The Happy Ladder Club is an action-based entrepreneurship programme supporting refugees and people living in poverty to build sustainable micro-businesses and regain economic independence.
One of our projects is operating through the Ujuzi Centre for Refugee Entrepreneurs in Nakivale Refugee Settlement, Uganda, the programme provides practical business training, mentorship, and start-up support designed for communities with little or no access to capital.
Participants learn practical skills such as soap making, tailoring, hairdressing, crafts, and small-scale trade, alongside core entrepreneurship skills including budgeting, pricing, and customer service.
With start-up costs often under $50 per business, the programme enables individuals – many of them women – to launch income-generating micro-enterprises that support their families and strengthen community resilience.
The long-term vision is to expand the model through dedicated training centres and mobile learning programmes so that thousands of refugees can move from aid dependency to self-reliance.
SDG Alignment
SDG 1 – No Poverty
The programme enables people living in extreme poverty to start micro-businesses and generate independent income.
SDG 4 – Quality Education
Participants receive practical training in entrepreneurship, vocational skills, and financial literacy to support long-term economic independence.
SDG 5 – Gender Equality
Many participants are women, including single mothers, who gain economic independence through business training and mentorship.
SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth
By helping refugees launch micro-enterprises and small businesses, the programme creates pathways to self-employment and local job creation.
SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities
The programme focuses specifically on refugees and marginalised communities who face structural barriers to employment and financial access.
