Thursday, October 22, 2015
Learn How To Organize
"If you give me a fish, you have fed me for a day. If you teach me to fish, then you have fed me until the river is contaminated or the shore line is seized for development. But if you teach me to organize, then whatever the challenge, I can join together with my peers and we will fashion our own solution". Ricardo Levins Morales
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
6 Tips to Build a Business That Will Last Decades
As Crown Worldwide celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, I am being asked the same question over and over again: What’s the secret to keeping a business alive that long?
It’s not that easy to answer. To be honest, it’s a huge anniversary and one I never thought I’d see when I started the company in 1965.
I remember when we first opened, it was from a tiny office -- just a cubicle really-- in Yokohama, Japan, with very little capital. The fact we have become an international global business of good size and strength -- one that continues to grow -- is a real achievement for everyone at the company.
I don’t know if there’s a "secret" other than hard work and perseverance, getting the right team in place, sticking to the business we know best and doing it in an extremely positive way.
But for anyone starting a business in 2015, there are a few points I can make that I hope will be helpful:
1. Be ready for a bumpy ride.
If anyone is thinking of starting a business, they should be prepared to deal with all the obstacles that come their way. It is rarely ever a smooth ride. You have to be the type of person that will persevere and push through all of those challenges.
I remember when we first started and it was a fragile business -- like all startups probably are -- we were always worried about whether we had enough money to pay bills and whether we were doing the job right. You have to cope with all the ups and the downs.
2. Have a plan and know how much it will cost.
Having a plan and knowing where you are going is key for any new business, and part of that is having adequate funding. Just how much you need is difficult to define because it depends on what type of business you are running. In our case we started out with very little capital but in the modern era, I wouldn’t recommend that.
3. Learn to delegate and choose good people.
It is not possible to do everything yourself in a successful business -- you need to delegate. Look around and think, "Who can do this better than I can? Who has the right skills?" Appoint good people -- then trust and support them.
4. Determination is more important than education.
There are many different types of people in business with different educational backgrounds, so don’t feel excluded. Some successful people are quiet, some are loud, some are good salespeople or good at finance. All can make it if they have a good team to help carry forward their plan.
A degree of formal education is helpful for anybody and I encourage it. But having a degree is not an essential part of being successful as an entrepreneur. The qualities you do need are a lot of stamina and determination.
5. Know your core values.
It is easy to think core values are something you only worry about when the business is already successful. But in fact the reverse is true: Core values are what make you successful in the first place.
Having respect for the people who work for you, believing in doing a good job in the right way, giving the customer a good experience, communicating with people, giving something back to society -- all these things are critical. Do things the right way and you’ll have a better chance of success.
6. Don’t sell too quickly.
Retain ownership of your business if you can. Don’t give it away or sell too early. So many entrepreneurs today say, "I’m going to run it for five years then sell it." But I don’t think that’s what true entrepreneurs do. Instead, that’s being a speculator.
I almost sold once in the early part of the company’s history. I had an offer on the table but had a change of heart and walked away, and it was the smartest thing I ever did.
Now we have a business at Crown Worldwide with a turnover of more than $800 million.
JIM THOMPSON
CONTRIBUTOR
Chairman and Founder of Crown Worldwide
Source: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/244498
Thursday, March 12, 2015
How To Turn An Idea Into A Business
Ever had a great idea that never got off the ground? Well here are 7 easy steps to ensure that's not the case next time...
Everyone has a great business idea at some point. A clip to hold the toilet seat up, a phone app full of pick up lines, or maybe a cricket bat with a bigger sweet spot. Whatever the whacky potential of these ideas, very few actually make their way to market.
“Now what?” the would be entrepreneurs say to themselves, “I’d love to ditch my day job, but where do I start getting my sweet idea sold?”
And it’s a real pity because there’s probably a market for all those ideas and a lot of the other seemingly hare-brain side projects people come up with.
But no more, it ends today. These crazy ideas can be kept in the cupboard no longer.
To help put an end to the waste, here are 7 easy steps to turn your next good idea into a great business. Or at the very least, see if it’s got any legs.
