Our Work
Backing Women’s Enterprise
Eighty single mothers run three businesses out of Toonda’s wooden office and kitchen. The organisation is theirs – registered, self-governed, and building an income that does not depend on us.
A Community-Based Organization, run by its members
The women’s group is registered as a Community-Based Organization, which means it holds its own legal standing rather than sitting inside Toonda as a project. Decisions about what to make, what to charge and how to divide the work belong to the members.
Most joined without a stable income and with children to provide for alone. Coming together changed what was possible: shared equipment, shared buyers, and a place to work that is not someone’s front room.
Three groups, three trades
Sewing is done on pedal machines, which need no electricity – a practical choice in a village with no mains supply. Basket weaving draws on skills already held in the community and turns them into stock that sells. The catering group takes bookings for functions across the area.
Everything the women make is sold at the Library Café on site, so visitors to the Hub are also the customer base. Buying a basket here is not a donation; it is a sale, and that distinction matters to the people making them.
Partners in this work
The women’s programme has been supported by Zonta Hamburg and by the Rwenzori Sustainable Trade Centre, whose backing helped establish the groups and equip them.
If your organisation works on women’s economic participation in East Africa, there is room here for practical partnership rather than one-off funding.
Common questions
Can I buy the women’s work if I am not in Uganda?
Reach out through the contact page. Shipping is arranged case by case, and larger orders are easier to send than single items.
Where does the money from sales go?
Sales income goes to the women’s group, which is a separate registered organisation and decides its own distribution.
Can I volunteer with the women’s groups?
Yes, particularly if you bring skills in tailoring, business administration, or market access. See the Get Involved page.
Why pedal machines rather than electric?
Kyakataama has no mains electricity. Pedal machines work every day without fuel, batteries or repair costs the group cannot absorb.
Support the women’s groups
Buy their work, fund equipment, or partner with a group that already knows what it is doing.