging this combination to drive the success of his small enterprise while also giving back to the community.

Ritah’s passion for entrepreneurship stems from her upbringing. From an early age, she was taught how to interact with customers at her family’s shop. These experiences instilled in Ritah the importance of leveraging her skill set to realize her goals. As an active participant in Educate!, Ritah continuously sought leadership opportunities - eager to grow both personally and professionally while also contributing to her community.

Throughout her life experiences, Sarah has developed an incredible zeal for the importance of self-reliance. When we last talked to Sarah, she was running a series of small businesses in Jinja, Uganda. For Sarah, these endeavors paved the way for independence when her father’s sudden passing left her family unable to support Sarah and her siblings. Coupled with entrepreneurial knowledge and skills, Sarah’s determination not only led her to finish secondary school and secure financial freedom but also inspired her to help those in a similar position. She ultimately dreamed of starting an orphanage. Today, Sarah is one step closer to this goal.

When her father passed away and her family could no longer afford her school fees, Olivia had to drop out of secondary school in Western Uganda. At 25 years old, Olivia viewed herself as a girl from a modest background, dependent on her mother to support her basic needs. Then, Olivia joined SisterConnect, an Educate! bootcamp aimed to provide an alternative pathway to employment for youth who are unable to access post-primary education. Over the next few weeks, Olivia would build more than just a business.

Despite learning from experience that women are capable of anything, when Joan entered secondary school, she started to feel like she didn't belong. Thanks to Joan’s perseverance, the network of support she created for herself, and the skills she’s honed through Educate!, today, Joan is a small business owner, a lab technician student, and an incredible mentor.

When COVID-19 spread across borders, concerns grew for the world’s young people, who were hit hardest by the pandemic’s economic impacts. For many youth navigating an already complex job market, finding a job or starting a business became all the more challenging, and we weren’t sure how young people might respond to such a significant disruption. However, we weren’t surprised to see youth like Bridget take hold of their futures with optimism, undeterred by the pandemic’s challenges.