Uganda - Business creation project

Describe your project or startup in a few words

Craft Fetch is a project that aims at creating market opportunities for rural artisans in the Rwenzori region by using digital marketing tools to reach potential customers locally and globally to improve their livelihoods through financial independence.

01.01 Describe your project in more detail

Craft Fetch is designed to link hand craft buyers to high quality handmade craft products made by well skilled rural artisans in the Rwenzori region, and our main goal is to fight poverty among rural artisans through creating a reliable market for their craft products locally through partnering with local craft shops in tourism centers of Uganda and international through using digital marketing tools for example we use our social media platforms sale our craft product and we are creating an e-commerce website to scale our market reach, and this enables rural artisans to increase their income levels which supports them to pay their children's quality education, improve their livelihoods and most importantly having a reliable market for the crafts . We link our beneficiaries to market opportunities for their craft products unlike our competitors "Rural Focus Initiative" which only trains their beneficiaries but does not link them to market opportunities for their craft products.

01.02 What is the main problem you are trying to solve?

Reports show that 55% multidimensional poverty rate in the rural areas of Uganda is not only above the average poverty line in Uganda but more than double the average poverty line in the urban areas of Uganda which is at 23% and 78% of Uganda’s population are below the age of 30years making it one of youngest population in the world of which 41% (9.3M) are not engaged in any productive activity nor in school and moreover the 6.6% are unemployed, and it real takes someone to be creative, innovate, and courageous to break the poverty cycle in their families. I myself, as a girl I was always referred to as a house help in exchange for food because my mother couldn't afford to take us, but since I was able to break the poverty cycle in my family and pay for my university through crafting, I decided to empower women and the youth in my community with skills development opportunities in crafting and soft business skills to improve their livelihoods through financial independency.

01.03 Tell us the major benefits and/or advantages of using the product/service that your project intends to provide (at least 3).

We link our beneficiaries to market opportunities for their craft products after training them in product design and development unlike our other competitors who only train their beneficiaries but do not link them to market opportunities for their craft products and we hand craft buyers to high quality and sustainable craft products handmade from environmentally friendly material like banana fiber which is rendered as waste by banana famers in Uganda and these crafts are made by well skilled rural artisans from the Rwenzori region.

01.04 Please describe who exactly your project is aimed at serving. Who are the targeted beneficiaries?

Rural artisans are our customers since we bring them an opportunity to reach potential customers locally and internationally for their handicraft products and we 35% commission on every product sold through us. Our target customers for the crafts are craft shops in tourism centers of Uganda, International handcraft retailers and distributors. We target Women and the Youth Empowerment initiatives are our beneficiaries because many big or national organization usually need grass root initiatives to deliver training services to their beneficiaries for example, we partnered with Privet Sector Foundation Uganda in under the Young Africa Works program funded by Mastercard Foundation to train 30 youth in crafting skills to enable them to earn a living.

01.05 When did you start working on your project?

2023-01-01

01.06 How many other partners are associated with your business venture?

3

01.07 Among the other partners, how many are female?

3

01.08 Please describe the profile of each of the other partners (skills, experience, etc.)

Juliet Kabugho has a bachelor's degree in finance and accounting with a track record of success in business management and 3 years' experience as an accountant. Elizabeth Mbambu has a bachelor's degree in social work and social science with 4 years' experience as a civil servant and well talented in creating with 7 years' experience as handicraft trainer Peace Masika pursuing her bachelor's degree in computer science and has 2 years' experience in digital marketing.

01.09 If you have a website, a social media page (Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin…), or app, please provide the link here:

01.10 Which industry best describes your project?

h) IT (digital services, equipment and software)

02.01.01 My project contributes to the No poverty goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.01.02 No poverty - Justification

My project contributes to the No poverty goal through creating market opportunities for the rural artisans who still depend on less than $1 per day, these market opportunities enable them to reach potential customers are able to double their income levels which enable them to improve their livelihoods and break their poverty circles.

02.02.01 My project contributes to the Zero hunger goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.02.02 Zero hunger - Justification

My project contributes to the Zero hunger goal since the rural artisans that we support are able to buy or afford food after selling their craft products even when their gardens are not yielding well, or when the seasons are real not favoring.

02.03.01 My project contributes to the Good health and well-being goal

5

02.03.02 Good health and well-being - Justification

My project contributes to good health and well-being since our goal is to improve the livelihood of the rural women and the youth through creating employment opportunities in crafting and market opportunities for the craft products.

