On Friday 16th November, women entrepreneurs won big during the conclusion of four months long rising woman initiative business mentorship sessions that has been going on throughout the country.
As part of the initiative, women entrepreneurs were tasked to forward in their business proposals where a proposal writing completion took wave all aimed at granting women an opportunity to articulate their business ideas in writing and win partial funding for the same. More than 80 proposals were sent and independently vetted where twenty businesses got a chance to battle in the top ten spots.
On Friday during the dfcu rising woman awards held at Hotel Africana, Krystal Ice limited emerged overall winner taking home UGX15 Million followed by Kalaa Mugosi who went away with UGX10 Million and Cradle care mobile Application won UGX5 Million.
The cash prizes amounting close to UGX30, 000,000 also came with an all-expense paid study tour trip to Nairobi and business advisory services after emerging victorious in the highly competitive proposal writing competition.
Krystal Ice limited comprises upto 32,000 people who are involved in horticulture production while 12,000 are involved in the fruit industry, however, 80% of fruits and vegetables are wasted because of the perishable nature. It’s of this cause that Krystal ice found the desire to increase a longer shelf life for fruits. Lynette Akol founded the project with a vision to provide market for small holder farmers’ fruits as row materials for frozen fruit ice pops.
Kalaa Mugosi started up by Nakayenze Sandra whose foundation was based on hardships surfacing women in their economic, social and cultural setting for both young rural women and the girl child in Sironko district persuaded her to start the Kalaa Mugosi Women Empowerment Limited.
While Cradle care mobile Application was started up by Manuela Pacutho Mulondo after justifying challenges faced by working mothers who find struggles leaving their toddlers in the hands of child minders after maternity leave. In 2014, she founded Cradle Child Care Centre and it’s now Uganda’s 24 hour child care centre with a mobile app, they serve more than 500 middle class working class families in Kampala and employ upto 100 women.
It should be recorded that at least eight hundred (800) women entrepreneurs benefited from the business training conducted in the different parts of the country since July. One hundred (100) women entrepreneurs took part in an Exhibition intended to provide women in business a platform to show case their products and services and share knowledge with other entrepreneurs.
The Award ceremony was presided over by the former Vice President of Uganda Dr. Specioza Wandira Kazibwe.
