Smart Girls Uganda

History

Founded in 2012 and officially registered in 2015, Smart Girls Uganda is a leading youth-led, not-for-profit organization committed to empowering young girls and women in Uganda. Smart Girls Uganda was born out of the need to address the systemic barriers that girls and young women face, including gender inequality, unemployment, limited access to education, and climate-related vulnerabilities. Over the years, Smart Girls Uganda has evolved into a hub for innovation, skills development, and community transformation, reaching thousands of girls and young women annually.

Goals

Smart Girls Uganda aims to foster gender equality, economic empowerment, and climate action by equipping young women and girls with vocational, entrepreneurial, and leadership skills. By creating opportunities for personal and economic growth, Smart Girls Uganda envisions a future where young women have the self-esteem, agency, and resources to lead positive societal change.

Mission

Our mission is to empower and mentor girls to build their confidence, acquire life skills, and economically enhance their capacity to realize their dreams while contributing to social transformation in their communities.

Vision

We envision a nation where girls possess self-esteem, are actively engaged in decision-making, and are empowered to create visionary change.

Past and Current Activities

Each year, Smart Girls Uganda trains and supports 150–200 young girls and women through economic empowerment programs and equips 20–30 peer educators to spearhead community initiatives impacting 25,000–30,000 young people.

Girls with Tools:

This flagship program focuses on training young women (and some young men) in non-traditional STEM trades, such as automotive mechanics, solar installation and maintenance, plumbing, and metal fabrication. Participants also receive ICT training, life skills development, and entrepreneurship training to ensure they are equipped for sustainable livelihoods.

Ecojua Smart Bags:

This innovative project addresses menstrual hygiene and climate action by producing solar-powered bags made from recycled plastic. These bags double as menstrual kits and are distributed to adolescent girls to reduce school dropouts and improve education access.

HCD Business Innovation Studio:

Smart Girls Uganda inspires sustainable innovation by working with youth who have startup ideas or existing businesses. Using the Human-Centered Design (HCD) approach, the studio supports ideation, prototyping, testing, and redesigning businesses. Participants receive mentorship, legal guidance for startup registration, and connection to industry experts and investors.

Girls in Tech:

Through this program, Smart Girls Uganda bridges the digital divide by providing government-certified digital skilling to young women and persons with disabilities. This initiative prepares them for employment opportunities in the growing tech industry.

Community Engagement:

In addition to its economic programs, Smart Girls Uganda trains peer educators who lead development initiatives to address gender equality, climate change, and reproductive health issues, reaching tens of thousands of young people annually.

Accomplishments

Trained and certified over 727 youth in STEM trades, with 40% establishing their own businesses and 60% employed in existing workshops.

Distributed 12,258 Ecojua Smart Bags to more than 50 communities, empowering 300,000+ community members with education on gender equality, climate action, and economic empowerment.

Certified 847 young women through the Girls in Tech program, enabling them to gain employment in the tech industry.

Developed 12 innovative businesses through the HCD Business Innovation Studio, including sustainable and impactful startups like an automated chicken feeder and a solar panel cleaner.

Future Planned Activities

Smart Girls Uganda has ambitious plans to scale its impact and reach even more young women and girls:

Expansion of Girls with Tools:

We aim to train and certify 300 youth annually in male-dominated trades, expand partnerships with industry stakeholders, create a tools library to support graduates in launching their own workshops and launch a girls with tools vocational university that can increase the level of certification for the participants to a diploma and degree level.

Scaling the Ecojua Smart Bag Initiative:

The goal is to produce and distribute 20,000 Ecojua Smart Bags annually across Uganda and beyond, integrating climate education and menstrual health awareness into every distribution campaign.

Growth of HCD Business Innovation Studio:

Plans include acquiring advanced prototyping equipment like 3D printers and creating an accelerator program to support 50 businesses annually. A mentorship network will connect youth entrepreneurs with seasoned professionals to help grow their ventures.

Digital Skills Expansion:

Through Girls in Tech, Smart Girls Uganda will continue training and certifying youth in digital literacy and coding while advocating for inclusive employment practices in the tech sector.

Community Leadership Programs:

Smart Girls Uganda will train an additional 50 peer educators annually to drive community-based initiatives on climate change, gender-based violence prevention, and youth empowerment.

Sustainability Measures

To ensure long-term impact, Smart Girls Uganda reinvests proceeds from its innovations, like Ecojua Smart Bags, back into its programs. Additionally, a small equity stake in supported businesses ensures continuous funding for the organization’s initiatives.

By addressing systemic barriers and building resilient communities, Smart Girls Uganda is driving transformative change and shaping a future where every girl has the opportunity to thrive.