02.04.01 My project contributes to the Quality education goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.04.02 Quality education - Justification

My project contributes to quality education goal through empowering rural youth and women with skills development opportunities which enable them to become self-employed or employed and in the long run their children are able to acquire quality education since their parents can real afford to pay their children's fees in good schools thar offer quality education.

02.05.01 My project contributes to the Gender equality goal

5

02.05.02 Gender equality - Justification

Since women's voices are heard in communities and families when they have their own money, and my project ensures that rural women are real earning to amplify their voices in their communities and families hence contributing to the gender equality goal.

02.06.01 My project contributes to the Clean water and sanitation goal

4

02.06.02 Clean water and sanitation - Justification

02.07.01 My project contributes to the Affordable and clean energy goal

3

02.07.02 Affordable and clean energy - Justification

02.08.01 My project contributes to the Decent work and economic growth

7 - Strongly Agree

02.08.02 Decent work and economic growth - Justification

My project contributes to the decent work and economic growth through empowering the youth and women with sustainable crafting like using environment friendly materials like banana fiber which is rendered as waste by banana farmers in Uganda and businesses skills that enable them to become self- employed in very short period of time

02.09.01 My project contributes to the Industry innovation and infrastructure

3

02.09.02 Industry innovation and infrastructure - Justification

02.10.01 My project contributes to the Reduced inequalities goal

4

02.10.02 Reduced inequalities - Justification

02.11.01 My project contributes to the Sustainable cities and communities goal

4

02.11.02 Sustainable cities and communities - Justification

02.12.01 My project contributes to the Responsible consumption and production goal

4

02.12.02 Responsible consumption and production - Justification

02.13.01 My project contributes to the Climate action goal

4

02.13.02 Climate action - Justification

02.14.01 My project contributes to the Life below water goal

4

02.14.02 Life below water - Justification

02.15.01 My project contributes to the Life on land goal

6

02.15.02 Life on land - Justification

One of the handcraft product Craft Fetch promotes save the environment including life on land by replacing 384 non reusable plastic bags used for shopping per year with one reusable hand- woven shopping bag that last for more than 4 years and its biodegradable.

02.16.01 My project contributes to the Peace justice and strong institutions goal

4

02.16.02 Peace justice and strong institutions - Justification

02.17.01 My project contributes to the Partnerships for the goal

5

02.17.02 Partnerships for the goal - Justification

My project contributes to the partnerships for the goal through collaborating with local community organizations and organized women and youth group that share the share and align with our goals and objectives and these collaborations enhance our implementation for our projecsts.

05.01 There are a large number of customers who already use a product/service very similar to the product/service we envision creating.

7 - Strongly Agree

05.02 The product/service we envision creating represents an entirely new type of product/service.

4

05.03 The product/service we envision creating could be described as a new technology.

2

05.04 The product/service we envision creating is an improvement on an existing product or service.

7 - Strongly Agree

05.05 The product/service we envision creating could be described as an extension of a range of products or services.

5

05.06 The product/service we envision creating responds to a demand or need that has not been satisfied by other products/services.

7 - Strongly Agree

05.07 The product/service we envision creating is a new version of an old product/service.

7 - Strongly Agree

05.08 Justification

Tourists who come to the Rwenzori region by these crafts in tourism centers and millions globally now use online shopping an opportunity for use invest in digital marketing. My idea is creating new market opportunities for rural artisans to be able to sell their products digitally.

05.09 Who are your main potential competitors and what makes you stand out from them?

Craft Fetch sells high quality handcraft and sustainable products made by well skilled rural artisans trained by us unlike our competitors "Baskets of Africa" who only buys crafts products from artisans without training them on how to make quality and sustainable products. We link our beneficiaries to market opportunities for their craft products unlike our competitors "Rural Focus Initiative" who only trains their beneficiaries but does not link them to market opportunities for their craft products.

10.06 Are you initiating actions within your community to promote the role of female entrepreneurs?

Craft Fetch mainly supports rural artisans in order to enable them to support their children especially girls achieve quality education. This is significant because it shows the value of female entrepreneurs in the community though their dedication of actively promoting girl child education before marriage which clearly promotes the role of female entrepreneurs in the community. The second action to promote female entrepreneurs is through our objective to advocate/promoting women economic empower through creating a reliable market for their craft products and this builds their confidence to develop their families and communities because a financial empowered women's voice is listened to in their families and communities,