CBS PEWOSA

What CBS PEWOSA does

CBS PEWOSA (The Project to Empower Women In Savings And Loan Associations) is a community-based non-profit organization founded in April 2009 and headquartered in Kampala, Uganda. Its mission is to empower wealth creation among the "active poor" in the Buganda Region through people-friendly savings, credit, and investment models, with a deliberate emphasis on women, who constitute approximately 75% of beneficiaries. The organization's core portfolio comprises eight program lines: Community Managed Savings Groups (CMSGs), Community-Based Vocational Skills Training, the Bonga Girls Empowerment Program, Early Childhood Care & Development (ECCD), the ACT NOW Youth Exchange Program with Norway, the Buyaaya Youth Green Skilling Center, the annual CBS PEWOSA Trade Fair, and HIV/AIDS/WASH activities in partnership with UNAIDS.

The underlying "technology" is methodological rather than digital: CBS PEWOSA delivers its services through village agents, cluster leaders, community savings groups, and vocational mentorship with local artisans, with no proprietary software platform disclosed. Programs are anchored by institutional partnerships — Stromme Foundation as primary donor, NOREC for youth and professional exchanges (including a South-South track with MYRADA India, 2015–2016), UNAIDS for HIV/AIDS collaboration, and supporting relationships with PEPFAR, NAADS, URC, Makerere University, AIC, and Delft. The organization is governed with board involvement from Buganda Kingdom leadership, including Prime Minister Charles Peter Mayiga, and is operationally led by CEO Luwedde Florence and Managing Director Michael Kawooya Mwebe.

CBS PEWOSA's business model is grant-funded: revenue is sourced from donor partnerships and bilateral/international development funds rather than commercial fees, and services are delivered to beneficiaries at no direct cost. The organization reported 14 employees and geographic operations concentrated in Uganda's Buganda Region and the Greater Mpigi area. Documented outcomes include over 1,500 adolescent girls reached through the Bonga program (2019–2023), a 35-member Tumaliride savings group that shared out 57 million UGX in savings and 10 million UGX in dividends in August 2019, and 80,000 participants in the Kabaka Birthday Run 2022.

Name

CBS PEWOSA

Legal name

The Project to Empower Women In Savings And Loan Associations (CBS-PEWOSA)

Website

https://cbspewosa.org.ug

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CBS PEWOSA is a Ugandan non-profit founded in 2009 that delivers community savings groups, vocational training, girls' empowerment, early childhood development, and youth exchange programs to women and disadvantaged youth in the Buganda Region, funded primarily through donor partnerships led by Stromme Foundation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development Non-Profit Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Leadership, Civic Education & Service-Learning Nonprofits (BPAGADAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits (BPAGADAC), Leadership, Character Education & Values Development (EDAMAIAG)

Keywords

• Community savings groups
• Vocational skills training
• Girls empowerment programs
• Financial literacy education
• Youth exchange programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Kampala

HQ country

Uganda

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donor Funding / Grants: CBS PEWOSA operates as a non-profit organization funded primarily through donor partnerships and grants from organizations such as Stromme Foundation, NOREC, NAADS, and others. The organization does not charge for its community development programs but raises funds from donors to support its mission of empowering wealth creation through savings, credit, and investment models for the active poor.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CBS PEWOSA delivers a portfolio of community development programs for the active poor in Uganda's Buganda Region. Its foundational offering is the Community Managed Savings Groups (CMSGs) program, which mobilizes community members—particularly women (75% of beneficiaries)—with skills in savings mobilization, group dynamics, leadership, record keeping, business skills, and credit management. This is complemented by vocational skills training, a Bonga Girls empowerment program, early childhood care and development, an ACT NOW youth exchange program with NOREC, agricultural initiatives (Buyaaya Youth Green Skilling Center), a WASH project, and an annual trade fair.

Product overview

CBS PEWOSA is a community-based non-profit organization founded in April 2009 that operates as a unified portfolio of development programs focused on financial empowerment and community development in Buganda Region, Uganda. The core offerings center on Community Managed Savings Groups (CMSGs) for financial literacy and savings mobilization, complemented by vocational skills training, youth exchange programs, early childhood development, girls' empowerment, and agricultural initiatives. The organization primarily serves women (75% of beneficiaries) and disadvantaged youth, implementing programs through partnerships with international organizations like Stromme Foundation and NOREC.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BUYAAYA GREEN SKILLING CENTER: A flagship initiative of CBS PEWOSA Uganda's Agricultural Project focused on fostering climate change resilience, promoting regenerative agriculture, and contributing to solid waste management through vermicomposting. Also referred to as Buyaaya Youth Green Skilling Center.
• ACT NOW Exchange Program
• Bonga Girls Empowerment Program

