Western region, Uganda

Donum Nakivale Training Farm and Workshops: 1,000 graduates a year

A working farm and workshops where 1,000 people a year learn, in their own language, a trade they can live from.

Pledge to this project

Planned project

This is a project we plan to build. None of the approvals it needs has been granted yet. Each one is listed below with its status, and nothing that needs an approval starts until it is granted.

Isingiro District, next to Nakivale Refugee Settlement. The exact plot is not yet bought.

72%

Working refugees who are self-employed

and they earn 32% less than Ugandans (UNHCR, 2021-07)

1,000

Graduates a year

twelve six-month courses, plus 1,000 on short courses

400 to 500

In work or their own business a year later

base case, from refugee programmes' 30% to 81% (Global Compact on Refugees, 2015 to 2023)

$739

Running cost per graduate

short courses for another 1,000 included

To build

$2,327,819

once

To run

$738,900

a year; Donum pays it all

Its share of the Donum Endowment

$18,472,500

running cost divided by 4%

In all

$20,800,319

opens January 2029 (planned)

0%

$0 of $20,800,319

Pledge to this project Read the whole plan

If a project cannot go ahead, because an approval it needs is refused or its building has not begun within five years, everyone who gave to it is offered their money back or a move to another planned project.

Why it matters

  • Food aid has collapsed: WFP's support fell from 1.6 million refugees in early 2025 to 663,000 (World Food Programme, 2026-03-23), and over a million refugees lost food assistance altogether in 2025 (World Food Programme, 2025-09). Refugee food insecurity more than tripled in a year (CARE, 2026).
  • Refugees International's 2026 review describes a refugee woman who washes clothes for UGX 3,000 to 5,000 a day (Refugees International, 2026-06-30). In Nakivale, refugees and hosts have reported that the vocational training available does not meet their needs (UNHCR and REACH, 2018).
  • Most working refugees are self-employed (72%), and they earn 32% less than comparable Ugandans (UNHCR, 2021-07): skills and business know-how close that gap.
Read more

Livelihood support for refugee and host households fell 56% (Refugees International, 2026-06-30).

Refugees in Uganda have the right to work and are given land to farm. The trades taught here are ones a person or a small group can start with little money and sell locally every week: eggs, chickens, milk, goats, seedlings, vegetables, clothes, hairdressing and repairs. Groups in Nakivale already run poultry farms of their own (AVSI Foundation, 2026-03-19).

What the evidence says

Graduates in work a year laterRange 300 to 810 of 1,000; base case 400 to 500.Of 1,000 graduates a year, how many in work a year laterRefugee training programmes report 30% to 81% in work or their own business.Our base case is 400 to 500, from the 30% floor plus month five running their own unit.02004006008001,000Range reported by refugee programmes: 300 to 810Base case: 400 to 500base case 400 to 500300810FCA Uganda programmes (Palorinya about 30%; Rwamwanja 81%, self-reported); Windle, Nakivale: at least 30%.

In Uganda, young people given cash for vocational training and tools had 41% higher income four years later (J-PAL, undated); six months of vocational training made people 9 percentage points (21%) more likely to be employed and raised hourly wages by 11% (J-PAL, undated), and trained workers' monthly earnings were 25% higher by 2018 (Harvard Business School Working Knowledge, undated); mentoring raised labour-market participation by 27% at three months (J-PAL, undated).

Read more

Refugee programmes report between about 30% and 81% of graduates working or running a business (Global Compact on Refugees, 2015 to 2023); World Bank livelihood programmes in hosting areas raised household incomes by more than 17% (World Bank, 2026-03-19). Nakivale Vocational Training Centre has already certified about 250 refugees and hosts, so the route to a national certificate exists locally (ILO, 2025).

What it is

A working farm with 1,000 laying hens, broilers and a hatchery, a dairy unit for 10 cows, a goat house for 50, 15 acres of fodder, a seedling nursery, two greenhouses, 8 acres of model gardens, a 5-acre orchard, a feed mill and an animal health room. Workshops for tailoring, hairdressing, motorcycle repair, small engines and farm machinery, welding, and solar pumps and systems.

Read more

Twelve courses, each six months on campus, with two intakes a year, in January and July. About 500 trainees are on campus at a time, and 1,000 graduate each year.

