MAKING A LIVING FROM SAND AND METAL
Aug 26, 2008
DROPPING out of school in Senior Three did not mean the end of life for Grace Apolot.
BY JOHN KASOZI
DROPPING out of school in Senior Three did not mean the end of life for Grace Apolot.
Industrious, energetic and intelligent, Apolot, 40, says: “I have had no regrets since I joined the foundry business (making glass and metal objects) in 1993. From the time I came to Musaana-Kisenyi in Kampala in search of employment, I have encountered few problems.â€
“I also find the career rewarding because I work with my husband, Sebastian Eseru. I am financially stable. I pay school fees and my two children’s up-keep without asking for money from my husband,†narrates Apolot, a leader with Jua Kali Aluminium Moulders Association (JKAMA). She trained at Makerere University Business School, Nakawa.
JKAMA has 300 members and deals in moulding, fabrication and designing of weighing scales, saucepans, car spare parts, gate decorations, grills and candle moulds.
Apolot adds that she has initiated about a dozen women into the business. “If I were asked to pass on my skills to young school girls, I would not hesitate.†She insists that if Uganda is to develop, women should not shun the foundry industry.
Florence Arengo, 30, sits about 100 metres away from Apolot’s foundry. She acquired sand-moulding skills from her father and paternal aunt when she was five years old.
“Sand moulding during my childhood was fun. Sand is one of the items children find quite interesting. Unknowingly, it seems I was preparing myself for this occupation,†she adds. Sand moulding involves forming a mould from a sand mixture and pouring molten liquid metal into the cavity in the mould. It is then cooled until the metal solidifies.
A mother of six, Arengo ably feeds and pays fees for her children. “Work is good, but there is a season when business is low and yet the production line has about three people who have to be paid for their services,†she says.
She regrets that most women avoid this kind of work, thinking it is only suitable for men. With the proceeds from the moulding, Arengo has bought land and livestock and meets her basic necessities.
Another artisan, Samuel Episu, 26, says he joined the foundry business after his Senior Four. “I have gained experience in this field and am able to make money. I am planning to resume my studies next year. I had dropped out of school because I could not afford the fees.â€
Apolot’s husband, Eseru, is the acting chairman of JKAMA. He acquired the skills from his in-law. “We got the skills during the peak demand for kitchen utensils like plates and saucepans in the 1970s. The products were sold around town,†he says. “The community was all smiles. They could get saucepans and plates at a reasonable cost.â€
In 1986, Eseru shifted to Musaana-Kisenyi from Soroti, where he had trained many people in foundry.
As Eseru settled in Kampala, orders started flowing in from a number of clients and he gained experience in moulding car and industrial spare parts.
Since then, Eseru has developed expertise in making metal products from brass, zinc and copper. He has not looked back and cannot think of doing any other job.
In 2006, with funding from the East African Development Bank, 17 members of the association underwent a three-months’ training by Uganda Industrial Research Institute to give them modern skills in moulding, operating lathing machines and gas and tick welding. Eseru says because of this and other training courses, they will soon produce steel products once they get a melting furnace and hydroelectric power.
DROPPING out of school in Senior Three did not mean the end of life for Grace Apolot.
Industrious, energetic and intelligent, Apolot, 40, says: “I have had no regrets since I joined the foundry business (making glass and metal objects) in 1993. From the time I came to Musaana-Kisenyi in Kampala in search of employment, I have encountered few problems.â€
“I also find the career rewarding because I work with my husband, Sebastian Eseru. I am financially stable. I pay school fees and my two children’s up-keep without asking for money from my husband,†narrates Apolot, a leader with Jua Kali Aluminium Moulders Association (JKAMA). She trained at Makerere University Business School, Nakawa.
JKAMA has 300 members and deals in moulding, fabrication and designing of weighing scales, saucepans, car spare parts, gate decorations, grills and candle moulds.
Apolot adds that she has initiated about a dozen women into the business. “If I were asked to pass on my skills to young school girls, I would not hesitate.†She insists that if Uganda is to develop, women should not shun the foundry industry.
Florence Arengo, 30, sits about 100 metres away from Apolot’s foundry. She acquired sand-moulding skills from her father and paternal aunt when she was five years old.
“Sand moulding during my childhood was fun. Sand is one of the items children find quite interesting. Unknowingly, it seems I was preparing myself for this occupation,†she adds. Sand moulding involves forming a mould from a sand mixture and pouring molten liquid metal into the cavity in the mould. It is then cooled until the metal solidifies.
A mother of six, Arengo ably feeds and pays fees for her children. “Work is good, but there is a season when business is low and yet the production line has about three people who have to be paid for their services,†she says.
She regrets that most women avoid this kind of work, thinking it is only suitable for men. With the proceeds from the moulding, Arengo has bought land and livestock and meets her basic necessities.
Another artisan, Samuel Episu, 26, says he joined the foundry business after his Senior Four. “I have gained experience in this field and am able to make money. I am planning to resume my studies next year. I had dropped out of school because I could not afford the fees.â€
Apolot’s husband, Eseru, is the acting chairman of JKAMA. He acquired the skills from his in-law. “We got the skills during the peak demand for kitchen utensils like plates and saucepans in the 1970s. The products were sold around town,†he says. “The community was all smiles. They could get saucepans and plates at a reasonable cost.â€
In 1986, Eseru shifted to Musaana-Kisenyi from Soroti, where he had trained many people in foundry.
As Eseru settled in Kampala, orders started flowing in from a number of clients and he gained experience in moulding car and industrial spare parts.
Since then, Eseru has developed expertise in making metal products from brass, zinc and copper. He has not looked back and cannot think of doing any other job.
In 2006, with funding from the East African Development Bank, 17 members of the association underwent a three-months’ training by Uganda Industrial Research Institute to give them modern skills in moulding, operating lathing machines and gas and tick welding. Eseru says because of this and other training courses, they will soon produce steel products once they get a melting furnace and hydroelectric power.