Building Dreams from Small Beginnings

Kalembe Allen, a 31-year-old mother of four from Kiyuga in Mukono District, Uganda, has faced the full weight of migration’s challenges and the struggle to rebuild from scratch. After completing Senior Four, she worked tirelessly to care for her children, but her income was never enough to meet their needs. With limited support and increasing financial pressure, she made the difficult decision to migrate to Qatar, hopeful that a promised nanny position would offer a stable income. Instead, she was placed in a housemaid job she had not agreed to. Her refusal to accept the role led to tension with her employers, eventually resulting in her arrest and deportation due to the lack of proper documents after a year. Returning home under such circumstances left her devastated, especially when she found that the retail shop and juice business she had left behind had collapsed, despite the money she had been sending back for its upkeep.

Struggling to regain stability, Kalembe sought guidance and support. Her opportunity came when a friend who had also worked in Dubai informed her about the ILO Better Regional Migration Management (BRMM) Programme delivered through Wezesha Impact, specifically designed to support returnee workers. Motivated by the chance to rebuild her livelihood, she joined the training. There, she received transport support and a small start-up capital package, which she immediately reinvested into reviving her business. The training introduced her to crucial entrepreneurship skills such as developing a business idea, setting clear goals, saving regularly, and maintaining detailed financial records. These were practices she had never applied before, yet they quickly transformed how she managed her operations.

Today, Kalembe runs her retail shop and juice production with much greater discipline and clarity. Her biggest limitation remains capital, especially for proper packaging materials and expanding her juice line. Still, she remains determined. With her strengthened skills and renewed confidence, she envisions growing her business into a wholesale supplier, distributing items like soda, bread, and water to other shops. Her goal is simple but powerful: secure a stable livelihood for her children and build a future rooted in resilience rather than hardship.