Business Skills Training Helping Women to Earn Money for Family

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October 20, 2018

Joyce Driciru, 30, is one of 45 refugees and host community youths who participated in skills training in Omugo, an extension of Rhino Camp Refugee Settlement in Northwestern Uganda. Joyce is originally from Arua, Uganda and is a single mother to her three children, ages 10, 8, and 5. Joyce completed a 7-week instruction of bakery and catering at the skills learning center. Joyce started skills training in late August 2018 and finished in October 2018. This project is implemented by CARE and local partner WINEPS, with funding from Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NMFA).

Joyce at the skills learning center with
fresh sambusas.
In early March 2018, Joyce was one of 208 youth selected to attend business skills training and receive mentorship in business plan development. Before Joyce attended the business skills training, she was not working and was staying at home. The father to her children is no longer in the area and does not support them financially. Due to a lack of school fees, her children have not been able to consistently attend school, causing each of her children to be two years behind their age-cohort in school. She was having challenges providing basic needs for herself and her children and felt like she could not advance economically in life. After the business skills training, each youth developed a business plan. 201 of these youth received in-kind grants and 45 received additional skills training to develop their business. Joyce said she chose a bakery and catering business because she wants to start a catering service within the settlement. Joyce said she had never made chapatti, mendazi, or sambusas before the training, however she is now very confident in her skills and is very proud of her mendazi-making skills.  
Joyce, along 20 other youths, was enrolled in bakery and catering, where they learned how to bake many different local items including chapatti, mendazi (donuts), sambusas (pea or meat filled pastry), cakes and egg dishes. In addition to learning how to make food, the youth also learned business skills through formal learnings and practicing selling the items they made to the local community. The youth were taught by a local woman who has extensive experience in bakery and catering, as well as teaching.

Joyce receiving her in-kind grant materials.
In fact, Joyce was able to learn these skills so well she decided to start selling mendazi on the weekends to her community. Joyce says she is able to make about 10,000 Ugandan Shillings (approx. $3.00 USD) each day. Joyce currently saves most of the money she makes and uses some to buy extra materials for her growing business.Joyce was also one of 201 youths who were selected to receive an in-kind grant as a part of this initiative. During business skills training, each youth was required to write and submit a business plan in order to be eligible for a grant. On September 11, 2018 Joyce received her in-kind grant including items to help her start a bakery including a basin, charcoal stove, oil, flour, baking soda, rolling pin and board, margarine, among other items. Joyce was very excited to be receiving these items as it will allow her to expand her business and make more money for her family. 

Joyce expresses her sincere gratitude towards CARE in the implementation of this project. “I can now send my children to school and knowing I did this all on my own makes me even more happy.”


Story Compiled and Written By: Brandi Murley
CARE West Nile Office, Uganda


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