Young single mums in Busega, Uganda have a tough time. Facing an unenviable choice of staying on at school or leaving to look for work to pay for their children’s upbringing, many choose the latter.

However, without qualifications, or a financial safety net, it can be a struggle to survive. All too easily, these women can be drawn into a world of prostitution and exploitation. At best they are stigmatised and remain poor, at worst their children can be left to fend for themselves on the street.

Tools for Self Reliance is doing something about this. In partnership with the Single Parents Association of Uganda we are offering 30 women the opportunity to escape a life of poverty by learning work-based skills that will enable them to earn a living. While the children attend a free crèche, their mothers will learn the essentials of working for themselves.

The idea is to encourage sustainable livelihoods. So, during their training the women will pay into a savings scheme that will help fund their start-up costs and future training. At the end of the training they will get a sewing machine start-up kit provided by us.

It won’t just be the women who benefit. Their children and the wider community will gain too. There will be enough money generated to pay for children to go to school to give them the education that their parents missed out on.

How you can help

You can sponsor this project by making a regular donation of at least £5 a month via JustGiving in two simple steps.

1. 1. Click on the link below and make your monthly donation.
2. 2. Type ‘sponsor Spau’ in the message box after you have set up your donation.

Make a regular donation

If you don’t want to sponsor this project but would still like to make a donation you can do so by clicking on the link below.

Make a single donation