Dear Kyusa partners & friends,
As we wind down the year 2014 and the first year of
our operation, we are in gratitude for how far Kyusa has come and continues to grow
as well as flourish in the quality of services that are being offered. On
behalf of Kyusa, we would like to thank you for your generous contributions and
support. Your enduring commitment and precious investment to build and nurture
change agents in Uganda is genuinely appreciated.
As we reflect upon the past months, we are proud
of the progress that Kyusa has made towards achieving its vision and mission.
Here are some of the Milestones:
·
On the 6th March 2014,
the team leader of Kyusa ; Noeline Kirabo was honored with the Dewey Winburn
Community Service Award in recognition of the vision and mission of Kyusa and
the impact that it is seeking to accomplish.
·
At the beginning of May
2014, Kyusa officially opened up its offices to the general public. Kyusa has
been operating in Kalerwe for the last eight months.
·
On 19th May
2014, Kyusa received its certificate of registration and incorporation as an
NGO in Uganda thus legalized to operate as a legal entity.
·
On the 18th June 2014,
the Kyusa pilot project was officially rolled out with eleven participants who
committed to work through the pilot project.
·
28th
September 2014, marked the climax of the pilot as ten participants were able to
successfully graduate from the Kyusa program. At the time of graduation 80%
were already employed or had started their ventures.
·
On 17th September, Kyusa
rolled out its second intake for 2014. We took on a much smaller class of five
because many applicants were limited by the tuition requirements and two were
able to successfully graduate from the program.
·
Kyusa launched an
ongoing fundraising campaign to raise a team of 50 Kyusa heroes who will commit
to giving a minimum of 50,000 shillings ($20) on a monthly basis for a period
of at least one year. We have so far met 10% of the target and still pressing
on.
Some of the impact
we have accomplished this year includes:
Ø
We have trained 15 out
of school youth this year and 12 have successfully graduated from the program.
Ø
100% of all the alumni
are either employed or are running their ventures.
Ø
40% of alumni are
employed in different companies while the remaining 70% have started and
continue to grow their ventures.
Ø
Alumni have so far
started 8 sustainable business ventures and three social enterprises. This is a
result of them identifying their passions and being equipped with skills
through Kyusa to turn them into sustainable careers.
Ø
Each alumni earns an
average monthly income of 100,000 shillings ($50) according to the alumni
report
Ø
40% of alumni are
providing employment opportunities for 15 fellow youth through their business
ventures and 12 volunteer placements to youth who would otherwise be idle and
probably more prone to criminal activities.
Ø
One alumnus is currently
supporting a young sibling through school by paying his tuition thus working
towards stopping the cycle of school dropouts in his family. This is made
possible through income from his business venture.
Ø
Two of the alumni have
each started social enterprises that are collectively impacting the
transforming the lives of 60 vulnerable children between the ages of 6 – 19
years in their communities.
It is also our pleasure to share with you some
of the success stories from 2014:
Julius Afasha- a passion driven ICT personnel with a passion for catering. His
passion for cooking and managing food was often deemed unreasonable for a boy
by family and friends so he silently buried his passion. Through kyusa , Julius realized the business
potential in his cooking skill and was inspired to turn his passion into a
profession. He has started a food and events management service company where
he currently employs eleven fellow youth and earns an average monthly income in
sales of 300,000 shillings $120. Julius saves 100,000 shillings ($40) weekly as
he plans to expand his business and buy his own catering equipment so he can
stop hiring.
Viola Nabbagala is business entrepreneur with an eye for fashion. When her
parents separated, she was forced to engage in child labor so as to raise her
tuition and support her family. She was often abused by some of her employers
which greatly affected her self-esteem and confidence. Through Kyusa, Viola has
regained her self-confidence and esteem. She is currently the proprietor of
Sweet Daddies- a snack business that supplies snacks to retailers and families
in her community. She currently earns an average income of 100,000 shillings ($40)
monthly and has so far saved up 100,000 shillings ($40) towards her future
business plans.
Henry Kireri a social entrepreneur with a passion for children. Having been
raised by a single parent, Henry was often left on his own, with minimum
parental guidance or emotional support. He was unable to develop any talent to
help him cope with life as a school dropout.
Through Kyusa Henry has been able to turn his burning desire to impact
the lives of vulnerable children into a viable project. He is in the process of
registering a community based organisation that will empower street children
and other children at risk with life skills through the use of creative arts.
He is currently working with 30 children through their weekly weekend program.
He officially launched his organisation on 6th December 2014 through a
children’s creativity gala that brought together over 100 parents and children
from the community. He currently works with six volunteers. He has also started
a chapatti making business where he provides employment for one young man as a
way of raising his daily earning power. He also plans to start a piggery
business in December 2014 as a way of raising income to support his social
enterprise.
Isaac Kasibante is a splendid entrepreneur with a love for football. His
childhood dream of being a footballer was shattered because his parents could
not afford to buy him a football kit or pay his tuition to attend a
professional football academy. Isaac through his training with Kyusa has
ignited this passion, he has started K.Isaac Football Academy that seeks to
empower boys from low income families with life skills through the use of
football training and coaching. He is currently working with 30 vulnerable boys
on a weekly basis. He is also part timing as a primary school teacher at his
former primary school where he teaches mathematics and science. This supplements
his income to enable him run the social venture while he works towards making
it financially self sustaining.
Joan Nampijja is a proactive entrepreneur with a passion for catering. After
failing to score any principal pass at high school, her mother told her she
would never amount to anything and vowed not to pay any more tuition for her.
As a result of her training at Kyusa, Joan has turned her cooking passion into
a snacks business that currently supplies restaurants, school canteens and
families in her community. Her day starts at 4 am and she currently earns an
average weekly income from sales of 300,000 shillings ($120) she saves 50,000
shillings ($20) daily from her business profits. She plans to employ one person
to help her with the work load at the start of 2015. Her life purpose is to
equip in school youth with business creation schools youth entrepreneurship
clubs. As a result of her testimony, New Hope secondary school has signed her
up to train 25 students in the next school term as a pilot for her project.
All this has been made possible through your
generous giving and continued support. We are grateful and appreciate this far
you have walked with us.
Our goal for 2015 is to empower 40 out of school
youth in urban slums to turn their passion into sustainable careers through
four training cycles of ten participants each. We need your help to be able to
make this a reality. We here by invite you to be part of this great movement by
becoming a Kyusa hero. A hero is a person who commits to giving a minimum of
50,000 shilling ($20) on a monthly basis for at least one year. This enables us
to offer this program free of charge to one participant who may not be able to
afford to subsidized tuition fees. Your generous gift will go a long way in
changing not just lives but generations of Ugandan youth.
Wishing you a peaceful and joyful holiday
season, May 2015 be a blessed and fruitful year for you.
Many blessings from the Kyusa family
