Gideon was this year’s Rocket Pitch Competition Winner from the Summer Seminar in Uganda. He is passionate about providing a sustainable solution for street children through art and community engagement.  At the time of the seminar: Gideon hoped to organize a night of art where musicians, poets and other artists come together to create awareness and to fund-raise through ticket sales. The proceeds would be used to purchase basic needs for the children as a starting point. This month, he held his first event that brought together approximately 50 people. We are proud of Gideon and are excited to continue watching his progress.

On our visit to the Nakivale refugee camp this past summer, we checked in with few of our Loan Fund Recipients. Cubaka received $145 loan from the fund in the Spring when she started a liquid soap business. She is on a 10-month payment plan and has stayed on schedule with all her payments.

 At the time of the loan distribution, Cubaka sold 20-40 liters of liquid soap per week. She currently sells 100 liters and she has plans to increase this amount.  Cubaka has also employed a young man who delivers the soap to other zones in the settlements. Her clientele has grown to include International Aid Offices like the Finnish Refugee Council and the Computer Technology Access. Cubaka is grateful for the loan and we were proud to learn and see the difference it has made for her business!

Moses was in our first workshop two years ago when we first opened our doors in Kampala. Equipped with business knowledge and sewing skills from the center. He would go home to do gardening and save up a little money to open his business. 

 In October of 2018, he opened doors with just one sewing machine and soon acquired a small loan from his savings group to secure two more machines so he could teach two people that had signed up as students. At the time of our visit, he had three young women all learning how to sew.  Moses’ biggest challenge was the lack of electricity that slows him down. This also restricts his working hours to day light. With a little more prodding we learned that $175 could help him get the two rooms wired and connected to the local power grid. We are proud of his accomplishments and when he is ready, we anticipate he might participate in our Loan Fund Program.

Benjamin was one of our first students in the 2018 Seminar in Uganda. After completing our From Ideas To Action curriculum, Benjamin was inspired to create more value in his community. Having previously been an English teacher for the Finnish Refugee Center, he capitalized on his passion for teaching bringing education to more children in his own community.He is the founder of Light to Progress Nursery School that serves two communities in the Nakivale Refugee Settlement. 

“You know when I started, the people here thought it was a joke.  But I kept pushing and taking small steps like we learned. Now people think the young people in Nakivale are thinking and acting differently. We laugh and say thanks to our training from Idea4Africa, we are choosing to be the change we want to see.”

Jonathan Bisimwa attended the first Seminar in Uganda in 2018. Jonathan stood out among over 100 students as being determined to not only survive in one of the refugee settlements, but to help many others as well.  Not only was Jonathan persistent throughout the year staying in touch with our Ugandan team, but he did what we always teach. He pivoted when it became clear he needed a different way of satisfying the need in his community. 

After completing the Seminar last summer Jonathan was able to secure a loan of $3,000 from two organizations. With that money and with IDEA4Africa's curriculum and assistance, Jonathan has created an organization that is teaching others in his community the necessary tools to create sustainable and viable jobs. Thirty people have now graduated from his program. He is making money, helping others in his community and is reaping the rewards of his success.  

Alphonsine was a housewife we met in Rwanda who was always dependent  on her husband to take care of the family. She recently decided to make change happen in her life. Alphonsine joined ‘’Twiyubake Rutunga’’ a women's cooperative where she was empowered by the other women. It was there that she learned how far these other women had come in terms of being self-reliant.  Through her affiliation with the cooperative Alphonsine started a tailoring business. Because of her success, she now has work for herself and has created jobs for others in her community. 

”I have learned a lot from this organization especially with their training on how to manage our businesses and properly account for our sales. Now I know how to calculate and put aside money for rent, taxes, to pay electricity and also get my share."

Harriet was one of our first students in Uganda. She has created a sewing business outside her home to be able to watch over her five children.  She learned that the consistency of quality is paramount in her workshops with us and she says it is starting to pay off in repeat customers. Harriet had the sewing skills she needed to start a business. She needed the business skills to make it sustainable.

Asher is a single parent of five children and the sole breadwinner in the home. Her biggest takeaway from our workshop was the importance of record keeping. She is thrilled to be seeing the benefits of her learning as she keeps track of her various entrepreneurial endeavors. Sewing and and repairing clothes is just one!

Julius was the Rocket Pitch winner at the first Summer Seminar in Uganda. Julius is building a school for albinos in the camps as they are treated like pariahs and cannot go to school with others. This structure is the result of his hard work and entrepreneurial spirit.