Every trainee also takes nine core courses for running their own work: bookkeeping, basic computer and phone skills, money, selling, reading and numbers where needed, working in a group, the rules for a small business, safety at work, and a plan for their own work.

It is taught by doing, about four-fifths of the time in the farm and workshops, in Kiswahili, French, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi and Runyankore, with pictures. Nobody needs English to learn here, and trainees are assessed by doing the work.

Everyone is trained. No certificate is given without the course, and the national assessment comes at the end of it.

Farmers and mechanics who already work in a trade can take two-week courses that add to what they know: better breeds, feeding, disease, grafting, engine faults.

When it happens

Opens January 2029 (planned).

  1. The land
  2. Studies and approvals
  3. The builder
  4. Foundations
  5. Walls and roof
  6. Finishes, power and water
  7. Equipment
  8. Opening
Read more: approvals and stages

Approvals

ApprovalFrom whomStatusDate
The campus approvals (land, consultations, district, environmental certificate)See the campus chanceNot yet granted
Registration as a vocational training institutionMinistry of Education and SportsNot yet granted
Registration as a national assessment centreUganda Vocational and Technical Assessment BoardNot yet granted

Its stages

  1. The land. Done means: Land in a place with at least 20,000 people within 5 km, checked against Office of the Prime Minister and UNHCR population figures; its title, or a written allocation from the Office of the Prime Minister, in Donum Foundation's name, checked by our lawyer.
  2. Studies and approvals. Done means: Surveys, the environmental and social impact certificate, approved drawings, and every approval this project needs, each recorded on the chance page.
  3. The builder. Done means: Three written quotes from builders our team has checked; one chosen and the reason written down. The chosen quote replaces this estimate on the page.
  4. Foundations. Done means: Foundations and floor slabs inspected and signed off by the supervising engineer.
  5. Walls and roof. Done means: Walls up and roof on, inspected and signed off.
  6. Finishes, power and water. Done means: Doors, windows, plaster, paint, wiring, plumbing, power and water working, inspected.
  7. Equipment. Done means: Furniture and equipment in place and checked against the list.
  8. Opening. Done means: The confirmation of delivery signed by the community's leaders, with photos, and the running costs in place.

What it costs, and why

Where the building money goes

  • $0.49 million for the workshops: tailoring, hairdressing, motorcycle and small engines, welding and solar.
  • $0.62 million for the working farm: poultry houses, dairy and goat units, feed and animal health, a seedling nursery, model gardens and water.
  • $0.50 million for training rooms, a computer room, childcare so mothers can train, and a canteen.

Where the running money goes

  • $366,700 a year for 59 staff, among them 25 instructors, a veterinary officer and placement officers.
  • $211,000 for trainees' meals, materials and assessment fees; $68,900 for feed, seed and fuel. Farm sales are never counted on; they are reported apart.

Running this place costs $738,900 a year. At 4% a year, that needs $18,472,500 invested in the Donum Endowment, which is never spent: only its returns pay the running costs, every year.

Every part

  • Poultry $111,111 · still needs $111,111 · Planned 0%
    • Layer house for 1,000 hens

      $20,548 · still needs $20,548 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: 150 m2 at UGX 500,000 per m2 (R_FARM)

      Give to this

    • Broiler house for 1,000 birds

      $13,699 · still needs $13,699 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: 100 m2 at UGX 500,000 per m2 (R_FARM)

      Give to this

    • Hatchery and brooder room, so graduates can start with their own chicks

      $21,370 · still needs $21,370 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: 60 m2 at UGX 1,300,000 per m2 (R_STD)

      Give to this

    • 20 small pens where trainees run their own flocks in month five

      $41,096 · still needs $41,096 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: 300 m2 at UGX 500,000 per m2 (R_FARM)

      Give to this

    • 1,000 laying hens to start

      $7,000 · still needs $7,000 · Planned

      $7 a laying hen, 1,000 needed

      How we reached this figure: 1,000 at UGX 25,000

      Give to this

    • 3 egg incubators of 528 eggs, with backup power

      $3,288 · still needs $3,288 · Planned

      $1,096 an incubator, 3 needed

      How we reached this figure: 3 at UGX 4,000,000

      Give to this

    • Feeders, drinkers, egg trays, brooders and scales

      $4,110 · still needs $4,110 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: Our estimate