1. Stop Talking About It
People who talk about their ideas before acting are usually the same ones who don’t do anything about them. The talking gives a sense of taking action without actually doing anything... So stop talking about them.
2. Think Through All The Angles
Look at the idea through an investor’s eyes. Who’s the target market? What problem is being solved? What resources will be required to get it off the ground? What’s the business roughly look like?
The best way to cover off these bases is by going through a business plan template. There are a gazillion of these things available for free online.
3. Test It
You need to figure out early in the piece whether the idea will work, otherwise move on to the next one. But this is more than just running it by your mates – ask a sample of your target market whether they would pay for the privilege of your product.
You can always refine it, but whether people will pay for it is the real test.
4. Fossick Amongst Feedback
People will usually tell you straight away if you’ve got something good and anything they don’t like about it. This is valuable stuff.
So after discussing the product with the target market and some people who know the industry, respond to their feedback by making any necessary changes to the business plan, product and plan of attack.
5. Find Some Support
Very few start ups are solo efforts, so find a partner. Business partners are a hugely beneficial source of support from acting as sounding boards to proving your product to others.
But don’t stop there. Forge a support network of entrepreneurs that will help you along the way. Pick their brains and learn from their successes and failures. Local meet ups are great for this.
6. Figure Out Finances
By now you know the ideas good, the market’s hungry and have a solid plan of attack. You also know it’s going to cost money to get to market.
Look at all the options – self-funding, family loans, bank borrowing, government grants, credit cards or even angel investors - and weigh up the best alternative. Know that each has its unique risks and rewards and set about securing the capital you require.
7. Make The Minimum Product
There’s no point spending months perfecting what you think is the ideal product. Get the minimum viable product together and get it to market. If there’s appetite for the basic version of whatever it is, you can improve on it in the next batch.
Until you test the market for real you’re flying blind, but if there are bites you could soon be flying high.
Now where’s that toilet seat sketch...
Source: https://au.smallbusiness.yahoo.com/startup/a/-/15309087/how-to-turn-an-idea-into-a-business/
Friday, March 6, 2015
Why conserving wildlife is our duty: Our grandchildren might only see rhinos and lions in movies
As Uganda celebrated World Wildlife day at the Uganda Wildlife Educational Centre in Entebbe, speaker after speaker warned of extinction of wildlife species if their poaching and smuggling doesn’t end.
This year’s Wildlife celebration was themed around “Wildlife crime is serious crime”.
Entebbe municipality mayor Mr Vicent De-Paul Kayanja who was the chief guest argued the government to add wildlife conservation on the education curriculum.
Mr Kayanja also argued people who are sensitised about wildlife will not destroy the environment and would act as ambassadors of conservation.
“By destroying wildlife, we are enemies of our own existence”, Kayanja said.
The Executive Director of Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), Mr Andrew Seguya expressed fear of animal extinction should illegal poaching and animal trade not be halted.
Seguya who previously served at Uganda Wild life Education Centre for five years (2005 to 2010) further explained that there are far reaching implications of damaging wildlife. He also pointed out that the challenge is mainly on the poor communities that live around wildlife habitats like National parks and Game reserves.
Nevertheless, Seguya said UWA recruited over 700 rangers and 80 intelligence officers last year to help in arresting wildlife crimes.
He also said the poverty among communities surrounding game reserve was affecting wildlife conservation as they have to compete for land and food with animals.
“The majority people leaving around National parks are the poorest in this country”, he said. “They should be an alternative of improving their income so they can conserve wildlife”.
James Musinguzi, who is the Executive Director of UWEC said, revealed that most of the animals at the facility are as a result of wildlife crimes.
The World Wildlife Day is celebrated on March 3, every year with a general aim of creating awareness about the importance of flora and fauna.
Source: http://matookerepublic.com/2015/03/05/why-conserving-wildlife-is-our-duty-our-grandchildren-might-only-see-rhinos-and-lions-in-movies/
Scientists unveil power-generating toilet
LONDON - British scientists have unveiled a toilet that unlocks energy stored within urine to generate electricity, which they hope could be used to light remote places such as refugee camps.