Products and services

• Community Managed Savings Groups (CMSGs)
• Community Based Vocational Skills Training
• Bonga Girls Empowerment Program
• Early Childhood Care & Development (ECCD)
• ACT NOW Exchange Program
• CBS PEWOSA Trade Fair
• Buyaaya Youth Green Skilling Center
• WASH Project

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,500 adolescent girls economically and socially empowered (2019-2023)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NOREC (formerly Fk Norway)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNOREC (formerly Fk Norway) partners with CBS PEWOSA through Stromme to implement youth (ACT NOW) and professional exchanges. Youth are sent from Norway to volunteer among Strømme partner organizations for 7 months, and youth from partner organizations are sent to Norwegian organizations for 10 months. The South-South Professional Exchange program sends participants to MYRADA India.
• UNAIDScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNAIDS collaborates with CBS PEWOSA Uganda on HIV/AIDS response, inspiring the AIDS response in Uganda toward the shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination, and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS leads efforts of 11 UN organizations toward ending AIDS by 2030. The Kabaka of Buganda was appointed UNAIDS goodwill ambassador in Africa.
• CBS FM Radio BugandacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCBS FM is Buganda Kingdom's radio station, closely linked to CBS PEWOSA as part of the same kingdom initiative. The 26th anniversary of CBS FM Radio Buganda was celebrated, with both organizations sharing the Buganda Kingdom development mission.
• MYRADA IndiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMYRADA India is a partner in the South-South Professional Exchange program. CBS PEWOSA sent two participants (Michael Mboowa and Lukwago Richard) to MYRADA India between 2015 and 2016, and received 3 participants from MYRADA (Kumar Dore, Tajuddin Gafoor, and Venkatreddy Shabaranasappa).
• URC (University Research Co.)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerURC (University Research Co.) is listed as a corporate partner, suggesting collaboration on health or development programs.
• Makerere UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMakerere University is listed as a partner, suggesting academic collaboration on development programs.
• AICminorOthersAIC is listed as a partner among corporate partners.
• DelftminorOthersDelft is listed as a partner among corporate partners, likely related to WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) projects.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BRAC: BRAC runs community-based savings groups, microfinance, vocational training, and girls' empowerment programs across multiple developing countries. Comparable to CBS PEWOSA as a large-scale community development NGO targeting the 'active poor' with a similar blended portfolio of financial inclusion, livelihoods, and youth programs.
• Restless Development: Restless Development runs youth-led development, vocational skills, and exchange programs in Africa and Asia. Comparable to CBS PEWOSA on the youth exchange (ACT NOW), vocational training, and adolescent empowerment dimensions.
• MYRADA: MYRADA is an Indian NGO running community-managed savings and credit groups, livelihoods, and gender programs — and is CBS PEWOSA's actual South-South Professional Exchange partner. Direct methodology peer on savings mobilization and community-led development.

Broad incumbents

• FINCA International: FINCA operates village banking / community savings groups across Africa and Latin America. Comparable to CBS PEWOSA on the CMMF savings-group model targeting the active poor, though at much larger institutional scale.
• Opportunity International: Opportunity International provides microfinance, savings, and vocational skills training to low-income communities across developing markets. Comparable to CBS PEWOSA in serving the financial inclusion and livelihoods needs of the same target segment.
• Mercy Corps: Mercy Corps delivers integrated community development programs — financial inclusion, youth livelihoods, agriculture, and WASH — across fragile contexts including Uganda. Comparable to CBS PEWOSA in multi-vertical programming targeting the same active-poor segment.
• Heifer International: Heifer International combines agricultural training, community savings, and youth livelihoods programs across Africa. Comparable to CBS PEWOSA on the Buyaaya Youth Green Skilling Center and vermicomposting/agriculture-and-youth convergence.
• TechnoServe: TechnoServe works on vocational skills, agripreneurship, and small enterprise development in Africa. Comparable to CBS PEWOSA on the vocational skills and agro-based value addition programs that prepare disadvantaged youth for self-employment.
• Grameen Foundation: Grameen Foundation promotes community-led financial inclusion and savings groups globally. Comparable to CBS PEWOSA on the savings-group and financial literacy methodology, but operates at much larger scale and across many countries.

Others

• Stromme Foundation: Stromme Foundation is CBS PEWOSA's primary donor and operational partner for ACT NOW and vocational programs. Comparable as an organization that funds and co-implements community savings, vocational training, and youth exchange in East Africa and South Asia.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cbspewosa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CBS PEWOSA