      Give to this

  • Dairy cattle and goats $127,945 · still needs $127,945 · Planned 0%
    • Zero-grazing dairy unit for 10 cows: stalls, feeding troughs, milking area, calf pens

      $47,945 · still needs $47,945 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: 250 m2 at UGX 700,000 per m2 (R_FARM_HEAVY)

      Give to this

    • Milk room with a cooler

      $17,534 · still needs $17,534 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: 40 m2 at UGX 1,600,000 per m2 (R_SVC)

      Give to this

    • 10 in-calf dairy heifers

      $13,700 · still needs $13,700 · Planned

      $1,370 an in-calf heifer, 10 needed

      How we reached this figure: 10 at UGX 5,000,000

      Give to this

    • Milk cooler of 300 litres, cans, and a chaff cutter

      $8,493 · still needs $8,493 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: Our estimate

      Give to this

    • Raised goat house for 50 goats

      $16,438 · still needs $16,438 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: 120 m2 at UGX 500,000 per m2 (R_FARM)

      Give to this

    • 40 breeding does and 2 bucks of improved breeds

      $7,397 · still needs $7,397 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: 40 at UGX 600,000 and 2 at UGX 1,500,000

      Give to this

    • 15 acres of fodder (napier grass, lucerne and fodder trees), and 2 silage pits

      $16,438 · still needs $16,438 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: 15 acres at UGX 2,000,000 and 2 pits at UGX 15,000,000

      Give to this

  • Animal feed and animal health $100,820 · still needs $100,820 · Planned 0%
    • Feed store and feed-making room

      $45,205 · still needs $45,205 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: 150 m2 at UGX 1,100,000 per m2 (R_LIGHT)

      Give to this

    • Feed mill: hammer mill and mixer, to teach making feed from local grain

      $9,589 · still needs $9,589 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: Our estimate

      Give to this

    • Animal health room for training community animal health workers

      $35,068 · still needs $35,068 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: 80 m2 at UGX 1,600,000 per m2 (R_SVC)

      Give to this

    • Veterinary equipment and a vaccine fridge

      $5,479 · still needs $5,479 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: Our estimate

      Give to this

    • Manure and compost yard

      $5,479 · still needs $5,479 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: Our estimate

      Give to this

  • Seedlings and model gardens $187,946 · still needs $187,946 · Planned 0%
    • Tree, fruit and vegetable seedling nursery under shade nets, 2,000 m2

      $32,877 · still needs $32,877 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: 2,000 m2 at UGX 60,000

      Give to this

    • Potting shed and nursery store

      $30,137 · still needs $30,137 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: 100 m2 at UGX 1,100,000 per m2 (R_LIGHT)

      Give to this

    • Nursery trays, grafting tools, seed and a misting system

      $12,329 · still needs $12,329 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: Our estimate

      Give to this

    • 2 greenhouses of 240 m2 with drip irrigation

      $24,658 · still needs $24,658 · Planned

      $12,329 a greenhouse, 2 needed

      How we reached this figure: 2 at UGX 45,000,000

      Give to this

    • 8 acres of model gardens and trainees' own plots, with drip irrigation: vegetables, beans, maize, bananas, cassava, sorghum, sunflower

      $17,534 · still needs $17,534 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: 8 acres at UGX 8,000,000

      Give to this

    • Demonstrations for small plots: keyhole gardens, sack gardens, terraces

      $2,740 · still needs $2,740 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: Our estimate

      Give to this

    • A 5-acre orchard: grafted mango, avocado, citrus and bananas

      $8,219 · still needs $8,219 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: Our estimate

      Give to this

    • Farm tools, a walk-behind tractor with implements, sprayers

      $10,959 · still needs $10,959 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: Our estimate

      Give to this

    • Produce store and sorting shed

      $36,164 · still needs $36,164 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: 120 m2 at UGX 1,100,000 per m2 (R_LIGHT)

      Give to this

    • Small cold room for eggs, milk and vegetables

      $12,329 · still needs $12,329 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: Our estimate

      Give to this

  • Water for the farm $89,041 · still needs $89,041 · Planned 0%
    • Lined rainwater pond of 3,000 m3

      $24,658 · still needs $24,658 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: Our estimate

      Give to this

    • A farm borehole with a solar pump

      $26,027 · still needs $26,027 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: Borehole UGX 55,000,000, pump UGX 40,000,000

