In Omugo extension refugee settlement, Gertrude, a 27-year-old single mother Ugandan, faced extreme hardship after the loss of her mother during her secondary education and the death of her husband in 2019. Her life was defined by grief and struggle. Left to care for her one child and five younger siblings with no income or support from the father, she was forced to drop out of school in term one of her Senior 4 class. She spent her days doing difficult “leja-leja” (casual labor) work, often working for food, soap, salt and other family basic needs. Gertrude’s daily life was marked by overwhelming emotions, leaving her stressed and without hope for life.
The turning point came in July 2025, when Gertrude saw an advert for out-of-school youths non-formal vocational skills training by Kulika Uganda in partnership with Wilde Ganzen. “I saw the advert pinned at the innovation center in Ofua 4, which previously I did casual labor of fetching water during its construction, I recognised it as a potential path forward for me, also desire to overcome my past failures-including a memorable and unsuccessful attempt at making mandazi, I applied for the baking and catering trade and I was accepted,” she explains.
During the early two-months of the training, Gertrude quickly acquired skills in baking mandazi, cakes, tamia and developed a desire to start her own business as she is continuing with the training, unfortunately she did not have any source of capital to meet this desire.
“It was not easy for me, I had too much fear-but through the life skills sessions that were part of the training components, I learned to open up to my trainer about my worrying financial condition-I requested for an opportunity to support my trainer in restaurant work before the start and end of each training day, I did that for the first two months,” Gertrude narrates, through a modest daily wage of Ugshs 2000 (USD 0.55) for assisting her trainer, she found a way to start her own small business of selling tea and bread in the local trading center.
This initial venture, assisted with the help of her young sister, led to a new opportunity. With a friend’s support, she secured a small room in a new market located in Omugo 6 and expanded her services to include tasty products like tamia, sweet potato crisps, pancakes and actual food.
Today, Gertrude’s small restaurant business thrives. She attracts customers with competitive pricing, and her daily profit of Ugshs 4000 (USD 1.12) enables her to provide food, clothes, and school fees for her child and siblings.
“The food that used to be a visitor in my family is truly now my daily bread,” Gertrude says, highlighting a powerful shift in her life. With her restaurant, she can consistently provide three meals a day for her family and pay for her child’s school fees-a great contrast to the days of working odd jobs for tuition. Amidst her challenges of limited capital to procure plates, saucepans, tables, chairs, she is rather trying to save money to one day build her own permanent restaurant and purchase items including a fridge to sell cold drinks, a testament to her business instincts and ambition.
This journey has not only transformed her finances but her well-being. “The greatest change is the reduced stress in my life,” she explains, her voice full of newfound confidence plans to balance her current business with the future group project when start-up is given.
Gertrude’s story is a testament to how vocational skills training, combined with resilience and a supportive community, can transform lives. It demonstrates how powerful skills-based learning creates sustainable livelihoods and restores hope for those facing extraordinary hardships.
