Nangobi left school early when her family could no longer afford school fees. For a while, her days revolved around chores and farming. When she joined Educate!’s livelihood bootcamp, one lesson stayed with her: progress starts small — and grows with persistence. Today, her food stall serves regular customers, covers her basic needs, and shows how self-belief and skills can turn into steady income.

Tracy’s journey began with a simple business idea in secondary school — selling snacks to her peers. With guidance from her mentor, she learned how to research customers, price products, and build confidence through action. She continued applying those lessons after graduation. Today, Tracy runs a second-hand clothing business and serves as a youth mentor, supporting students to apply practical skills in their own lives.

At just sixteen, Olivier fled the Democratic Republic of Congo for Uganda after conflict disrupted his early years. Through Educate!’s support in Uganda, he learned how to identify opportunities, manage money, and think like an entrepreneur. When he noticed community members struggling to access mobile money services, he acted. What started as renting a single phone line grew into a registered business — one that now provides steady income and supports his family.

In a small salon in rural Eastern Uganda, Fiona spends hours on her feet braiding and styling hair. Her hands move swiftly with practiced rhythm, and she pauses on occasion to ensure her client is comfortable. Nothing makes Fiona happier than a satisfied client. For her, hairdressing isn’t just about a new style; it’s a way to help people feel confident and take pride in who they are.

Henrietah joined Educate!’s model in Uganda, the Educate! Experience after an invitation from a Youth Mentor. The gender-responsive model, delivered to young men and women in secondary school, aims to enable youth to build 21st-century soft skills that develop agency, as well as hard skills that support young people to pursue economic opportunity.

Improperly dumped waste causes land degradation, soil erosion, and even injuries and illnesses. Through Educate!, Keneth turned his passion for protecting the environment into a thriving recycling business. His efforts have helped him build financial security while positively impacting his community.

From an early age, Nzabarinda thought of himself as an entrepreneur. Seeking to improve the living standards of those in his town and beyond, Nzabarinda first applied the skills he garnered through Educate! to manufacture a liquid soap made to repel mosquitoes.  Fast forward to today, Nzabarinda is pursuing a degree in business marketing while simultaneously running Tuuza Industries Ltd, a registered startup.

Elizabeth’s education in rural Uganda was cut short when the fees became too much for her family, and she was forced to drop out of secondary school. Now, the wife and mother of two is determined to achieve financial security for her growing family. By addressing a need in her community, where locals typically walk eight kilometers to the nearest store, she’s increased her income and built a strong support network driving her success.

For nearly eighteen years the insurgence of the Lord's Resistance Army in Northern Uganda incited violence. Today, the region still grapples with high rates of poverty, low primary and secondary school enrollment rates, and underdeveloped infrastructure. In spite of this, young people in Northern Uganda and young women in particular –  like Educate! Mentor Fiona – have been driving progress and acting as agents of positive change for their communities. 

Daniel Okurut, a former Educate! Scholar in Western Uganda, leveraged both his medical education and his business skills gained through Educate! to open a rural health clinic in his community. Today, he splits his time between his role as a Youth Leader and his clinic, where he employs two people and conducts 350 checkups a month.

2019 is an important milestone for the entire Educate! family, but it is especially significant for those team members who have been here from the start. To reflect on this journey, we caught up with Connie Mpirirwe, who joined the team more than ten years ago as one of Educate!’s first Mentors.