      Give to this

    • 50,000 litre farm tank and irrigation mains

      $38,356 · still needs $38,356 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: Tank UGX 80,000,000, pipes UGX 60,000,000

      Give to this

  • Workshops $494,792 · still needs $494,792 · Planned 0%
    • Tailoring workshop

      $69,041 · still needs $69,041 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: 180 m2 at UGX 1,400,000 per m2 (R_WORK)

      Give to this

    • Hairdressing and beauty room, with hot water

      $46,027 · still needs $46,027 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: 120 m2 at UGX 1,400,000 per m2 (R_WORK)

      Give to this

    • Motorcycle repair workshop

      $69,041 · still needs $69,041 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: 180 m2 at UGX 1,400,000 per m2 (R_WORK)

      Give to this

    • Small engines and farm machinery workshop: pumps, mills, generators, tillers

      $69,041 · still needs $69,041 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: 180 m2 at UGX 1,400,000 per m2 (R_WORK)

      Give to this

    • Welding and fabrication workshop: poultry cages, feeders, gates, farm tools

      $69,041 · still needs $69,041 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: 180 m2 at UGX 1,400,000 per m2 (R_WORK)

      Give to this

    • Solar pumps and solar systems workshop

      $46,027 · still needs $46,027 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: 120 m2 at UGX 1,400,000 per m2 (R_WORK)

      Give to this

    • Tailoring: 30 industrial sewing machines, 6 overlockers, 2 embroidery machines, cutting tables

      $27,945 · still needs $27,945 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: 30 at UGX 1,600,000, 6 at UGX 2,500,000, 2 at UGX 12,000,000, plus UGX 15,000,000

      Give to this

    • Hairdressing and beauty: 12 stations with basins and dryers

      $19,178 · still needs $19,178 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: Our estimate

      Give to this

    • Motorcycle tools, lifts, a compressor and 6 motorcycles to take apart

      $16,438 · still needs $16,438 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: Our estimate

      Give to this

    • Engines, pumps, 2 tillers and a grain mill to learn on

      $19,178 · still needs $19,178 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: Our estimate

      Give to this

    • 8 welding machines, a plasma cutter, drill press, booths with extraction

      $27,397 · still needs $27,397 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: 8 at UGX 3,500,000, plus UGX 72,000,000

      Give to this

    • Solar pump and solar system training boards, meters and tools

      $16,438 · still needs $16,438 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: Our estimate

      Give to this

  • Training rooms, computer room, partner rooms, childcare and canteen $501,096 · still needs $501,096 · Planned 0%
    • 3 training rooms for 35, taught with pictures and in people's own languages

      $85,479 · still needs $85,479 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: 240 m2 at UGX 1,300,000 per m2 (R_STD)

      Give to this

    • Computer room for 20, for the basic computer and phone course

      $35,068 · still needs $35,068 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: 80 m2 at UGX 1,600,000 per m2 (R_SVC)

      Give to this

    • 20 computers, a network and a projector

      $20,274 · still needs $20,274 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: 20 at UGX 3,200,000, plus UGX 10,000,000

      Give to this

    • 6 rooms that partner organisations use, a help desk and 2 private rooms for confidential conversations

      $89,041 · still needs $89,041 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: 250 m2 at UGX 1,300,000 per m2 (R_STD)

      Give to this

    • Childcare room, so parents can train

      $35,616 · still needs $35,616 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: 100 m2 at UGX 1,300,000 per m2 (R_STD)

      Give to this

    • Canteen, cooking what the farm grows

      $53,425 · still needs $53,425 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: 150 m2 at UGX 1,300,000 per m2 (R_STD)

      Give to this

    • 3 toilet blocks

      $53,425 · still needs $53,425 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: 150 m2 at UGX 1,300,000 per m2 (R_STD)

      Give to this

    • Covered walkways and paved yard

      $32,877 · still needs $32,877 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: Our estimate

      Give to this

    • Fence and gates around the farm and workshops, 1,500 m

      $53,425 · still needs $53,425 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: 1,500 m at UGX 130,000 a metre

      Give to this

    • Furniture for the training and partner rooms, childcare and canteen equipment

      $38,356 · still needs $38,356 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: Our estimate

