Rotary Foundation gives Kampala women business skills to build sustainable livelihoods

Forty-eight vulnerable young women, most of them single mothers from Kampala’s slums, have graduated with baking and entrepreneurship skills, equipping them to start and grow their own businesses. 

Several of them remarked that the training marks a turning point in their journey to financial independence and improved livelihoods.

The beneficiaries, drawn from Kamwokya, Kazo in Kawempe, Kamwanyi in Luzira, and the Acholi Quarters in Kinawataka, completed a one-month intensive course in baking and small business management. The programme was funded through a $41,000 (sh146m) Rotary Foundation grant.

The graduation ceremony held on Friday, 15 August 2025, at BISS Bakeries Uganda in Katalemwa, Wakiso District, was presided over by Rotary District 9213 governor Geoffrey Martin Kitakule, who handed out certificates to the trainees.

Rotary District 9213, Rotary club, BISS Bakeries Uganda officials hold a cake during the graduation ceremony held at BISS Bakeries Uganda in Katalemwa, Wakiso District. (Credit: John Odyek)

The event was filled with joy as the graduates donned gowns, ululated and celebrated their achievement.

“These young women can now produce chapatti, samosas, pastries, and other products for profit. Many great enterprises began in kitchens and garages; the same could happen here,” said Kitakule.

He revealed that each graduate will receive seed capital to start or expand their businesses and urged them to invest wisely in equipment rather than unproductive expenses.

Rotary Club of Kampala President Jacqueline Ayuga Mukasa said the graduates have been equipped with entrepreneurial skills to run bakery businesses that will support their families and communities. Byenkya congratulated them on successfully completing the training.

Rotary Club of Kampala City’s Kevin Lionel Odoki praised the collaboration among Rotary clubs in Uganda and the Netherlands that made the training possible. “These ladies now have the skills to not only earn a living but also create jobs for others,” Odoki said.

Graduates, trainers and Rotary club officials cut cake during the graduation ceremony held at BISS Bakeries Uganda in Katalemwa, Wakiso District. (Credit: John Odyek)

BISS Bakeries Uganda director Lukas den Admirant explained that the programme has two phases. The first involves learning to produce pan-fried products such as mandazi, doughnuts, chapatti, daddies, and samosas.

The second involves preparing oven-baked goods such as bread, cakes, and pastries. The graduates are expected to sit for the Uganda Vocational and Technical Assessment Board (UVTAB) exams.

The course combined theory, including costing, pricing, financial planning, marketing, and market analysis, with practical sessions. Graduates also qualify for start-up kits and interest-free loans of up to sh2million, repayable within a year.

Those who repay will be eligible for the second phase, which offers larger loans of up to sh9 million and internships at established bakeries like Hot Loaf, Karveli, and Katalemwa Bakery.

The project is a partnership between Rotary clubs in Kampala, Kitante, and Vorst (Netherlands), the Rotaract Club of Kampala City and BISS, a Ugandan non-profit founded by Bake for Life Holland.

Local community organisations helped identify participants, including Slum Life Survival (Kazo), the Single Mothers Club (Luzira) and Kamwokya Christian Caring Community (KCCC).

The initiative aims to turn job seekers into job creators, women capable of running sustainable enterprises that uplift not just themselves, but their families and communities.