Students and staff at the University of the West of England in Bristol are being encouraged to use the prototype urinal, which has been developed with aid agency Oxfam and is currently located on campus.
If the unit is found to provide a reliable source of power, the researchers hope it can be installed in refugee camps to provide a constant supply of electricity -- and light.
"It is always a challenge to light inaccessible areas far from a power supply," explained Andy Bastable, Head of Water and Sanitation at Oxfam.
"This technology is a huge step forward. Living in a refugee camp is hard enough without the added threat of being assaulted in dark places at night. The potential of this invention is huge."
Each unit could eventually cost around £600 ($914, 827 euros) to build and install, providing an "everlasting" source of power, according to research team leader Ioannis Ieropoulos.
The units contain bacteria that breaks down the chemicals in urine, in the process releasing energy in the form of electricity which is stored on a capacitor within a fuel cell.
"The microbial fuel cells (MFC) work by employing live microbes which feed on urine for their own growth and maintenance," explained Ieropoulos.
"The MFC is, in effect, a system which taps a portion of that biochemical energy.
"This technology is about as green as it gets, as we do not need to utilise fossil fuels and we are effectively using a waste product that will be in plentiful supply."
The University of West of the England team announced in 2013 that it had created a urine-powered fuel cell that was able to recharge a mobile phone.
The "Urine-tricity" project is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Source: http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/665546-scientists-unveil-power-generating-toilet.html
ublish Date: Mar 06, 2015
If the unit is found to provide a reliable source of power, the researchers hope it can be installed in refugee camps to provide a constant supply of electricity -- and light.
"It is always a challenge to light inaccessible areas far from a power supply," explained Andy Bastable, Head of Water and Sanitation at Oxfam.
"This technology is a huge step forward. Living in a refugee camp is hard enough without the added threat of being assaulted in dark places at night. The potential of this invention is huge."
Each unit could eventually cost around £600 ($914, 827 euros) to build and install, providing an "everlasting" source of power, according to research team leader Ioannis Ieropoulos.
The units contain bacteria that breaks down the chemicals in urine, in the process releasing energy in the form of electricity which is stored on a capacitor within a fuel cell.
"The microbial fuel cells (MFC) work by employing live microbes which feed on urine for their own growth and maintenance," explained Ieropoulos.
"The MFC is, in effect, a system which taps a portion of that biochemical energy.
"This technology is about as green as it gets, as we do not need to utilise fossil fuels and we are effectively using a waste product that will be in plentiful supply."
The University of West of the England team announced in 2013 that it had created a urine-powered fuel cell that was able to recharge a mobile phone.
The "Urine-tricity" project is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Source: http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/665546-scientists-unveil-power-generating-toilet.html
Ugandan youth build prototype aircraft
As aviation enthusiasts around the globe recently toasted to the first commercial flight of the world’s newest passenger airliner — the Airbus A350XWB (Extra Wide Body) –, somewhere in Nkumba parish along the Kampala-Entebbe Road, a group of young men was trying to put the final touches to the prototype of a small aircraft.
Today (Friday), the creation will be unveiled at an official launch at Nkumba University.
Dennis Muluuta, the spirited leader of the 25-member team — none of them with any aviation background — explains why they are building the prototype.
“We are undertaking this project to prove that although many youth across the country have failed to get jobs, we can still make a positive contribution to society. We also want to promote linkages between learning and research,” says Muluuta, who heads the Trust Investment Joint Group.
The group urgently needs a helping hand, and Muluuta says they have been pushed to the limit financially.
He claims that they have already spent sh18m on hiring equipment, paying for electricity and hiring labour, but that they need more money to work on building the prototype.
“The money we are using is from members who make monthly contributions. Personally, I recently borrowed sh5m from a bank to sink into the project,” says the bachelor of sciences in environment management graduate from Nkumba University.
The prototype being assembled under a mango tree, is 23ft long, about 5ft wide with a wingspan of 26ft. It is about 6ft high although the tail stands at about 12ft. A small staircase that one has to carefully scale leads to the cockpit.
