Plans for 2021

The Kihihi Women's Group will be our first group to learn catering skills.

2021 is off to an exciting start! In January, we received our first donation, and started planning for our own space in Kabale, Uganda. We found a wonderful space that fills our current needs, leaves us room to grow. March 1st, we moved into the new office! We have a reception area, an office for the director, and a board room. Included in that space is a self-contained room for visitors, or long-term volunteers. We also have three dorm style rooms that will be available for trainers and trainees. The dorms are not yet furnished, but we are hoping to be able to finish those spaces by June.

We are currently working on scheduling the first batch of trainings! The first group we will train is in Kihihi. They will be learning catering skills so they can start their own catering business! To facilitate training, ME Uganda will provide all the catering supplies needed for them to start their business. They will receive these material day one of training.

April through July, we will be scheduling trainings for the groups that are a bit farther away from Kabale. We will go to those groups for training as transporting and housing groups can be difficult. We have found some awesome professionals who we will hire to train women in different skills. Hiring skilled trainers can be expensive, but we are investing in the future of women, which is always worth it!

Currently, we are renting one section of the office building. By July, we are hoping to take over the rest of the space. The remaining space is four store-fronts with attached storage. Our plan is to set up a bakery, a tailoring shop, a hair salon, and a crafts shop where groups can sell their handmade goods. We have some groups, like our Disabled Women's Group, who are unable to learn or perform skills like catering, or hairdressing. These groups make beautiful crafts such as bags, baskets, and jewelry. Having a shop for them would ensure they can market their products to a larger community. The remaining three shops would be an intensive, small groups training experience. We plan to find full time professionals who utilize the space daily, and would allow trainees to work with them. Income from the shop would help offset rent expenses, while also allowing trainees to earn an income while they learn new skills.

We are excited to see what the next year has in store for us. As we progress we will continue to update all of you.

Thank you for your continued support. Without you, none of this would be possible.