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From Kampala To Dzaleka: Reimagining Economic Empowerment
There Is Hope continues to strengthen its commitment to sustainable community empowerment through the Skill Up! Project funded by Welthungerhilfe Malawi.
From 18 to 25 April 2026, TIH representatives Deputy Executive Director Anock Kapira and Project Officer Nyengo Kumwenda travelled to Kampala, Uganda, to participate in a Street Business School (SBS) Immersion Workshop alongside participants from eight countries including Malawi, Uganda, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, South Sudan, Nepal, and the United States.
The Street Business School model focuses on helping individuals build businesses using locally available resources, existing skills, and opportunities within their own communities. Unlike traditional entrepreneurship models that often rely on grants or loans, SBS promotes self-reliance, resilience, and long-term sustainability.
During the workshop, participants explored practical modules in entrepreneurship mindset transformation, business opportunity identification, financial management, customer growth, market research, record keeping, and business planning. The training also emphasized structured coaching and mentorship approaches that support participants throughout their business journey.
Both TIH representatives returned home as certified SBS coaches, bringing new skills and fresh ideas that will directly strengthen livelihoods and economic empowerment programming within Dzaleka Refugee Camp and surrounding communities.
“People already have potential within them,” says Nyengo Kumwenda. “The resources, the ideas, the drive, much of it is already there. What is often missing is the confidence, guidance, and structure to turn those ideas into action. This training gave us practical tools to help communities recognise their own abilities and build from them.”
The workshop used highly participatory methods including role plays, discussions, practical exercises, and peer learning sessions. For TIH, the international exchange reinforced the importance of sharing community-driven solutions across different countries and contexts.
“There was something powerful about seeing people from South Sudan, Ghana, Kenya, Nepal, Uganda, and Malawi working through the same ideas together,” Nyengo explains. “It reminded us that resilience exists everywhere, and when communities are equipped with the right mindset and tools, transformation becomes possible.”
For more than two decades, There Is Hope Malawi has worked alongside vulnerable communities in Dowa District through vocational training, youth empowerment, and livelihoods development programmes. The SBS approach aligns closely with TIH’s mission by promoting ownership, entrepreneurship, and sustainable empowerment.
“We went to Kampala as learners,” says Anock Kapira. “We came back as coaches, but more importantly, with a clearer understanding of how empowerment can become more sustainable and community-driven. The SBS model respects people’s abilities and encourages them to build from what they already have. That aligns deeply with the values of There Is Hope.”
The knowledge gained from the workshop is expected to strengthen income-generating activities, improve mentorship systems, and support more sustainable economic opportunities for beneficiaries under the Skill Up! programme.
This learning opportunity was made possible through the continued support of WHH Malawi. TIH extends sincere appreciation for the investment in strengthening both community empowerment and institutional capacity.
“Lasting change does not come from external support alone,” says Anock Kapira. “It comes when people are empowered to recognise and act on the opportunities already around them. That is the mindset we are bringing back home.”
With two newly certified SBS coaches and renewed momentum, There Is Hope Malawi is returning from Kampala ready to build sustainable change one business, one household, and one community at a time.