The pilot’s seat is improvised, more accurately, uprooted from a car. The landing gear is yet to be fixed, but a “small” car spare tyre serves as the nose wheel.
The debate on legroom has been one of the hottest topics among the flying public, but in this prototype, you just have to put up with what is available.
Muluuta says his group has for the past four months tried to fix a meeting with President Yoweri Museveni in vain.
“We are a group of serious young people and we want to share our ideas and visions with the President. Some people have even laughed at us, asking us how this prototype will benefit the party, but we are not giving up.
“I am sure with support of the Government; we shall be able to get a plane flying in our skies in a not so distant future,” says Muluuta.
What next after the prototype?
George Walugembe, an industrial art graduate from the same university and a member of the team, says after the prototype, they will move to building Uganda’s first aircraft that can fly.
“I believe we can make an aircraft that can taxi using its own engines. We only need to get the jet engines. We would need to get engines and improve on design and material used in building the body,” says Walugembe confidently.
Walugembe says while they have used steel to build the prototype, they will use lighter materials such as aluminium to build the “real” aircraft. Modern planes are built with lighter materials such as lightweight carbon composites, carbon-fibre boosted polymer to burn less fuel.
The prototype aircraft is being assembled under a mango tree
History of home-built planes
Aircraft built by amateurs in garages and in the case of Muluuta and his friends, under a mango tree, is not new.
In the US, homebuilt aircraft have been in existence for as long as the aviation industry itself. The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, the two American brothers credited for having built the world’s first successful aircraft, built their plane from home, not in a factory.
Regulation
Such aircraft is cleared by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the equivalent of Uganda’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as “experimental amateur-built”.
In the US, to get a homebuilt aircraft the license to fly, one needs to first have their creation classified under the experimental category. Thereafter the pilot needs to get a private licence.
These licences are usually applied for by the builder before they finish building their aircraft. Thereafter, the plane is inspected by the FAA before test flights are given the green light.
Countries such as Australia, Brazil and New Zealand have similar standards. There have been pockets of homebuilt aircraft builders in Africa.
However, this trend is bigger in South Africa where there is a fully fledged Experimental Aircraft Association.
The first attempt at a homebuilt aircraft in Uganda was in December 2011 by Chris Nsamba as reported in the Daily Mail, one of Britain’s biggest newspapers. However, that project has since stalled.
Views about the project
Uganda’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) welcomes the innovation. The authority’s public affairs manager, Ignie Igundura, advises the group to closely work with them in the next phase of their project.
“I wish they had started working with us from the start. We are willing to advise them on what materials they can use to build the aircraft, how to find gravity and how to balance the plane among other things,” he says.
“When they get to the next level, we shall assign an officer to closely work with them,” Igundura adds.
NRM deputy spokesperson Ofwono Opondo says he was not aware of the Muluuta project.
Ofwono, however, adds that NRM has many volunteer groups which are outside the official structure of the party. We do encourage this kind of volunteerism, provided that they are not breaking any law in the country.
Source: http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/665541-ugandan-youth-build-prototype-aircraft.html
Today (Friday), the creation will be unveiled at an official launch at Nkumba University.
Dennis Muluuta, the spirited leader of the 25-member team — none of them with any aviation background — explains why they are building the prototype.
“We are undertaking this project to prove that although many youth across the country have failed to get jobs, we can still make a positive contribution to society. We also want to promote linkages between learning and research,” says Muluuta, who heads the Trust Investment Joint Group.
The group urgently needs a helping hand, and Muluuta says they have been pushed to the limit financially.
He claims that they have already spent sh18m on hiring equipment, paying for electricity and hiring labour, but that they need more money to work on building the prototype.
“The money we are using is from members who make monthly contributions. Personally, I recently borrowed sh5m from a bank to sink into the project,” says the bachelor of sciences in environment management graduate from Nkumba University.
The prototype being assembled under a mango tree, is 23ft long, about 5ft wide with a wingspan of 26ft. It is about 6ft high although the tail stands at about 12ft. A small staircase that one has to carefully scale leads to the cockpit.
