CEDA International Hosts Walk in Uganda, Celebrates Women Entrepreneurs

On November 16, hundreds of women gathered in Kampala to celebrate the fifth annual Mentoring Walk, hosted by Century Entrepreneurship Development Agency (CEDA) International. The event was one of the many activities scheduled to mark November as the Month of the Woman Entrepreneur. Designed to promote and draw attention to the role of women in business, the Month of the Woman Entrepreneur is coordinated by the Ugandan Women Entrepreneurs Association Limited (UWEAL).

As women gathered in Uganda’s capital, similar walks were organized in twenty-seven other countries. The theme for the 2013 Mentoring Walk was “Inspire, Equip and Skill the Youth – Build the Future.” Falling in line with the overarching goals of the Month of the Woman Entrepreneur; the Mentoring Walk provided an opportunity to showcase the accomplishments of women in business, to develop future business leaders, and to advocate for the importance of women in development.

“We are bringing humans together to celebrate their achievements,” said Hajat Rehmah Kasule, flag bearer of the Ugandan Mentoring Walk. Kasule is also founder and president of CEDA International, a not-for-profit organization focused on advancing the business skills of women and youth.

Women from many different walks of life gathered at Centenary Park early Saturday morning. Despite the unusual chill in the air and threatening gray clouds, the women were energetic and quickly grouped into small pockets of conversation. Young girls in school uniforms, NGO representatives, successful CEOs and small business owners mingled together. The march interrupted Kampala traffic; women filled the streets and carved a path from Centenary Park to Kintante Primary School, where the program was delivered. Entertaining and informative, the presentation included poetry, dancing, personal stories and advice from successful businesswomen.

Patricia Mahoney, Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Kampala, was the guest of honor.

“In the development of Uganda, it’s important to use the potential of all the citizens… young or old, male or female,” Mahoney stated. “[The U.S. Mission] wants a healthy, prosperous, democratic Uganda and to do that you need to realize the potential of every single citizen. We all have to do our part to mentor the younger people.”

“When I look at all the young girls and women out here, I feel very optimistic about the future for Uganda and I feel very happy about the potential that I see here today,” she said.

Developing the potential of young girls is the aim of the Rising Stars Mentoring Program run by CEDA International. The program, currently impacting 12,000 girls ages 14-30, is grooming young women to become leaders in Uganda and equipping them with the skills to succeed.

“At the age of 19-years-old I was able to start up my own business . . . I feel very thankful to CEDA International for the [Rising Stars] initiative,” said the Master of Ceremonies in her opening address.

“Leadership starts at a young age, which is why the work of CEDA International is so crucial,” said Susan Nsibirwa, director of marketing for Vision Group.

As a highly successful businesswoman, Nsibirwa gave advice to the crowd as a guest speaker but also enjoyed the conversations she had with young girls during the walk itself.

“Sharing your experiences with someone younger than you is priceless,” she stated.

While the day was a celebration of what has been accomplished, in her opening speech Kasule did not shy away from identifying areas of improvement.

“Our population is 75 percent youth . . . What does that mean for our country?” she asked. “As employees you come to us and say you want jobs. I’ll say to the girls out there, ‘There are no jobs; you need to become job creators.’”

“We need the government in this fight,” Kasule continued, turning to Rukia Nakadama, the State Minister for Gender, Social and Youth Development seated on the platform. Kasule stressed women’s indispensable exercise of the right to vote and noted that children in Uganda hold onto misconceptions of role models as they often witness censureless acts of financial corruption by top government officials.

“Laziness is definitely not an option,” declared Nsibirwa in her speech. “Complacency is definitely not an option. Corruption is definitely not an option. Sleeping your way to the top is definitely, definitely not an option!”

While speakers did not hesitate to name challenges facing women in business, the overall mood of the day was positive. For women in the audience, the event was an opportunity to be encouraged and learn from others.

Mahoney reiterated the program’s message saying that women in Uganda need educational opportunities — and within themselves need to establish a belief in their contribution and importance to the country.

“Last year was very good, that’s why we’ve come back,” said Margaret Kajuma, a child protection worker and nurse for i.HUG Foundation. Along with her colleagues, she brought disadvantaged girls ages 9 to 15 from the local i.HUG school, Kabalaga Community Academy.

“The girls were so excited about the mentoring walk. We need them to interact with others, to get inspired. What others can do, they can do. In business you need to involve people who know about the particular area you want, and you need to become sensitized about finances. People get money and they don’t know how to spend it. They don’t know how to prioritize.”

Harriet Kobugabe, owner of a laundry and dry-cleaning business, is an enthusiastic participant of the Month of the Woman Entrepreneur events. She agreed with Mahoney and explained that Uganda’s educational system is poor because job experience as opposed to job creation is a staple institutional scheme.

“At the end of the day, the world does not want to know how many degrees I have on my head. The world wants to know how successful I am,” Kobugabe said.

“The [MOWE] events do make a difference. We are living in a society where women are treated like second-class citizens. When you see or listen to a fellow woman giving their experience of how they made it, it really does encourage you. It gives you a different mindset.”