The Girls Dreams Labs were conceived and exist to train the next generation of Uganda's entrepreneurs. We mainly focus on girls and young women (15-25 years) who are at risk of child marriage and former child brides, those from vulnerable and slum communities of the Kampala metropolitan area with little or no formal education training. With hardly any skills to support their livelihoods, such girls despair for life. Therefore, The Girls Dreams Labs activate girls' agency and support them in designing their desired future.
The Labs equip participants with skills in various facets of business and entrepreneurship, such as developing business ideas, saving and investing, record keeping, sales and marketing, and customer care. They are equipped with the skills, knowledge, and tools to start business enterprises, setting them up for success in entrepreneurship where the odds would otherwise be against them.
We demystify the notion that entrepreneurs are born. We illustrate that entrepreneurs can be made, and through customised business and entrepreneurship training, we are 'making' the next generation of Uganda's entrepreneurs.
The Labs further provide space for coaching and peer learning about business and entrepreneurship. Our business mentors support the trainees' business and entrepreneurship journeys through on-site visits by providing customised advice regarding their challenges.
The Labs is a unique entrepreneurship hive that offers young women opportunities to dream, incubate, and nurture business ideas. By delving into subjects including, but not limited to, reproductive health, child marriages and teenage pregnancies, and environment and climate change, the Labs is a holistic program that improves the economic livelihoods, health, and well-being of young women.