The pilot’s seat is improvised, more accurately, uprooted from a car. The landing gear is yet to be fixed, but a “small” car spare tyre serves as the nose wheel.
The debate on legroom has been one of the hottest topics among the flying public, but in this prototype, you just have to put up with what is available.
Muluuta says his group has for the past four months tried to fix a meeting with President Yoweri Museveni in vain.
“We are a group of serious young people and we want to share our ideas and visions with the President. Some people have even laughed at us, asking us how this prototype will benefit the party, but we are not giving up.
“I am sure with support of the Government; we shall be able to get a plane flying in our skies in a not so distant future,” says Muluuta.
What next after the prototype?
George Walugembe, an industrial art graduate from the same university and a member of the team, says after the prototype, they will move to building Uganda’s first aircraft that can fly.
“I believe we can make an aircraft that can taxi using its own engines. We only need to get the jet engines. We would need to get engines and improve on design and material used in building the body,” says Walugembe confidently.
Walugembe says while they have used steel to build the prototype, they will use lighter materials such as aluminium to build the “real” aircraft. Modern planes are built with lighter materials such as lightweight carbon composites, carbon-fibre boosted polymer to burn less fuel.
The most expensive part of homebuilt aircrafts are the engines. Ultra-light aircraft engines on eBay vary from as little as $2,900 (about sh8.5m) to as much as $2m (about sh5.8b) for jet engines for big aircrafts.
The prototype aircraft is being assembled under a mango tree
History of home-built planes
Aircraft built by amateurs in garages and in the case of Muluuta and his friends, under a mango tree, is not new.
In the US, homebuilt aircraft have been in existence for as long as the aviation industry itself. The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, the two American brothers credited for having built the world’s first successful aircraft, built their plane from home, not in a factory.
Regulation
Such aircraft is cleared by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the equivalent of Uganda’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as “experimental amateur-built”.
In the US, to get a homebuilt aircraft the license to fly, one needs to first have their creation classified under the experimental category. Thereafter the pilot needs to get a private licence.
These licences are usually applied for by the builder before they finish building their aircraft. Thereafter, the plane is inspected by the FAA before test flights are given the green light.
Countries such as Australia, Brazil and New Zealand have similar standards. There have been pockets of homebuilt aircraft builders in Africa.
However, this trend is bigger in South Africa where there is a fully fledged Experimental Aircraft Association.
The first attempt at a homebuilt aircraft in Uganda was in December 2011 by Chris Nsamba as reported in the Daily Mail, one of Britain’s biggest newspapers. However, that project has since stalled.
Views about the project
Uganda’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) welcomes the innovation. The authority’s public affairs manager, Ignie Igundura, advises the group to closely work with them in the next phase of their project.
“I wish they had started working with us from the start. We are willing to advise them on what materials they can use to build the aircraft, how to find gravity and how to balance the plane among other things,” he says.
“When they get to the next level, we shall assign an officer to closely work with them,” Igundura adds.
NRM deputy spokesperson Ofwono Opondo says he was not aware of the Muluuta project.
Ofwono, however, adds that NRM has many volunteer groups which are outside the official structure of the party. We do encourage this kind of volunteerism, provided that they are not breaking any law in the country.
Source: http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/665541-ugandan-youth-build-prototype-aircraft.html
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Nulu Naluyombya: Succeeding against all odds
Fact File
Name:Nulu Naluyombya
Born: January 1987 in Kampala
Age: 28 years
Parents: Mr Sekiwunga Dirisa and the late Aisha Nantale
Education
St Noah Junior School P1-P7, in Zzana Wakiso Kawempe
Muslim Secondary-S1-S6
MUBS-Bachelors in procurement and supply chain management.
Masters in Business Administration.
Name:Nulu Naluyombya
Born: January 1987 in Kampala
Age: 28 years
Parents: Mr Sekiwunga Dirisa and the late Aisha Nantale
Education
St Noah Junior School P1-P7, in Zzana Wakiso Kawempe
Muslim Secondary-S1-S6
MUBS-Bachelors in procurement and supply chain management.
