January 15, 2024
Welcome to 2024. In the upscale suburbs of Kampala, the new year means new gym memberships and resolutions. But deep inside the congested communities of Bwaise and Kawaala, January is the hardest month of the year. The holiday spending is over, school fees are looming, and the daily grind for survival has restarted with ferocious intensity.
For five years, Fecane Child Foundation has been a safety net in these communities. We have provided food during lockdowns and shelter during floods. We are proud of that work.
But a safety net is not a ladder. You cannot climb out of poverty on a handout.
Today, we are shifting gears. We are launching our most ambitious economic initiative yet: The Fecane Entrepreneurial Skills Accelerator, specifically targeted at the women and youth of Bwaise and Kawaala.
Respecting the “Hustle”
We aren’t entering these communities to teach them how to work hard. The people of Bwaise and Kawaala are some of the hardest working people on the planet. The “hustle” here is legendary—from the break of dawn until late at night, everyone is selling something, fixing something, or moving something just to put food on the table.
The problem isn’t a lack of effort; it’s a lack of efficiency, capital, and strategic knowledge.
A mother might work 14 hours a day selling tomatoes, but because she lacks basic bookkeeping skills or cannot access micro-credit to buy in bulk, her profit margins remain microscopic. She is running on a treadmill, running fast just to stay in the same place.
Our workshop is designed to take that existing grit and supercharge it with professional skills.
Why Bwaise and Kawaala?
We chose to pilot this program in Bwaise and Kawaala deliberately. These are communities often defined by their challenges—the notorious flooding, the overcrowding, the high crime rates.
But we see them as hubs of untapped economic potential. If you can run a successful roadside stall in Bwaise during the rainy season, you can run a business anywhere. We believe that the solutions for these communities will come from within these communities, once they have the right tools.
Practical Skills Over Theory
This is not a university lecture series. Our participants do not need PowerPoint presentations on macroeconomic theory. They need skills they can monetize tomorrow.
Our 2024 curriculum focuses on three practical pillars:
- Hard Skills Training: We are bringing in local experts to teach marketable trades, including advanced tailoring, liquid soap and sanitizer production, and urban urban farming techniques suitable for small spaces.
- Financial Literacy: Simple, effective bookkeeping. How to separate business money from household money. Understanding profit versus revenue. How to save in a volatile economy.
- Digital Marketing Lite: Teaching youth how to use WhatsApp Business and basic social media tools to expand their customer base beyond their immediate street corner.
“We are moving from giving fish to teaching how to fish. But more importantly, we are teaching them how to sell the fish at a fair price, how to save the profits, and how to buy a second fishing rod.”
The Engines of Change: Women and Youth
We are exclusively targeting women heads-of-households and unemployed older youth (ages 16-24).
We know from our years of data that when a mother earns an income, 90% of it goes back into the family—into nutrition, health, and school fees. She is the economic multiplier.
And for the youth of Kawaala, idleness is dangerous. By giving them a viable economic alternative to the streets, we are investing in the long-term stability of the entire area.
This is a new chapter for Fecane. 2024 is the year we get down to business.
Knowledge is power, but you need tools to apply it. A tailoring student needs a sewing machine. A soap maker needs raw materials to start their first batch.
We are looking for “Seed Capital Sponsors” to provide the starter kits for the graduates of this program. Help a new entrepreneur turn their new skills into their first paycheck. Sponsor a Business Starter Kit Today
