Donam Kobugabe used to earn a living by running a small bar a few metres from her mother's home. As a single mother of three, it helped her survive, but she always struggled to make ends meet.

"I wasn't even sure whether I was making profits," she recalls.

Everything changed when she heard about the WeWork – green and decent jobs for youth project and decided to apply. 

When she was invited to attend the residential bootcamp, she almost declined. She wondered who would run her bar while she was away. Her mother convinced her to go, promising to look after the business and Donam's two older children. Donam attended the training with her baby, while her mother remained at home.

"The bootcamp was inclusive. They allowed mothers with babies to attend together with a caregiver," she says.

During the training, Donam listened to fellow entrepreneurs share how they had built successful poultry businesses from just a few birds. Their stories made her look differently at the empty poultry shelter her late grandmother had left behind.

"I thought to myself, if they started with five birds and are doing well, why can't I?"

After returning home, she discussed the idea with her mother, who encouraged her to give it a try. She also sought advice from her aunt, who was already a poultry farmer, and even spent time at her farm learning how to brood chicks.

Confident that she had gained enough knowledge, Donam made a bold decision.

She sold her bar for UGX 1 million (€239) and borrowed UGX 1.5 million (€356) from her Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA). Together, the money enabled her to buy 150 day-old chicks.

"It was my first time rearing chickens and I was anxious. I kept checking on them because I had been told that if I didn't manage them well, they could die."

The effort paid off.

Although she lost five birds, she sold the remaining 145 birds and made a profit of about UGX 290,000 (€69) in just one and a half months.

"I realised this business was much better than the bar. I used the profit to pay school fees for my children."

She immediately restocked another 150 birds and later increased her flock to 300 birds after receiving a UGX 1 million micro-grant (€239) through the project.

Her journey has not been without setbacks. Disease later affected one flock after she unknowingly bought sick chicks from a supplier. Out of 300 birds, only 70 survived.

Despite the loss, Donam has not given up.

"I love this business very much and I have no plans of quitting. It brings in money quickly."

She has already placed another order for chicks but is waiting until the poultry house has been fully disinfected before bringing in a new flock.

The project also introduced her to record keeping and business planning.

"Before the training, I would get money and spend it carelessly on things like hairstyles and clothes. I never thought about planning. The training changed my mindset."

Her business plan was later selected among the best, earning her the micro-grant that helped her expand.

Today, Donam sells birds to roadside chicken sellers and keeps in touch through WhatsApp with regular customers who contact her whenever they need stock.

She now saves half of her profits while using the other half to meet household needs.

"I thought I would never leave the bar business," she says. "But now I don't miss it at all."