income generation

At Bega Kwa Bega, we believe that individuals, particularly women and young adults, should develop life and job skills that enable them to financially support themselves and their families. We think that self-sufficiency is vital for families to permanently improve their standard of living.


This is the main motivation for our Income Generation program. We focus on 3 main areas: supporting business management and job skills training, training skilled entrepreneurs to become peer educators and funding income generating activities.


Business Management and Job Skills Training

Our training programs empower adult community members with practical skills and knowledge for lasting change. Led by Ugandan professional trainers, workshops cover topics such as business management, bookkeeping, marketing, product development, and job skills including teaching, knitting, sewing, and carpentry. We also help local organizations develop customized workshops to meet their communities’ specific needs.

Training Peer Educators

Select participants of our business and job skills workshops are trained to become peer educators. They share their advanced business knowledge and job skills with other members of their community. In this way, participants become owners of their development, and local change is led by local people.


Funding Income Generating Activities

We promote simple cottage industries that use locally available materials to produce locally needed products. Small businesses are selected to receive support based on need, available resources and the skills and interests of individual entrepreneurs.


We provide start-up assistance for groups that 1) attend our business course and 2) develop a business plan. Some of our most popular small businesses include surplus farming, poultry farms, pig and goat rearing, retail shops, village clinics, sweater knitting and operating preschools. We also introduce projects to jumpstart economic development in a community, supporting activities that create new jobs and generate immediate income for families.

A wonderful example is our support of a knitting project for women and orphans in centers across Uganda and in 3 special needs schools. This project targets women and young adult orphans, particularly older girls and special needs individuals. Using recycled knitting machines, these participants learn to knit, package and market high-quality school sweaters. The yarn is affordable and can be easily purchased in Uganda. Because the knitting machines are hand-operated, they can be used in remote areas without electricity. The knitters take our basic business management course, form small business groups which are trained to knit sweaters and market them to nearby schools. A few knitters are also selected to become Master Knitters, who then train others to knit in sister villages. This allows the project to have a far-reaching impact as new skills and knowledge are spread to more and more people.