Upskilling Young Africans to Make Positive Change

Patience is an Ashinaga Africa Initiative (AAI) Graduate from Western Uganda. She lost her father at age ten and faced significant financial hardship. Despite these challenges, she excelled academically, graduating at the top of her primary school class on a scholarship. Financial barriers repeatedly threatened her education, but through determination and scholarship support, she completed her studies and pursued opportunities beyond what once seemed possible.   

After completing her earlier studies, Patience became an Ashinaga Africa Initiative (AAI) Scholar, which led her to KwanseiGakuin University in Japan, where she earned a degree in Global Management and Leadership. She credits her time as an AAI Scholar with shaping her approach to challenges and leadership today. "That experience shaped me into someone who tries to create solutions that can resonate with different types of people, regardless of where they come from," she says. Living and studying in an international environment also broadened her perspective. "It taught me to approach problems from a global perspective rather than a local one."   

After graduating in 2023, Patience received an offer for a permanent position in Japan, but she chose to return home to Uganda that same year. “That was a personal decision because I wanted to contribute to the development of my country, even though I had already secured a five-year work permit in Japan,” she says. Later in 2023, as she rebuilt her life and career, she volunteered at the International Relations Office at Mbarara University of Science and Technology, supporting international students as they adjusted to university life. During this time, and inspired by her own experience with motherhood, she saw how many teenage and single mothers struggled to access healthcare, economic opportunities, and the resources needed to provide for their families.  

 Building on those 2023 experiences, Patience founded Empower Nurture Uplift in early 2025. The organization supports young mothers through healthcare services, skills training, and opportunities to build more stable futures for themselves and their children. Through partnerships with organizations such as the Reproductive Health Ministry of Uganda and Faces Up, women receive health education, reproductive healthcare, and practical training in skills such as jewelry-making.   

Since founding Empower Nurture Uplift in 2025, Patience and her organization have supported 28 young mothers, many of whom face stigma, poverty, and limited opportunities. One young mother left sex work and began earning an income through jewelry-making after joining the program. For Patience, this work means helping women realize that becoming a mother does not mark the end of their future. "With the right support and guidance, they can rebuild their lives and create something meaningful for themselves and their children," she says.   

Looking ahead, Patience plans to expand the initiative’s reach and impact five million young women by 2040. “In the long term, I want to build something that has a significant impact on women in Uganda,” she says. Through Empower Nurture Uplift, she is already turning that vision into reality, helping young mothers gain the tools and opportunities they need to thrive.   

Support leaders like Patience by donating to help more AAI Scholars make a difference. 

Links:

• About the Ashinaga Africa Initiative
• Read more AAI Scholars stories