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What is Enterprise Uganda?Enterprise Uganda is an initiative that grants talented university students and graduates an opportunity to create social enterprises embedded within educational institutions. This creates jobs and improves education, whilst in turn driving the local economy and rural development within it.
This year Enterprise Uganda is running in partnership with SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise) at the University of Birmingham.
In south western Uganda where over 85% of the population are unemployed and living on less than 1 US Dollar a day, job creation and entrepreneurship is a vital aspect of the long term solution to poverty. Uganda has no lack of potential. Despite this, widespread poverty of education, relevant skills and business acumen, coupled with almost total lack of access to any start-up capital, means that most Ugandans never have the opportunity to escape a highly fragile lifestyle of subsistence farming.
Rural Uganda is a context in which weak economy and lack of funding prevents education from being the truly pivotal force in bettering life outcomes. Helping local participants secure low interest loans for initial start-up capital, our teams facilitate the initiation of business in the local community. Part of the long term Enterprise Uganda vision is for proven successful business models to be freely and widely shared/franchised to education institutions. Self-financing schools and "Education that pays for itself" offers a sustainable development paradigm that has the potential to not only alleviate, but eliminate poverty of education.
The Enterprise Uganda internship is designed for business minded students seeking a new challenge. Successful applicants must be good team workers and problem solvers, and must demonstrate a clear drive to have a positive social impact. Applicants are considered from backgrounds in a range of degree programmes. Both current students and graduates are considered.
Enterprise Uganda includes a one month internship in country where teams of talented students and graduates are facilitated in developing an understanding of the economic landscape, and factors that mean rural Uganda has unrealised potential for grassroots economic development. By gaining insight into a range of existing business models and industries and exploring the barriers that have prevented so many niches being seized upon, interns will be able to formulate viable business ideas. Once equipped with the local knowledge and "know how" teams of interns will formulate and strategise viable businesses. Through partnership with Volunteer Uganda education institutions and using fundraised start-up capital, teams will apply their new and pre-existing skills to initiate businesses on school land. These will provide vocational learning opportunities to students and make steps towards long term financial sustainability of education.
Sponsoring a child is a direct and personal way to make a difference to their life. Without the help of their sponsor, the children would not be able to attend the school.
Everything we do at Volunteer Uganda has two aims - to make a difference today and to take one more step towards sustainable transformation of a community. And education is at the heart of what is needed to allow the people of rural Uganda to attain their potential.
Your sponsorship will help a specific child and you will be given their name and progress reports - even letters from the child from time to time. Please don't expect an instant response because things take a little longer than they would here.
The sponsorship money will go towards the child's school fees and to ensure they get three meals per day. The child's family still has to make a contribution towards the fees because we believe this is important.
Our regular visitors to Uganda comment on the difference in the whole community between villages with sponsored schools and villages that have to rely on the local resources.
The sponsorship options are:
Please click here to print off a sponsorship form with gift aid and standing order. Thanks.
Making a donation is the simplest thing you can do to help. There is no long-term commitment (but you can always visit the site another time and make another gift!)
Unlike giant charities we spend 100% of donations in Uganda.
When you donate, we will tell you what is needed next and a few months later you will see how your gift has changed lives more step to transforming a community.
The current project building classrooms to cater for the next year cohort at the new High School. Here is how you can help:
Please do! Email us at ukteam@volunteeruganda.org
Click here to make a credit card donation now. Thank you!