Masters in Business Administration.
At 28, she is already making a name for herself as a mentor, public speaker and young women’s leader. She founded Success Chapter, which reaches out to girls and young women to train them in leadership.
She is also one of the 18 young Ugandans who were picked for the inaugural YALI fellowship( now Mandela Washington Fellowship) in the US last year and one of the only five who managed to scoop internship spots at the White House.
But the calm confidence, poise and quick endearing smile belies the struggle Nulu Naluyombya has endured to get basic education.
She narrowly missed dropping out in high school and almost did not go to university. She failed at her first attempt at her passion for mentorship and empowerment, yet she had just quit her job.
But if there is one thing this 27-year-old learnt to do at an early age, it is not to give up on any of her dreams and goals. She washed and cleaned for money during her university days and her first attempt to strike out on her own flopped, leaving her in debt.
Tough childhood
“My parents weren’t that educated. My father who had a clearing and forwarding business in Kampala never completed high school and my mother did not even complete primary school. But for some reason, they believed in education and enrolled us in the best schools they could afford at the time,” recounts Naluyombya. Her voice is silvery and light, like she will burst into laughter any second.
“My parents weren’t that educated. My father who had a clearing and forwarding business in Kampala never completed high school and my mother did not even complete primary school. But for some reason, they believed in education and enrolled us in the best schools they could afford at the time,” recounts Naluyombya. Her voice is silvery and light, like she will burst into laughter any second.
She was an eager student, but you would not know it looking at her school reports in the later years of primary school. “One day some time in Primary Four, a teacher lashed out at me for failing a math question.
I do not remember her exact words, but she basically questioned my intelligence. That affected me so much that I just stopped trying and became withdrawn,” she shares.
She still passed to go on to secondary school at Kawempe Muslim Secondary School where life was pretty normal until Senior Three. That year, her parents divorced and Naluyombya, who was the firstborn and her two siblings remained with their father.
It was a blow, being separated from their mother. But misfortune was not about to break its rule and come singly. In 2003 when Naluyombya was in Senior Four, her father’s thriving business came crashing down, introducing 16-year-old Naluyombya to something she had not known before- want and lack.
“We came from having everything to barely the basics. Suddenly, my father could not even afford to keep me in school, ” she recounts. The family hit rock bottom when they lost their house later that year.
Subsequently, the children were sent to stay with their mother in Ntinda, something they had craved for all along. But life was still a struggle. “I kept being sent home for school fees. At one point, I stayed home for so long that one relative even told my parents to just marry me off,” Naluyombya shares, saying this especially stung since the said relative also had a daughter her age who was in school.
Thankfully, her mother would not hear of it, and Naluyombya was not about to give up. She says she hawked passion fruit juice around Ntinda and the proceeds went towards her school fees and other family needs.
During the first term of her final year in high school, Naluyombya’s world was again turned upside down when she lost her mother to a short illness. The memory of the sudden death still brings tears in Naluyombya’s eyes.
“Losing mom was traumatising. Yes, we were going through challenges even when she was alive, but having her around was a source of strength. She used to encourage me to be strong,” she recounts.
In the wake of the loss, Naluyombya admits she felt like committing suicide but on reflecting on what her mother always told her about being strong, she decided to forego it.
She finally completed high school even though more often than not, she showed up at school empty-handed and would be helped out by four female teachers who had taken her under their wing. “To date I call them my four moms,” she says of the kind teachers.
She was relieved to have completed high school at Kawempe Muslim, but as it turned out, the struggle was not over. The government scholarship she saw as her only hope to get a university education eluded her.
She applied for private entry at Makerere University Business School (MUBS) anyway. “I really do not know where the courage came from because at that point, I had no idea how I would pay for it,” says Naluyombya.
It is just as well that she took a job at her former primary school’s St Noah Junior School where she ran the canteen. Her former headmaster, also an old friend of her father’s, touched by her plight, paid for her first semester of Bachelors in Procurement.
