Women Entrepreneurs Foundation
Introduction
The Women Entrepreneurs Foundation was founded in 2018 by Rehema Namuli, who works alongside Hamlet Mugabe of Ensi Safaris Ltd. The Women Entrepreneurs Foundation is a charity dedicated to enhancing living standards in some of the most impoverished rural communities around Queen Elizabeth National Park and the village of Katadoba in Kasese district. It aims to help local rural women in the long term by setting up sustainable enterprises which so far have included a tailoring and craft workshop center.
We support and empower local rural women around Queen Elizabeth National Park and the Kasese district to grow, thrive, and succeed in business. Community, events, networking, training, and resources to help grow their business.
Women entrepreneurs Foundation is dedicated to enhancing living standards for some of the most impoverished women in rural communities around Queen Elizabeth National Park and Kasese district. It aims to help local people in the long term by setting up sustainable enterprises which so far have included tailoring training programs and a craft shop run and managed by local women. Guests can purchase a selection of handmade items in the Women Entrepreneurs Boutique which supports the local women in rural areas.
We work closely with interested parties, tourists, individuals, and NGOs to support the Women Entrepreneurs Foundation, which aims to improve the living standards of local women in rural communities surrounding Queen Elizabeth National Park and the Kasese district. This effort is spearheaded by Rehema Namuli.
The mission of the Women Entrepreneurs Foundation (WEF) is to help provide women from the local rural women in communities with the training and tools to learn and share new skills in the dedicated workshop center. The workshop center teaches traditional Ugandan artisanal handicrafts including, tailoring, embroidery, weaving, and woodworking. The programs help preserve Ugandan heritage and participants can make an income from selling their crafts.
You can purchase a selection of these handmade items in the Women Entrepreneurs Foundation Shop, located just next to the Ensi Safaris Office. At least 40% of the purchase price goes directly to the artisans, and the remaining amount goes directly back to fund further projects.
During your visit to Uganda, we can arrange a visit for you to see firsthand some of the traditional techniques used at the workshop center.
The craft workshop center was established 2 years ago to train rural young women who had dropped out of school. Today it runs a tailoring program for around 20 rural young women, where they are taught a range of dressmaking skills and embroidery techniques including other handcrafts.
What Women Entrepreneurs Foundation (WEF) aims for:
a) To empower local rural young women and support their path to an education.
b) To increase economic self-sufficiency and self-esteem of young people living in local communities around Queen Elizabeth National Park and the Kasese district, by equipping them with vocational and artisanal skills.
c) To open new centers in the communities, using sustainable models which provide education, training, and healthcare.
d) To provide teachers and materials that will lead to the production of high-quality, marketable items, giving an income to young people.
How You Can Help
The Women Entrepreneurs Foundation (WEF) relies on the support of individuals and grants to further the work within the rural communities around Queen Elizabeth National Park. By making a donation, your contribution will go directly to supporting these frontline projects.
Donations can be made in person during your tour of the workshop center or through Ensi Safaris Management.
Women Entrepreneurs Foundation arranges visits to the workshop center for visitors through Ensi Safaris, where a selection of handmade gifts can be purchased at the workshop craft center or at the boutique from the Women Entrepreneurs Boutique adjacent to the hotel’s tennis courts. Sales from purchases go directly back to the artisans and center operations.
Hand-made items including Ugandan woven hand-carved wooden gifts and contemporary soft woven fabrics can also be purchased online and posted overseas.
Our Commitment
Sustainability, and work hard and make our team members even more passionate about protecting the environment they live in and supporting it in any way they can. We know just how important it is to take care of the environment, and we are extremely sensitive to the impact our properties may have on the local communities within which we operate. This includes working to protect the wildlife and their habitats as well as community projects.
Take a look at what we’ve been up to at the workshop craft center and how they help their local communities as well as encouraging our visitors to get involved too.
In the Community
Community is at the heart of our women’s entrepreneurship. Take a look at some of our community highlights in action…
Other women’s activities in conservation
Fun projects aimed at improving the quality of life in the local community. Visitors are encouraged to help plant fruit trees in the local village of Kasese and around Queen Elizabeth National Park as part of a Community Tour. The community spirit doesn’t end there, as the team keeps guests updated with the progress of the trees planted long after they’ve gone home.
The Foundation invites local children twice a year for a day at the workshop center to learn about healthy eating and local produce in the community.
The foundation has initiated an ongoing rubbish collection project in the village of Katadoba as the local authorities don’t provide this service. Now rubbish is collected 2-3 times and rubbish collected is taken to the municipal landfill downtown in Kasese with the support of the Women Entrepreneurs Foundation.
Visitors get a chance to visit one of the local villages around Queen Elizabeth National Park to get a flavor of daily life. 60% of the village tour costs go directly to a host family from the local community and 40% goes to the foundation for a variety of other community projects like assisting the promotion of education, sporting, and life skills for underprivileged children in the rural communities.
Pack for an Impact
Pack for an Impact is an initiative that allows travellers to make a lasting impact on the lives of children and families living in rural communities of Queen Elizabeth National Park and the Kasese district. The foundation is the initiative for the Pack for an Impact. Travelers are asked to create just a few kilos of space in their suitcases so that they can bring much-needed supplies for local community projects and have a big impact on the communities you visit.
Need more inspiration?
From tracking magnificent animals to discovering the craftsmanship of the Katadoba and Bwambara villages around Queen Elizabeth National Park, our Africa Collection travel stories are bound to inspire a visit to this incredible continent.
Email: info@ensinature.com or Call: +256 (0) 778 277 549
