OCF for Changing lives of Women/Girls

Women who did not attain education and, school drop-outs especially young mothers and girls without any qualifications are much vulnerable in our communities as they suffer consequences of different exploitation and harassment in developing urban areas in communities of developing countries. In Uganda where I come from, some young women and girls have resorted to sex work (prostitution) in search for survival which puts their lives at risk.Giving women and girls the most wanted skills to help them start their own projects and jobs creation is very key in reducing or stopping prostitution. Isaac Mbusa of Open Community Foundation in Kasese, western Uganda proposes Hair dressing and Tailoring skills to help out women and girls create their own jobs for a happy future. If adopted, this project can educate other women to scale up the problem of resorting to sex work which puts their lives at risk.

The project will be solving the challenge/problem that is associated to unemployment, poverty cycles, illiteracy and other related factors leading to sex work (reducing high levels and cases of HIV/AIDS and other infections that are obtained through sex). 

The project will target to reach out to 40 women/girls. Meaning that 20 for hair dressing and other 20 for tailoring skills by reducing Poverty levels and  scaling it down  in the communities

Other factors associated to this problem are; Unemployment stress which will also be solved and reduced amongst the women and girls

And the capacity of women will be provided or boosted to have a self-supporting community.

In our community, over 300 women and girls are registered to be involved in sex work every year. This can lead to health issues and deaths if not solved. Empowering women is key in the development of the nation as they play a big role in the economic development.

The solution involves Giving skills and knowledge, health training and education on issues related to sex work. The project will train 40 women (20 in hair dressing and other 20 in tailoring training) to create their own jobs.

The project will kick start as soon as funds are available.

Isaac will work hand in hand with Open Community Foundation and with health workers as well as local authorities to mobilize, sensitize and create awareness, select the benefiting women, and start the trainings.

We will also organize a radio talk show to speak to many people and this is the indirect way of reaching out to the communities. And over 1000 people will have or hear the good news about this project.

The solution serves an education and market opportunity to the entire communities of Uganda as well as changing lives of women and girls. The target population is the indigenous women and girls in Kasese town, Kasese district Western Uganda. I have conducted radio talk shows and interactions to capture the situation on ground. I am also telling people about it including the local leaders, policy makers at different levels and I hope that SOLVE will also put a changing hand in creating the happiness women desperately need. 

The solution will address the needs by building the capacity of women and girls and by creating their own jobs so that they can be able to support themselves and their families.

By enabling small and new businesses especially in developing and untapped communities to and create good jobs through access to skills, capital, networks, and technology is much connected to the fight of the challenge faced by women. As women and girls are trading in illegal sex work, men use the chance to exploit them with peanut pays thus leaving them affected or transmitting diseases to them.

The problem here is much aligned to the selected dimension as it proposes the life time job change that can be given to women and girls.

Tailoring and hair dressing activities by use of hands and legs, women can be innovative in this new venture and thus this project or solution can be regarded innovative.

Use of manually run machines to make capital by women. The technology will be the use of the machines trained by women and girls so that they can live a happy life with their life skills.

Production of fashions and design in hair dressing industry and tailoring.

By making new products from different materials such as bags, women shopping bags, shoes, clothes and different fashions of hair of women and beauty, all these among others are innovation evidence.

The project aims to provide the beneficiaries with the following positive impacts:

• Break the cycle of dependency and despair by providing skills (hair dressing and tailoring) and knowledge (small business management) that will generate a sustainable source of income.
• Having an independent source of income will enable the women to have greater control over their lives. Both income and control are social determinants of health; therefore our project will contribute to increased health outcomes for the women and their families.
• Reduce prostitution, sexual exploitation and transmission of STDs among the project beneficiaries through the provision of sustainable income generating program and health education.

Expected Outcomes

• Financial empowerment, greater independence, improved living conditions and reduction in exploitation and prostitution are the long term changes expected after the implementation of the project. The beneficiaries will have a useful and needed skill (hair dressing and tailoring) that they will continue to use to improve their lives and the lives of their families and community.
• The outcomes of this project also align with the following Sustainable Development Goals; 1. No poverty, 2. Zero hunger, 3. Good health and well-being, 5. Gender equality, and Reduced inequality.

The project solution will be serving or reaching out to 40 women including girls. No current people being served under this program since it is in its new stages of start (Concept).

To have a free and self supportive environment with skills and knowledge of positive change in life. 

This can be achieved by networking, sharing and working under guidance as well as practicing.

First of all, the biggest challenge is financial which is a limiting factor of positive change. Another is technical and capacity building and barriers in accessing information and market as these limit to have the change we desire.

By networking, sharing and reaching out to different supporters as well as practice.

2 staff

3 volunteers

The team is skilled in areas of community development, social work and social development. They are well experienced in community development and they fully understand the needs of the communities.

None.

The business model will be entirely aiming at providing sustainable livelihood empowerment (skills and knowledge) for disadvantaged and sexually exploited women (sex workers) and young mothers through skill training (Tailoring and hair dressing) and public awareness to run their own small sustainable businesses. Financial independence and increased self-confidence will allow the women to provide greater care to their children and for themselves. The skills will be producing the products that can be on market.

Grants, well wishers and local government support. This fund(s) can be used to sustain the project but the following ways will be important;

• The project has been designed to empower women in building their capacity by skills development to carry out tailoring and hair dressing activities that shall be on market. 
• The women will be supported to network with multiple formal buyers. The equipment and start-up materials provided to the women have a life span of not less than 10 years of continuously working and skills are for life.
• The project was designed from a market point of view, enabling the market of hair dressing and tailoring to support the skills activities beyond the project life.
• Open Community Foundation will work very hard to ensure that the women are connected to formal markets and will advise good market prices and business management with the participation of the other women and men in the communities. 
• The women shall be advised to start up a village savings and lending component to help them save for the project and future as an alternative for a self-sustaining bank for the women that does not require external financing to start and operate.  This is critical to help women save and grow their money without engaging in external borrowing i.e. they will use their savings to create sustainable credit.

I am applying to solve or the following results coming;

- Connections and networking and also join the world of solution providers to the many community problems around the world

- To build and increase the capacity of the organization, applicant, beneficiaries and partnership.

- To have a financial break through by beneficiaries of the project since they will create their own jobs

- Learning new skills and getting knowledge is another.

Capacity building, information sharing and fundraising

MIT Solution, 

MIT faculty 

and Solve Members

I work with women and by engaging women, the prize would mean a lot to women in changing their lives