Our Impact – Thrive Uganda

Thrive Uganda, founded in 2021, is a social enterprise providing financial aid for education, volunteer mentors as advisors and role models for our participants, and nutrition education including permaculture techniques. Education – Mentoring – Nutrition: the building blocks for thriving adults.

Thrive Uganda embodies the philosophy of Jonathan Lee:

“The focus of foreign assistance needs to shift from aid to enterprise, from poverty alleviation to wealth creation, from paternalism to partnerships, from handouts to investments, from seeing the poor as consumers or burdens to seeing them as creators and from encouraging dependency to integrating the poor into networks of productivity and exchange.”
“Why Foreign Aid Is Harmful.” Jonathan Lea Network, 6 April 2020

Thrive Uganda’s “Development” approach addresses the root causes of rural poverty and provides sustainable wealth creation which creates long-lasting change.

Thrive Uganda develops economic and social capacity that will enable Ugandan youth to develop into adults who thrive with dignity and economic self-reliance.

Our 2025-2026 Strategic Objectives

Raise 20,000 USDs for program implementation.

Work with additional 250 women to improve the nutrition security at the household level

Provide 50 mentoring sessions engaging 3,000 students on career development, building
resilience and improving academic outcomes.

Provide education comprehensive support to 30 students.

Plant and grow 15,000 trees and flowers.

In Uganda

>57%

of the total population is below the age of 18

>50%

of the population live in extreme poverty and lack access to quality education, shelter, basic healthcare, proper nutrition, and clean water.

At Thrive Uganda

We refer to our program participants at “Thrivers”.

168

Women trained and feeding their families organic vegetables from home gardens.

2,543

Soursops trees supplied, planted and growing.

2,076

Bamboo trees supplied, planted and growing.

1,589

Flowers supplied.

12

Thrivers under education scholarship.

1,354

Thrivers access mentoring sessions.

Sustainability

As a social enterprise, we depend on donations for start-up expenses but our goal is to be self-sustaining within seven years.

We have founded and are operating businesses to generate income that pays the enterprise’s expenses with the goal of being self-sustaining by 2030.

Thrive Uganda BSFLarvae Animal Feeds

Producing and marketing highly nutritious food, organic fertilizer, and organic garden compost from Black Soldier Fly Larvae.

Thrive Uganda Green House

Growing vegetable seedlings, tree seedlings, and flowers for sales to the local communities. The greenhouse will also provide paid work opportunities for Thrivers.

Thrive Uganda Tourism

Guiding tourists in rural Uganda will accommodations in local cottages including healthy meals prepared on-site from local ingredients plus transportation and local guides lead tours of natural, historic and cultural areas. Tourists will also have the opportunity to meet Thrive Uganda volunteers and Thrivers.

Thrive Uganda Nursery and Primary School

A Nursery and Primary School will be established for Thrivers with reduced or no tuition plus tuition-paying students.