      Give to this

    • Motor tricycle for taking produce to market

      $4,110 · still needs $4,110 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: Our estimate

      Give to this

  • Getting ready to open $16,438 · still needs $16,438 · Planned 0%
    • Registration as a training institution and as a national assessment centre, and instructor accreditation

      $5,479 · still needs $5,479 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: Our estimate

      Can start before approvals

      Give to this

    • Picture-based course materials in Kiswahili, French, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi and Runyankore

      $10,959 · still needs $10,959 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: Our estimate

      Give to this

  • Fees, taxes and contingency $698,630 · still needs $698,630 · Planned 0%
    • Architect, engineers, quantity surveyor and site supervision (10% of the building work)

      $132,055 · still needs $132,055 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: 10% of $1,320,548 building and outside works; usual practice in Uganda

      Can start before approvals

      Give to this

    • Allowance for prices rising before building starts (6%)

      $79,233 · still needs $79,233 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: 6% of building and outside works. Uganda inflation was 4.6% a year to Sep 2026, and energy and fuel 14.5% (UBOS)

      Give to this

    • VAT on the builder's contract and fees (18%), unless Donum obtains an exemption

      $275,726 · still needs $275,726 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: 18% of works, price allowance and fees. If an exemption is granted, this line is returned to the project's other items

      Give to this

    • Contingency for what nobody can see yet (10%)

      $211,616 · still needs $211,616 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: 10% of everything above. Whatever is not used goes to this project's running costs (its endowment)

      Give to this

  • Keeping it running: its share of the Donum Endowment $18,472,500 · still needs $18,472,500 · Planned 0%
    • Staff pay, for good: paid every year from the endowment's returns

      $9,167,500 · still needs $9,167,500 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: $366,700 a year divided by 4%

      Give to this

    • Fuel, supplies and services, for good: paid every year from the endowment's returns

      $1,722,500 · still needs $1,722,500 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: $68,900 a year divided by 4%

      Give to this

    • Learners' meals and materials, for good: paid every year from the endowment's returns

      $5,275,000 · still needs $5,275,000 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: $211,000 a year divided by 4%

      Give to this

    • Replacing equipment as it wears out, for good: paid every year from the endowment's returns

      $1,075,000 · still needs $1,075,000 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: $43,000 a year divided by 4%

      Give to this

    • Upkeep and servicing, for good: paid every year from the endowment's returns

      $1,000,000 · still needs $1,000,000 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: $40,000 a year divided by 4%

      Give to this

    • Insurance, for good: paid every year from the endowment's returns

      $232,500 · still needs $232,500 · Planned

      How we reached this figure: $9,300 a year divided by 4%

      Give to this

Read more: running costs, line by line
Running costA year
59 staff: manager, farm production manager, veterinary officer, 12 lead and 13 assistant instructors, 3 core course trainers, 8 farm workers, nursery, business, savings group and placement officers, language assistants, childcare and administration$366,700
Feed, chicks, vaccines and veterinary drugs for the farm's own animals$51,700
Training materials (seed, fertiliser, cloth, engine parts, steel, nursery bags) for 1,000 trainees (UGX 200,000 each)$54,800
What each trainee needs to run their own unit in month five (chicks and feed, seed, cloth, parts); they keep what it earns$41,100
Lunch for 1,000 trainees, about 110 days on campus each (UGX 2,000 a meal)$60,300
National assessment fees for every trainee, after their training (UGX 100,000 each)$27,400
A small payment to the farmer or tradesperson who takes each trainee in month six (UGX 50,000)$13,700
Two-week courses for 1,000 farmers and mechanics who already work in a trade$13,700
Finding buyers for graduates' eggs, milk, seedlings, clothes and repairs$8,200
Internet for the computer room and office$4,900
Replacing laying hens every 18 months, and the herd's culls$7,300
Servicing equipment and machines (5% of their cost)$24,700
Replacing equipment and computers over their life (8 years)$35,700
Upkeep of buildings, ponds, nets and irrigation (1.5%)$15,300
Insurance (0.4%)$9,300
Childcare supplies$4,100
Total$738,900

Earned income we expect but do not count when sizing the endowment:

  • Eggs: about 292,000 a year (UGX 12,000 a tray of 30), or supplied to the school kitchen: $32,000 a year
  • Broilers: 6 batches of about 950 birds (UGX 12,000 each): $18,740 a year
  • Milk: about 30,000 litres a year (UGX 1,500 a litre): $12,329 a year
  • Goats sold (about 40 a year at UGX 200,000): $2,192 a year
  • Seedlings: about 50,000 a year (UGX 1,000 each): $13,699 a year
  • Vegetables and fruit: $5,479 a year
  • Partner organisations paying for the trainees they send (about 200 a year at UGX 600,000): $32,877 a year
  • Partners booking rooms: $5,479 a year

These are estimates, in 2026 prices. Before anything is bought, a quote from a builder or seller we checked replaces each one, and this page shows the change.

