Getting a restaurant off the ground is a challenge in and of itself. It is much more difficult if you are a mother in Uganda who does not have access to any training or resources.
Despite this, Resti Kawuki did not go into business for herself when she opened her new restaurant. Kawuki was able to become a successful small business owner as a result of the Family Empowerment Program offered by Every Child Ministries (ECM). He received biblical business instruction and tools as part of this program.
Due to the success of her restaurant, Kawuki intends to make more investments in furnishings such as tables, chairs, charcoal burners, saucepans, utensils, and silverware.
With biblical business instruction, Ugandan woman opens eatery.
According to Luckey, “She is able to support her kids, is able to send them to school, is able to save some money every month, [and] is able to care for her family the way that she wants to.” The revenue that is created by her new business allows her to do all of these things. Simply lending a hand to her was all that was required.
The Ministry Model of ECM has been updated to include the Family Empowerment Program very recently. However, they realized that in countries such as Uganda, there was a greater need to go beyond the practice of individual child sponsorship.
Mark Luckey with ECM says, “We helped her to start up this little restaurant and it’s gone crazy. She’s very outgoing and has a big smile on her face and people love to come in. She knows how now to run the business and so she’s needing to expand her business because of all the new customers!”
According to Luckey, “Staff would frequently say, ‘In this home, there are three other kids in addition to a mother or a grandparent, or a mother and father.'”
They are all having a very difficult time, and although they are overjoyed that one of their children is getting his or her needs fulfilled, they are asking if there is anything further that we can do to help. Could we make any kind of contribution to the family?'”
Through ECM’s Family Empowerment Program, parents and carers are given the opportunity to acquire biblically-based business skills over the course of two years and get help to launch their own enterprise.