Again, death took away Naluyombya’s benefactor forcing her to quickly take up another job. “I found work at somebody’s home where I washed clothes and cleaned for a while. I would just leave school and rush to m y job. None of my course mates knew about it. I was paid Ushs150, 000 a month,” explains Naluyombya. The earnings may have been little, but they kept her in school until she later found work as a cashier at a hotel.
The birth of a leader
The experience that was to set Naluyombya on her current path was a guild election campaign in 2008, where she became the single woman candidate. She came in fourth after vote count, but that election had changed her life. “The students’ response to for speeches during the campaign was what made me think of inspiring other girls,” she says.
The experience that was to set Naluyombya on her current path was a guild election campaign in 2008, where she became the single woman candidate. She came in fourth after vote count, but that election had changed her life. “The students’ response to for speeches during the campaign was what made me think of inspiring other girls,” she says.
It took about to four years for her dream to come into fruition. During this time, she had finished her first degree, got a job at Makerere University Business School in the Public Relations Department and began pursuing her masters in Business Administration. But to settle at a comfortable job is not what this girl wanted. “I wanted to impact lives,” she says.
Her future had also come to her, one day during a conference for staff where distinguished motivational speaker and success coach, Phillip Kambe was invited to speak. “I just knew that was what I wanted to do with the rest of my life,” she says.
In 2012, she quit her job and founded Success Chapter. Her first conference was a flop. Only 50 people attended, most of them nonpaying, yet Naluyombya had planned for 300. “It left me flat out broke, in debt, without a job,” she recounts.
But it taught her that maybe she needed a little more time to lay the groundwork before doing conferences. That is how she sought employment again but found time to continue Success Chapter work, going to schools to speak to girls.
Trying again
Last November, she quit employment again to concentrate on Success Chapter, opening an office at Equatorial Mall. This time, she intends it to be for the long haul.
Last November, she quit employment again to concentrate on Success Chapter, opening an office at Equatorial Mall. This time, she intends it to be for the long haul.
So far, the organisation with the help of partners has reached girls in Nabisunsa Girls’ School, Entebbe Girls, Kakungulu Memorial and Kibuli High School as well as trained guild representatives in several universities.
Earlier in the year, the Nabagereka Sylvia Nagginda launched the Girls Leadership Academy for Success Chapter at Hotel Africana. The plan is for the programme to roll out to reach school girls in all the regions of the country.
It is all coming together for Naluyombya and for this, she is very grateful. She appreciates that it may still not be a walk in the park. But she sees a need.
“Girls out there need to be affirmed, inspired, told they are beautiful and intelligent,” she says. And she has a goal too; “I want to see the girls of our country growing into women who believe in themselves, empowered women.” And if we use her story life story so far as a reference point, this woman never set a goal she did not achieve!
One-on-one
Describe yourself in one sentence
A go-getter who wants to live life on my own terms.
Three things you have learnt about life so far
It is easier when you have a mentor, do things you love and believe in, and finally, it does not matter where you come from, you can still achieve what you set out to achieve.
What is your definition of success?
Being able to contribute to making the world a better place.
Are you a feminist?
I am not even sure I know what that word means. All I know is that I support the marginalised. I support women and the girl child because I feel society has put them in a corner. If it was men in the same position, I would take up their cause with gusto too. I believe we all should be given a chance to succeed.
Five things you simply must do in the next five years
1. Complete my book on success principles for women.
2. Expand success chapter programmes to reach other countries in Africa.
3. Create a one-stop girls’ support centre.
4. Get married and have two children.
5. Build a house for my father.
What do you want in the future Mr ?
He has to be Muslim, only because I believe he will find it easier to understand my values. He should be able to trust me and not be threatened by my ambition. He will have dreams, be driven, and excited about life. Of course tall, handsome, and with a nice body.
Why do you cover up?
It was my own decision in my S6 vacation. No one pushed me into it. I just chose to and got used to it. It is now part of me.
A go-getter who wants to live life on my own terms.
Three things you have learnt about life so far
It is easier when you have a mentor, do things you love and believe in, and finally, it does not matter where you come from, you can still achieve what you set out to achieve.
What is your definition of success?
Being able to contribute to making the world a better place.
