The Story of StartUp: Part 1 The Framework for a Rocket Ship
Tucked away into the corner of West Nile, Uganda, a stone throw away from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan, a trading center sits along the road. If you’re not paying attention, it’s easy to miss. A blip, a curve in the road, on the journey from Arua to places farther north. But no one ever said that big things can’t come from small places. That a dream, an idea, and an initiative cannot be born here. No one certainly ever told us that.
It didn’t take Moses and I long to become fast friends. Sitting outside on the fallen trees of the compound, between work and boredom, I would ask him questions about his perspectives on a culture still very new to me. While some of his ideas were very traditional and conservative, we would never hesitate to think a little deeper on issues of gender norms and the things that make life meaningful - “Why are men “supposed” to behave this way and women “supposed” to behave that way? What’s it mean to have a goal for you?” It was only a matter of time until I started throwing project ideas out to him to get his insight. During one of our talks, he told me about the business he wanted to open and the challenges with trying to get a loan from the bank. Our conversation also turned to the youth who sat idle in our trading centre - out of school and not seeming to be working towards anything but another empty day of sitting tomorrow. Perhaps, like Moses who was in the middle of market research for the soda distributing business he wanted to open, these youth also had ideas and skills, but there were no doors available for them to pass through to turn these ideas into reality. Had someone ever encouraged them to try? How difficult was it to start?
A few weeks later, Moses came back from the bank on a follow-up about his loan application. He had done the research, presented his business plan, and he had even sent me on a mission to do some investigating at another soda distributor to help him. Surely he had come with good news…
He had been denied the business loan. No money. No business.
According to a review done by the International Youth Foundation, “economic opportunities, especially youth entrepreneurship, was the number one priority youth identified when asked what they want. Youth seek entrepreneurship activities through training, financial resources, and the removal of barriers to start their businesses”
(http://www.youtheconomicopportunities.org/sites/default/files/uploads/resource/CSIS_WhatYouthWant.pdf).
Watching Moses go through the paces of trying to secure a business loan, it made it glaringly obvious how few opportunities were available for young entrepreneurs. Through loans, banks offer one of the only ways to access the startup capital necessary to turn a business idea into a reality. But with inflated interest rates (often between 20-30%) which begin shortly after the loan has been granted, people struggle to make their repayments, the business not even having a chance to reach profitability yet. Often, they are then forced to take out another loan just to pay off the first one. Debt quickly drowns a business. And a person. In one of the most entrepreneurial countries in the world, businesses start, but very few of those businesses survive and thrive after their first, second, or even third birthday.
So, if what youth want is economic opportunity, what does it take to make it possible? If barriers were removed, if resources - human, material, financial - were accessible, and youth learned how to find these resources, use them smartly, and capitalize on the opportunity, what kind of economic environment could we create? What kind of barriers to health care and education would be removed as an outcome? More importantly, how could we create opportunities to learn and network from business owners with experience -Ugandan business owners?
Turning to the resources I had, I read through a Peace Corps manual on youth entrepreneurship. Talking with Moses about the idea of a project that would both train youth in entrepreneurship skills and provide access to resources for their business ideas, we recognized that this could to be larger than just our trading center. That youth from around Uganda could be brought together to exchange ideas and experiences. That some friendly competition would bring out the best of the best ideas. That we would need business owners who not only had the experience, but were doing business right and willing to share that with others. We combined ideas from my reading and our discussions - we needed a camp to teach the skills and a national business plan competition to connect the resources.
The ideas lingered with me. The scope of it kept questions swirling around, “How could this even become possible? Who could I approach about it?” It kept me awake at night, planning, plotting, dreaming…
In January I spent a week at a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) camp for girls. The camp challenged girls to learn how to build apps and then use an app that they made themselves to solve a problem in their communities. As I spoke to the ladies about finding and understanding her own passions and purpose, I was brought back to what Moses and I had talked about, seeing the passion in these young women’s work and recognizing the barriers they still faced. Youth and entrepreneurship were following me around everywhere. Finally, on the bus with the STEM group, coming back from a field trip at the Entebbe International Airport, I emailed a Peace Corps staff member. It was short and sweet, little more than: This is my idea, this is what I have so far, this is how I think I can make it happen, what are your thoughts? I’ll be at the office tomorrow if you want to meet to discuss more.
Within minutes, I had my response. “Youth entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and employability are our programmatic priorities this year. Let’s sit down and talk more tomorrow when you’re at the office.” The uncomfortable bus seat, heat, and traffic no longer existed. My heart stopped and I read and reread the email. After weeks of thinking about this idea, it turned out someone was willing to listen. Perhaps, maybe, I had just struck gold.
*This is part of a series of posts that highlight the story of StartUp Uganda and entrepreneurship in Uganda. From ideation to creation of camps and competitions, this tells of how a single youth inspired an idea and the many, incredible people who have made this initiative a reality.
