Empower 1,200 Ugandan women to start businesses

Our project to reach 1,200 women in Uganda with Street Business School training is off and running this year.

Project Kunihira is a collaborative initiative aimed at helping 600 women in the Fort Portal region of western Uganda to launch businesses. The project uses a Community-Based Trainer (CBT) model, working to create broader impacts in the Fort Portal region and explore impacts beyond individual income generation. The CBT model was previously tested by SBS in the summer of 2024, and is being tested as a potential model for a more cost-effective delivery mechanism that could be scaled across the country.

In addition to improving income for participants, specific objectives include improving school attendance and nutrition for children, increasing household financial stability, and fostering collaboration between local NGOs and international partners through Learning Circles. The private foundation providing resources for the project is playing a catalytic role, funding the pilot phase and guiding integration with local stakeholders, including a local school and network of active NGOs, to ensure that the initiative supports long-term, sustainable development. 

“Kunihira” means “hope” in Rutooro, the local language. The SBS hub in Fort Portal will serve as a proof-of-concept, demonstrating the potential for replicating and expanding this model across other regions in Uganda. The project will be delivered in two rounds of training with a "Pause and Reflect" approach that will allow for any adjustments at the midway point, to enhance the project’s success. 

As of the end of June, Project Kunihira had enrolled 365 individuals in Fort Portal in training with the support of 20 CBTs. The first graduation is scheduled for July 2025, with the second round of training set to kick off in September targeting an additional 400 women.

In a similar model to Project Kunihira, Project Ayimalu seeks to uplift 400 women in the Murchison Falls area of northwestern Uganda by doubling their incomes. Home to a predominantly rural population, the region faces significant poverty, especially in communities dependent on subsistence agriculture.

In contrast to Project Kunihira, Ayimalu is building on the existing pool of small NGOs operating in the Buliisa district in Uganda. SBS provided a Training-of-Trainers workshop to six selected NGO partners, and is providing direct funding to these groups to carry out SBS implementation in the community. 

The project launched in May with a dedicated training workshop, and as of the end of June certified partners had begun conducting mobilization and recruitment activities. The anticipated completion date is in October 2025.

“In this community, people are still struggling with outdated ways of thinking. But this training will help move people from where they are to where they need to be. People are very eager to attend and break free from poverty.” Byaruhanga Emmex – 56 years, Chancellor of the PWDs, Kako Town Council