We are excited that the New Life Fund, managed by the King Baudouin Foundation, has renewed its commitment to supporting the Girls' Dream Labs. “I am pleased to inform you that the decision-making authority of the New Life Fund has decided to grant financial support to EDOU for implementing your project, Girls Dreams Labs II,” wrote Maartje Houbrechts, Project Coordinator Africa, King Baudouin Foundation.

This comes after we successfully completed implementing Girls Dreams Lab in August 2023. Since 2021, the Girls Dream Labs have activated the agency of girls at risk of child marriage, former child brides, and young mothers, aiding them in starting and running income-generating projects and improving their livelihoods. Noeline Nagaddya, one of the graduates, was inspired and transformed after attending the Labs. “I learnt that what I needed in life was to love and pick myself up when I fall; I knew I needed to pull myself out of the poverty bucket,” she remarked. “My passion has always been in baking. I acquired skills in what one does to open up a bakery. I did market research around my home area and noted a need for bakery products. I told my spiritual parent about my business idea, and she gave me start-up capital and assisted me in marketing the business. I started making daddies, muffins, and doughnuts.” Noeline’s business is growing, and has even bigger dreams, “My dream is to build a brand called Nora & Abi Bakery. I believe in myself; I know I will make it.”

For Promise Aniembabazi, the training was an eye-opener to the sources of business capital. “The training opened my eyes to the mystery of saving a portion of the money I earn,” she remarked. “I should not spend unnecessarily or spend what I don’t have. My main focus is to save money. I ensure I save UGX2,000/= (€0.5) every day, for I learnt that saving is a source of capital. Using my savings, I intend to open a fruit booth in the city.”

Under the renewed partnership with the New Life Fund, Girls Dream Labs II will provide training and coaching in entrepreneurship and business management for a cohort of 25 girls at risk of child marriage, former child brides, and young mothers (15-25 years). The training will encompass saving and investment, record keeping, sales and marketing, and customer care.

Girls Dream Labs II will award two university scholarships for qualifying girls in professional fields such as business management, accounting and finance, information technology, and health sciences, bringing to a total of five scholarships awarded with financial support from the New Life Fund.

In addition, Girls Dream Labs II will provide business coaching and mentorship to 25 Girls Dream Labs graduates from the previous two cohorts (25 Girls Project 2020-2021 and Project Girls Dream Labs 2022-2023) and consolidate the achievements of the projects implemented in Uganda with funding from the New Life Fund since 2020.