Beatrice Ajonye is a refugee from South Sudan. She lives in Imvepi Refugee Settlement in Arua-Uganda, where she once tried to survive by selling aggregates—small stones used for construction. Life was difficult as the income she earned was hardly enough for her to survive. Today, she stands confidently behind a sewing machine—not just as a tailor, but as a trainer and mentor, surrounded by other women she has helped to empower.  

Her journey started in 2022, when she received training in tailoring from Welthungerhilfe (WHH) in Arua for three months. After that, she was given an extra one-week business planning course, also by WHH. With the skills she gained, she received a grant of UGX 920,000 (€224). She used the money to buy a sewing machine, start her tailoring workshop, and also bought two goats and some sorghum. She later sold the sorghum to pay her children’s school fees. Over time, her goats multiplied—she has sold eight of them to support her children’s education and still keeps eight more.

Impressed by her skills and potential, WHH recommended her to Enabel for more training under the Support Programme for Refugee Settlements and Host Communities in Northern Uganda, funded by the European Union Trust Fund. Enabel, together with WINEPS, trained Beatrice for one week on how to plan lessons using the Competence-based approach and how to assess the gaps her trainees might have. 

Since then, Beatrice has trained over 200 youth and women in different centres. Organisations such as AVSI, BRAC, and YETA (Youth Empowerment to Act) have contacted her to train women across different locations. Depending on the project, she earns between UGX 50,000 (€12) and UGX 70,000 (€17) per trainee every month. Most trainings last between three and six months. In one year, she can train two to three different groups. She estimates that since she started training, she has earned about UGX 40 million (€9,756).

“I used to run my business blindly,” she recalls. “But after the upskilling, I became more organized and I have even started expanding. Now, I’m passionate about guiding other youth so they can also start their own businesses,” Beatrice says.

One of the women she trained is Hellen Duku, also a South Sudanese refugee and a single mother of three. “I didn’t know many things,” Hellen says. “But now I can do more than I ever imagined—like marketing through WhatsApp and keeping records.”                                                                                  

Hellen has since received a school uniform order from Juba, South Sudan. Her daily income has grown from UGX 30,000 to UGX 80,000. She also learned how to make items like pillows and doormats from leftover fabric—skills she picked from Beatrice’s training.

“After losing my husband, I was stressed and struggling. But the support I got has empowered me to feed my children and pay their school fees in a school in Koboko", says Hellen with tears running down her cheeks. 

The impact Beatrice has created is stitched into the stories of women like Hellen, who are now confident, capable, and creating new futures for their families.  

Enabel continues to work with WHH under the WeWork–Green and Decent Jobs for Youth project to empower youth and women in West Nile. Successful youth like Beatrice are expected to get more opportunities to train others and help create decent jobs in their communities.

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