THE CHALLENGE
4.2 Million Youth in Uganda are “Doing Nothing”. The National Planning Authority (The Independent; October 2023) indicated that 4.2 million youth in Uganda are neither in Employment, Education nor Training, representing 41% of the younger population. In addition to high unemployment rates, young people aged 18 – 30 years are consistently disengaged from the labor market, education, training and broader societal activities. A significant number of youths are struggling to secure employment or create their own opportunities but lack working spaces and relevant equipment to startup small scale businesses. This has led to an increase in the unemployment rate from 13% to 16.5% and this is expected to increase if nothing changes.
OUR WORK
The Build Up Skills program focuses on building a skillful, informed and well-organized young generation that is productive and drives the economic growth through innovating and creating opportunities for youth. We are training and empowering youth to startup small scale businesses with $3 and earning up to $300 monthly through vocational practical entrepreneurship and employability skills. We have managed to reduce youth vulnerability, social marginalization, unemployment and poverty leading towards self-sustainability.
DONATE: Partner with us to provide equipment and we create working spaces for youth that will enable every youth start working.
Achievements / Successes
2017 – 2020: In partnership with Rotary Uganda, we conducted a ‘Vijana Poa’ program aimed at enabling Every Youth Working. We were able to create 1,120 startup businesses and over 5,600 decent jobs across 48 districts in Uganda. Our projects were purely practical and hands-on.
This program brought onboard unemployed youth to acquire self-sustaining skills to start up their own initiatives. We provided youth with skills in making Liquid Soap, Shampoo, making paper bags, making fresh juice, Aftershave, making tea spices, jelly, and many others.
2020 – 2022: The COVID-19 pandemic left many youth without jobs and others started struggling to find work within their communities. The unemployment and redundant numbers of youth increased drastically as many of their initiatives collapsed.
The BuildUp Skills program started supporting the youth to Startup new businesses / initiatives that are faster in income generating. 956 youth managed to startup new businesses and employed their colleagues. We focused on products that are fast consuming for example those in Food and Nutrition like fruit salads, juice making, daily edible snacks and Household items like soaps, charcoal lighters, among others.
Achievements / Successes
2023 – 2024: Business mentorship is very vital in youth startup as we seek to see business sustainability. We have partnered with many of our startups to make sure they remain sustainable.
We have managed to organize young entrepreneurs camps through which we have conducted trainings, ono-to-one coaching and availing opportunities to grants and funding for startups.
We are able to see small businesses grow and starting to compete with the already existing ones. Our businesses have partnered within each other to support themselves as they grow.
THE FUTURE
