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Our Work in Uganda
Entrepreneurial Development

Jane Oundo

Mumpe Allen

Sanyu Robinah

Vocational Training
For Youth

Affordable Housing/
Friendship Village
Health Projects

Grants Program

 

 

 

 

Bead Jewelry

 

 

 

Visit some BeadforLife entrepreneurs in action - click below


The path out of poverty is to assist members to launch successful businesses within the Ugandan economy. BeadforLife supports entrepreneurial development through:

  • Savings
  • Entrepreneurial Training
  • Business Funds

Our goal is for members to become independent of BeadforLife by either starting a successful small business or by receiving vocational training  to be able to find steady employment.  BeadforLife offers members on-going opportunities to acquire needed business skills and capital.  Within the first months of membership, members are assisted in opening savings accounts for future investment and emergencies.  Beaders are encouraged to save each time they sell their beads.

An entrepreneurial training course is offered after six months of membership.  This course includes budgeting, obtaining financial backing, the importance of location, customer service, advertising,  product development, and daily financial tracking.  During this course members actually get to launch a weekend business and experiment with trying to make a profit.

After the entrepreneurial training, members write up business plans for their own businesses.  Small business grants of up to 1 million shillings ($650) are available to each member to either launch their business or to take a big leap in expanding a business they have started.

In our first group that graduated in spring of 2008 we found that:

  • 67% of the beaders have started at least one business since joining BFL, with a 62.5% success rate, which is almost double the success rate in the US.
  • 87.5% of those who started a business said that they used their income from BFL to pay for their start-up costs.
  • 82.6% of business owners say that they plan to expand their business.


The beaders working in Buddy Groups to support their entrepreneurial training

 


Jane Oundo has launched a successful restaraunt in Kampala

Make a donation. Donations to BeadforLife go directly towards eradicating poverty in Uganda. 93 cents of every dollar is invested in community development work fighting extreme poverty, including projects in health care, vocational training for out-of-school youth, affordable housing, and entrepreneurial skills development. BeadforLife is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (tax ID: 20-1683139). Donations are tax deductible.

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