Who runs it, who pays, and who else is there

Model A. Donum owns and runs it, paid from the endowment. Partner organisations send trainees and pay for them. What the farm produces goes first to the school kitchen; the rest is sold through a company the foundation owns, and that income is reported apart from donations and never counted on.

  • Nakivale Vocational Training Centre, ILO PROSPECTS, AVSI, FCA, CARE's savings groups, Opportunity International and Mercy Corps all work on livelihoods around Nakivale. Donum links graduates to their savings groups and microfinance rather than duplicating them.
Read more: keeping it running

Donum owns and runs the training farm and workshops. The endowment pays 59 staff (a manager, a farm production manager, a veterinary officer, 25 instructors, 3 core course trainers, 8 farm workers and support staff), feed and veterinary care for the farm's animals, training materials, what each trainee needs for their own unit in month five, lunches, national assessment fees, a small payment to the farmer or tradesperson who takes each trainee in month six, short courses for people already in a trade, equipment servicing, building upkeep at 1.5% a year and insurance. Laying hens are replaced every 18 months, and equipment is saved for over eight years. The farm's produce goes first to the school kitchen; what is sold goes through a company the foundation owns and is kept as a reserve, never counted on.

Running it costs $738,900 a year, paid from the returns of its share of the Donum Endowment.

What it will achieve

  • 1,000 graduates a year, each certified after training, in twelve trades: two thirds in farming and livestock, one third in workshop trades.
  • About 400 to 500 of them working for themselves or employed a year later, and earnings 25% to 41% higher than without training at the Ugandan studies' rates.
  • 1,000 farmers and mechanics a year on two-week courses that build on skills they already have; eggs, milk and vegetables for the school kitchen.
Read more: how we worked these numbers out

Applying the refugee programmes' range of 30% to 81% (Global Compact on Refugees, 2015 to 2023) to 1,000 graduates gives 300 to 810 in work or their own business at a year. Our base case of 400 to 500 starts from the 30% floor seen in Nakivale and Palorinya and adds what this course has that those did not: month five running their own unit, the nine core courses and a starter plan.

The earnings gains of 25% to 41% come from Ugandan studies (Harvard Business School Working Knowledge, undated) (J-PAL, undated); we treat them as the upper end and will measure our own at six and twelve months against a comparison group from the baseline survey.

How we will know

  • Trainees who finish, and who pass the practical assessment
  • Whether their month-five unit made a profit
  • At six months and a year: working for themselves, employed, or neither
  • Seedlings, eggs and milk produced, and where they went
Read more: what could go wrong
  • Too many graduates in the same trade. Places in each course are reviewed every year against what the follow-ups show, and moved to where graduates are earning.
  • Six months without earning is hard for poor families. Lunch every day on campus, and in month five trainees keep what their own unit earns.
  • Animal disease on the farm. A veterinary officer on staff, vaccination, and the farm's own feed.
  • Graduates have the skill but no tools. A graduate who starts their own work can be offered a starter kit (chicks, goats, seedlings or tools) as a person's chance on the site, given outright, with nothing to pay back or pass on.

Questions people ask

Why six months?

Long enough for a full cycle in each trade: a flock from chick to first egg, a goat from mating to kidding, a crop from land to market, with month five running a unit of their own.

Why these trades?

They need no English, little money to start, and sell locally every week. They also add value for people who already farm or fix things.

What about graduates who take a job instead?

That counts too. The six and twelve month follow-ups record both honestly.

Why not just give cash?

Cash helps for a season. A trade, a certificate and a working unit last, and the evidence shows earnings gains that outlast the training (J-PAL, undated).

How a chance works All open chances

Something wrong with this chance? Report a concern.