Ntunga Women
Empowerment Program
Empowering Women. Strengthening Families. Preventing Child Homelessness.
Ntunga is Streetlights Uganda's women empowerment program, equipping women with tailoring, design, and entrepreneurship skills that create pathways to sustainable livelihoods. At its heart, Ntunga is a prevention initiative.
We believe that when women have access to skills, resources, and economic opportunities, families become stronger and children are more likely to remain in safe, supportive environments where they can learn, grow, and pursue their futures.
Since 2017, Ntunga has empowered more than 160 women through vocational training, mentorship, and entrepreneurship opportunities.
$5,000 equips and operates one Ntunga Centre for a year, training 30 women annually.
Why Ntunga?
For many families, economic hardship creates difficult choices that can affect children's education, wellbeing, and stability.
Through our work with street-connected children, we have seen that strengthening families is one of the most effective ways to prevent child homelessness before it begins. Ntunga was created to address this challenge by investing in the strengths, talents, and potential of women.
"By providing practical skills, access to equipment, mentorship, and opportunities for enterprise, Ntunga helps women build sustainable sources of income while creating more stable futures for their families."
What Women Learn
Participants engage in a six-month training program that combines vocational skills with entrepreneurship and personal development.
Training Includes:
- Tailoring and garment construction
- Fashion and product design
- Sewing machine operation and maintenance
- Entrepreneurship and small business development
- Financial literacy
- Marketing and customer relations
Participants also benefit from mentorship, peer learning, and opportunities to apply their skills through real production projects.
Our Impact
Since launching in 2017, Ntunga has reached more than 160 women across Uganda. Together, participants and graduates have:
- ✓Developed vocational and entrepreneurial skills
- ✓Created and sold garments, bags, uniforms, and textile products
- ✓Increased household income and financial resilience
- ✓Become trainers, mentors, and community leaders
- ✓Built supportive networks that continue beyond the training period
Every woman empowered through Ntunga represents new possibilities for her family, her community, and future generations.
Tambula project
“Tambula” is a Luganda word meaning walk.
A project that advocates for safe and long-lasting shoes for children who live on the streets and in slums These children normally walk barefoot making them prone to contracting germs and accidents. Using old car tyres, we train these children how to make themselves sandals for use as well as for sale. This is one of the projects we carried out with 15 youth from Ewaka Foundation in 2016.
Bag Yange Project
A project that advances free ownership of a school bag for every child in marginalised communities in Uganda.
The purpose of the project is to make sure every child that lacks a bag in those schools owns a bag locally made from recycled material by themselves. Through the use of old t-shirts, Jeans, other recyclable material, fabric, and a few accessories. The project was done with 20 youth from PCCP in 2017. In December 2022, we launched a Bag Yange (a Luganda word meaning “My bag”) Campaign where we made a call for old jeans to enable the Ntunga women create 200 School bags for children in Buseruka Primary School in Hoima District and were distributed in 2023. In 2024 in partnership with Garda World Uganda we recycled old uniforms into 700 school bags that were distributed to schools in Hoima.
Ntunga in Action
Explore the moments that define our program—women learning, creating, and building stronger futures.
Invest in Ntunga
A Small Investment. A Lasting Impact.
A contribution of $5,000 USD can establish and operate one fully equipped Ntunga Centre for an entire year.
This investment provides:
- Sewing machines and equipment
- Training materials and supplies
- Trainer facilitation
- Entrepreneurship training
- Mentorship and graduate support
- Access to production opportunities and markets
Annual Impact Per Centre
- Fifteen women per cohort
- Employment opportunities for local female trainers
- Increased economic opportunities for participating families
Current Funding Opportunity: Namuwongo Centre
Our next Ntunga Centre is ready to launch in Namuwongo. Located within one of Kampala's most vibrant communities, the centre will serve women from the four major zones of Kanyogoga, Kasanvu, Soweto, and Godown.
The space is available.
The women are ready.
The trainers are ready.
What is needed now are the sewing machines, equipment, and resources that will open the doors to learning and opportunity.
Our vision for Namuwongo is rooted in prevention. We believe that when women have access to skills, resources, and sustainable income opportunities within their own communities, families are better positioned to thrive and children are more likely to remain in school, stay connected to supportive family environments, and pursue brighter futures.
Funding Needed: $5,000
This investment will:
- ✓ Fully equip the training centre
- ✓ Facilitate trainers for one year
- ✓ Train 30 women annually
- ✓ Support two cohorts each year
- ✓ Create opportunities that strengthen families and help prevent child homelessness
Help Us Launch the Namuwongo Centre. A single donor, company, foundation, church, or community group can help unlock opportunities for women while investing in stronger futures for children and families.
Where We Work
Kibuli
Ntunga began in Kibuli in 2017, where young designers from Streetlights Uganda started sharing their skills and creativity with women in the community. The centre continues to provide training, mentorship, and opportunities for growth.
Hoima
Established in 2021, the Hoima Centre expanded Ntunga's reach and continues to equip women with vocational and entrepreneurship skills that support long-term economic participation and self-reliance.
Namuwongo
Our next centre is ready to launch. With the right investment, it will provide training and opportunity for 30 women every year while strengthening families across the Namuwongo community.
Karamoja
Through years of working alongside street-connected children in Kampala, Streetlights Uganda has learned that many originate from the Karamoja region, where families often face limited economic opportunities and recurring challenges.
Many parents send their children to the city hoping they will find opportunities to support themselves and their families. Too often, however, these children encounter hardship and life on the streets.
Our vision for Karamoja is rooted in prevention. We believe that when women and families have access to skills, resources, and sustainable opportunities within their own communities, children are better able to remain at home, attend school, and pursue their futures safely.
Every Stitch Creates Opportunity
When a woman gains the opportunity to learn, earn, and lead, the impact reaches far beyond the individual.
Families become stronger.
Communities become more resilient.
Children gain greater opportunities to thrive.
Together, we can create pathways to opportunity while helping prevent child homelessness before it begins.
Fund a Centre. Empower a Woman. Strengthen a Family.
Ways to Get Involved