Overview

• 
  

  What they do: Wezesha Impact is a Uganda‑based non‑profit social venture serving youth (ages ~15–30), focusing on developing entrepreneurship, employability, and leadership skills to create jobs and improve employment outcomes

  
  


• 
  

  Model: They use the W.I.S.E. (Wezesha Impact Skills & Enterprise) model:

  
  
  
  
  
  1. 
     

     Empower youth through entrepreneurship and work‑readiness skills

     
     
  
  
  2. 
     

     Support youth‑led enterprises to survive, grow, and hire peers

     
     
  
  
  3. 
     

     Partner with TVET centers to scale and replicate

     
     
  
  
  
  

Impact Highlights

• 
  

  Reach: Over 15,000 youth in Uganda served to date, with 58% being female.

  
  


• 
  

  Employment outcomes: 88% of participants secure employment or start a business—17 percentage points higher than control groups.

  
  


• 
  

  Economic gains: Graduates earn on average USD 25 more per month (~USD 300 per year), with women’s wages increasing by ~76%; 52% report their wages are adequate vs. 40% of peers.

  
  


• 
  

  Job creation: Graduates employ nearly one extra worker each (1.8 vs. 0.8), doubling rates of hiring women and youth.

  
  

Recognition & Partnerships

• 
  

  Partners: Segal Family Foundation selected them as an “Angel for Africa” honoree (2022).

  
  


• 
  

  Scale: Member of Catalyst 2030 and backed by Rippleworks for organizational scaling.

  
  


• 
  

  Founders: Co‑founders Solomon Mugambe and James Katumba have earned prestigious fellowships (Acumen, ILO master‑trainer credentials, Hubert Humphrey) and top 40 under 40 recognition.

  
  

Vision & Values

• 
  

  Vision: “All youth in Africa thrive socially and economically.”

  
  


• 
  

  Mission: “Equipping youth with skills and tools for entrepreneurship and work.”

  
  


• 
  

  Core values: Impact-driven, integrity, reliability, passion, innovation.

  
  

Summary

Wezesha Impact is a proven youth‑development initiative in Uganda leveraging skills development and enterprise support to boost youth employment, incomes, and entrepreneurship—especially for young women—across ~23 districts in Central, Eastern, and Northern Uganda. Their success is backed by robust external impact evaluations and strong partnerships that validate their scalable and replicable model.