Are you a feminist?
I am not even sure I know what that word means. All I know is that I support the marginalised. I support women and the girl child because I feel society has put them in a corner. If it was men in the same position, I would take up their cause with gusto too. I believe we all should be given a chance to succeed.
Five things you simply must do in the next five years
1. Complete my book on success principles for women.
2. Expand success chapter programmes to reach other countries in Africa.
3. Create a one-stop girls’ support centre.
4. Get married and have two children.
5. Build a house for my father.
What do you want in the future Mr ?
He has to be Muslim, only because I believe he will find it easier to understand my values. He should be able to trust me and not be threatened by my ambition. He will have dreams, be driven, and excited about life. Of course tall, handsome, and with a nice body.
Why do you cover up?
It was my own decision in my S6 vacation. No one pushed me into it. I just chose to and got used to it. It is now part of me.
Source: http://www.monitor.co.ug/
Ugandan nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
Victor Ochen, the founder and director of the African Youth Initiative Network (Ayinet) has been nominated for the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize.
Mr Ochen, 33, becomes one of the youngest people ever to be nominated for the prize. He has been nominated alongside Edward Snowden, Pope Francis and Mussie Zerai, an Italian priest of Eritrean origin.
Mr Ochen, 33, becomes one of the youngest people ever to be nominated for the prize. He has been nominated alongside Edward Snowden, Pope Francis and Mussie Zerai, an Italian priest of Eritrean origin.
Mr Ochen’s nomination was put forward by the American Friends Services Committee (AFSC), because of his dedication to rehabilitating victims of war by providing psycho-social support and lifesaving healthcare.
“Mr Ochen has shown commitment and effectiveness in his efforts to address the needs of victims. By working for transitional justice, he has been able to promote human rights through non-violent means, nourishing the leadership skills of other young people, and challenging systemic issues that lead to the continued vulnerability and suffering of war victims,” AFSC said.
Born in one of northern Uganda’s camps for displaced people, Mr Ochen spent most of his youth amid war, witnessing first hand an array of human-rights abuses. In 2003, the Lord’s Resistance Army abducted his elder brother and cousin. To this day, their whereabouts are unknown.
Nobel Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu said that he feels proud that one of his alumni at the Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellowship Programme is leading change in Africa.
“Mr Ochen is part of a special group of African leaders who have graduated from the programme that bears my name and I wish him well as a potential recipient of this auspicious honour,” Archbishop Tutu said.
Mr Ochen was part of the 2011 Programme and in May last year, he hosted Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the National War Victims’ Conference in Uganda.
Mr Ochen said it was an honour to receive the nomination, adding that he hoped that the nomination will contribute to a change of perception of Africa’s youth as agents of prosperity and peace.
“My work in supporting victims and survivors of war, advocating for human rights, engaging in peace and reconciliation, is out of inspiration and I hope this recognition will shift the attention from the perpetrators to the victims and survivors of wars not only in Africa, but worldwide,” Mr Ochen said.
Since 2005, Ayinet has provided reconstructive surgical repair to at least 5,000 victims of torture and sexual violence, as well as treating war wounds and those requiring mental health supports.
Mr Ochen will wait till October to know if he will be lucky enough to bag the Nobel Peace Prize, which consists of a Nobel Medal and Diploma, and the $1.2 million cash prize.
Peter Wilson, co-founder and global CEO of AFLI said that Mr Ochen is a remarkable young man who epitomises selfless values-based leadership, a critical selection criterion in identifying high potential leaders to participate in the programme.
“We salute Victor and Ayinet for being recognised by the AFSC and being nominated by the Nobel Peace Committee. His recognitions come from his exceptional leadership in his efforts to transform the continent,” Mr Wilson said.
Last year, Mr Ochens’ organisation Ayinet was recognised by Unesco as a model African Youth Initiative for promoting the culture of Peace in Africa.
Mr Ochen will wait till October to know if he will be lucky to bag the Nobel Peace prize, which consists of a Nobel Medal and Diploma, and the $1.2 million cash prize.
Source: theeastafrican.co.ke
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