Educate!
Developing Entrepreneurs and Leaders in Uganda
Location: Uganda
Educate!: Grantee in 2011, 2012 and 2013
Educate! seeks to unlock the potential of African youth through education. Founder Eric Glustrom was a rising high school senior when he visited Uganda in 2002 to film a documentary about conditions in refugee camps there. In the course of his work, he befriended a fellow teen who had fled the Democratic Republic of the Congo with his siblings after losing their parents in the conflicts there. Glustrom, inspired by his new friend’s resolve, was motivated to help him enroll in a good school and then followed his progress after returning home. That effort was the start of what became Educate!
Since then, thousands of high school youths have participated in programs hosted by dozens of partner schools across Uganda. Educate’s model is grounded on the principle of empowerment and seeks to invest in youth so they feel confident to step up and eventually positively impact others in their communities. The goal is to create ‘change makers,’ individuals who will start their own businesses that solve community problems or work full time to do so.
To accomplish these ambitious goals, Educate! provides a two-year social entrepreneurship and leadership course, long-term mentoring, and an alumni program. All of these programs help students transition productively into new business roles. The program has expanded across Uganda into Rwanda and Kenya. Educate! intends to further develop the model to replicate success across Africa.
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GRANT SUMMARY AND PURPOSE
2011: $25,000 to deliver individualized programs to 75 new students at three schools in Kampala, Uganda. Monies also contribute to the development of a national entrepreneurship curriculum to reach tens of thousands of Ugandan high schoolers.
2012: $25,000 to sponsor participation in the individualized program for 125 students in five Kampala schools; 75 as they started year two of their program and 50 starting the first year. Funds also will improve the program model and make it scalable even beyond Uganda.
2013: $25,000 to support the two-year (44 class) course for 150 high school juniors and seniors in five schools, provide mentoring and host a school-sponsored business club.
IMPACT
Improve post-secondary school employment rates; left unaddressed, overall unemployment of Ugandan youth exceeds 80%. The program helps graduates start their own businesses that can then employ others as well.