Impact Stories & Blogs

Monica Tayebwa, Uganda, Cohort 33, Business & Entrepreneurship

The drive to Nyanama area in the outskirts of Kampala was a long one and we had to stop and ask around for directions. We finally arrived in Nyanama through a rough narrow road to meet Monica Tayebwa, an alumna of YALI RLC EA. Alongside her shop was a businessman making “rolex” and for a moment we almost got derailed but we remembered why we were there. In Uganda, the rolex is the country’s favourite snack, a sandwich made up of an omelette, chapati bread, and it derives its name from a play on the words “rolled eggs”.

 Monica welcomed us to her shop which also doubles up as a mini factory. She founded Fabulous Innovations Limited in 2014 to encourage and promote hygiene in her community. She manufactures detergents, liquid soap and disinfectants that she sells at affordable prices in her community. She is also in the fight against malaria by implanting anti-mosquito fluids in making organic mosquito repellents in form of candles, bathing soaps and jelly. The candles are in different shapes and sizes. To make them even more appealing, she creates beautiful ceramic candle holders in delightful designs. “I find hotels love the ceramic holders. They even use them as décor artefacts. Individuals also buy them for their aesthetic appeal”, Monica explained as she took us through the process of making the candles.

A professional public administrator and entrepreneur, she went on to register her idea as a company in June 2019. Through her company, Monica trains, mentors and advocates for entrepreneurship. “I train women on making these products so they can have a sustainable way to fend for their families. I have so far trained over 200 women” Monica comes from a family of entrepreneurs. Her father’s factory is located right across her shop. The father is into recycling and manufacturing of plastics. Monica says, “My father is proud of what I do to help the community access the products I make at an affordable price. I also contribute to the revenue that he makes as I buy all my plastic containers from him” She adds as she laughs, “I buy from him. No parent relations in business” Monica holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration and Management from Uganda Christian University, Uganda. She also holds a Certificate in Administrative Law from Law Development Center, Uganda. She felt she needed more skills and upon hearing about YALI RLC EA, she knew she had to apply. “I was elated to be selected to join cohort 33.

 The experience I gained in the program has been impactful in my business. The design thinking class was an eye opener for me and gave me a different perspective of how I should run my business”. She walks to a shelf and picks two products and lets out a loud sigh, “This was my initial packaging. Immediately I came back from YALI RLC EA, I changed to this.” She hands us the new packaging to look at. She pointed out that just by that transformation, she has managed to increase sales and even have her products accepted into more retail stores. In collaboration with Mastercard Foundation, Monica is also mentoring young people who have just completed school and own start-ups and social enterprises. “We are carrying out an entrepreneurship training, where the students come up with different business ideas, and I am privileged to be among selected mentors to help them grow and succeed as I jumpstart their ideas or accelerate their business growth. They are about 15 groups comprised of four to five members competing for a fund of 22 million Uganda shillings.”

 Monica faces challenges in her business, like limited access to funding, struggling to be taken seriously as a young female entrepreneur in a male-dominated industry which has proven to be a struggle in earning respect. The future is bright for Fabulous Innovations and Monica has great dreams for the company. “Besides building up the customer base, production facilities and distribution network, I plan to increase our sensitization work by building up a network of facilitators and more hub centers in different regions which will help people in different areas learn their business. We also aim to achieve our goal of reducing unemployment in Uganda and beyond.”