Makerere joins campaign to support youth entrepreneurs with disability
Dec 07, 2023
The project which she said is funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering from the UK targeted 50 youths.
A panel composed of youths with disabilities giving their views and experiences on how they can be do entreprenuership and innovate for self sustainability. (Photos by Agnes Nantambi)
Agnes Nantambi
Journalist @New Vision
_______________________ Hajara Nabukalu who is a disabled widow and mother of three with her children behind her is ateam from Makerere University posing for a photo with her during the day.
Makerere University, under its innovation hub, has embarked on a campaign to support youth entrepreneurs with disability to enhance their self-support.
According to Cathy Akiror Mbidde, the acting manager of Makerere University Innovation Hub, the hub developed the innovativeness of the young persons with disability project with the main objective of creating a platform for the young persons with disability who are in business, to share their views and experiences so that they can get on board stakeholders who can support them.
The project which she said is funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering from the UK targeted 50 youths. However, it zeroed down on 15 youths who are running their business in crafts tailoring, liquid soap production, bakery, and shoe making.
“What we have done is to link them to stakeholders who can support them to improve their businesses. The main goal was to see how can we support the young disabled people who are vulnerable to improve their lives through businesses that they have already started,” she said.
She explained that under the project several stakeholders have come on board to support the campaign including the TUNAWEZA Foundation, NUDIPU, gender ministry, UNDP, and young African works.
She observed that the majority of the youth with disabilities suffer looking for jobs since the majority are discriminated against by employers right away.
“We decided to support those who have at least taken the effort to start up some businesses, such that we can bring on board people who can support them,” she said.
She lauded the partners for the support of a wheelchair to Hajara Nabukalu and a cash prize to boost her business.
Nabukalu, who is a disabled widow and mother of three, has been struggling for life since her husband died early last year.
She explained that the loss of her husband was a turning point since he was the sole provider of the family.
“His death was an eye opener to me to realise that I was now the mother and the father of my children, I struggled through thick and thin until a friend connected me to the Makerere University project which supports youths with disability.
By that time, I had started a small business at Kalerwe marker selling charcoal beginning with one sack before I ventured into selling cooking oil, onions, and curry. When I was introduced to the Makerere project, I was supported to boost my business from one sack of charcoal to other items.
These have helped me to look after my children and at least pay for their fees. My only challenge is paying for rent and increased school fees which is worrying me every day,” she explained.
Nabukalu applauded Makerere Innovation Hub for the support saying she can now see the direction where she is heading.
She, however, appealed for more support from well-wishers especially towards school fees for her children.
This was during the commemoration of the International Day for Disability at Makerere University on Sunday.
Prof. Peter Turyakira the Head of the Department of Marketing and Management, said giving back to the community is one way of making people happy and ensuring a corporate social responsibility.
“Disability does not mean inability, everybody is born with a talent except that most of them are not exploited, just because they lack information.
It is important to partner with these people to exploit their talents so that they can engage in different innovative activities, such that they can live a better life and don’t feel discriminated against because of their inabilities,” he said.
Prof. Godfrey Akileng, the Dean School of Business said engagement with disability persons especially in the areas of entrepreneurship is one way of sharing, what they have innovated and how they can be trained to improve their innovativeness of the products and also be able to sell them to the market to generate income for themselves.
“We want to celebrate with them how they are innovating and trying to see how to survive without necessarily relying on other people,” he said.
He said the university was touched when Hajara came crawling from Kalerwe Market and the school decided to help her with a wheelchair and also boost her business.
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