Wezesha Impact

What Wezesha Impact does

Wezesha Impact is a Ugandan nonprofit founded in 2008 and headquartered in Kampala that delivers youth entrepreneurship and employability programs across Uganda. The organization operates the W.I.S.E. (Wezesha Impact Skills and Enterprise) Model, which consists of three interconnected programs: the W.I.S.E. Academy for skills development in entrepreneurship and work readiness, the Growth Lab for supporting youth-led businesses to survive and scale, and Awards & Voices for participation in national exhibitions, competitions, and entrepreneurship networks. Programs are delivered primarily through partnerships with Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions and a network of 19 trained Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), with a Digital Learning Tools portal offering self-paced courses including 'Start Your Business' and 'Self Employment for Young People.' To date the organization reports serving 25,000+ youth, with 88% graduate labor force participation, a 3.9X Social Return on Investment validated by Livelihood Impact Fund and BFA Global, and 58% female participation. Wezesha Impact is funded entirely through donations and charitable contributions, with U.S.-based donors able to make tax-deductible gifts via Myriad USA. The beneficiary segments include out-of-school youth aged 15-29, female youth, and refugee populations in settlements such as Kiryandongo and Nakivale. The go-to-market combines community-led partnerships with TVET centres and event-driven donor engagement, supported by digital content marketing and impact storytelling.

Name

Wezesha Impact

Legal name

Wezesha Impact

Website

https://wezeshaimpact.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Wezesha Impact is a Ugandan nonprofit that equips out-of-school youth aged 15-29 with entrepreneurship, work readiness, and enterprise growth skills through the W.I.S.E. Model delivered via TVET and CBO partnerships, having served 25,000+ youth.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Workforce Development Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Support Services (611710), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (6243)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO)

Keywords

• Youth entrepreneurship education
• Work readiness training
• Enterprise development services
• Vocational training partnerships
• Nonprofit youth 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. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Wezesha Impact operates as a non-profit organization funded primarily through donations. U.S.-based donors can make tax-deductible contributions through Myriad USA (American Friends of Wezesha Impact). Donations support programs empowering Uganda's future entrepreneurs and workforce with skills in entrepreneurship, employability, and leadership.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Wezesha Impact is a nonprofit organization that creates economic opportunities for out-of-school youth in Uganda through entrepreneurship education, work readiness training, and enterprise growth support. Its core offering is the W.I.S.E. (Wezesha Impact Skills and Enterprise) Model, which combines skills development for youth with support to grow youth-led enterprises, delivered through partnerships with TVET institutions and community-based organizations and complemented by a digital learning portal.

Product overview

Wezesha Impact operates a unified youth empowerment ecosystem centered on the W.I.S.E. (Wezesha Impact Skills and Enterprise) Model, which comprises three interconnected programs: the W.I.S.E. Academy for skills development, the Growth Lab for business support, and Awards & Voices for networking and recognition. The organization also offers Digital Learning Tools as self-paced learning resources. Together, these offerings create a holistic approach to building youth entrepreneurship and employability skills in Uganda.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wezesha Impact Skills & Enterprise (W.I.S.E.) Academy

Quantifiable outcome

• 88% of graduates participating in labour force, 17% higher than control group
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BFA GlobalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023BFA Global partnered with Livelihood Impact Fund to conduct external impact evaluation of Wezesha Impact programs, assessing business skills and knowledge outcomes for program participants.
• Lugogo Vocational InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partner institute with Wezesha Impact. Graduate Walusimbi Rhidah Daniel received LCA entrepreneurship training through the partnership and identified a gap in affordable solar systems in his community.
• Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) InstitutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWezesha Impact partners with both Formal and Non-Formal TVET institutions to deliver programs. The organization strengthens technical skills education by structuring programs to operate within existing systems, increasing chances of youth transitioning into employability.
• Community-Based Organizations (CBOs)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWezesha Impact has piloted empowering CBOs and skills centers to implement entrepreneurship and employability programs for out-of-school youth. 19 CBOs have been trained to implement the WISE model.
• Myriad USAcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMyriad USA enables U.S.-based donors to make tax-deductible contributions to American Friends of Wezesha Impact. Myriad USA is a public charity (501(c)(3) organization) allowing donors to claim maximum tax benefits.
• Mentor Coach Empower Uganda (M.C.E Uganda)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerM.C.E Uganda partnered with Wezesha Impact to provide training support to youth entrepreneurs, including Martha Nakanjako who received sweater-making training through the partnership.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• TechnoServe: International nonprofit focused on business solutions to poverty in Africa, Latin America, and Asia, with entrepreneurship training and enterprise growth support — directly overlapping Wezesha's entrepreneurship-education and enterprise-growth mandate.
• BRAC: Largest NGO in the world with deep programs across microfinance, youth skills, and enterprise development in multiple developing countries. Comparable to Wezesha Impact as a youth-skills and micro-enterprise nonprofit, but at vastly greater scale and geographic breadth.
• Mastercard Foundation (Youth Livelihoods programs): Major philanthropic funder and program operator running large-scale youth employment and entrepreneurship initiatives across Africa (e.g., Young Africa Works). Comparable youth-skilling and enterprise-support mission and frequent co-funder/peer of organizations like Wezesha.

Others

• Segal Family Foundation: Family foundation that supports African entrepreneurs and social-change leaders. Already an anchor funder of Wezesha Impact and a peer in the African youth-empowerment funder ecosystem with overlapping grantees and grantmaking thesis.
• BFA Global (Global Financial Inclusion / Catalyst Fund): Global consulting and venture-builder firm focused on inclusive finance and youth livelihoods in emerging markets. Already partnered with Wezesha for the 2023 external evaluation and works with comparable youth-employment organizations across Africa and Asia.

Direct peers

• Youth Business International: Global network supporting young entrepreneurs through training, mentoring, and access to finance. Comparable mission to Wezesha's Growth Lab component (supporting youth-led enterprise survival and growth) across multiple emerging markets.
• Educate!: Uganda- and East Africa-focused nonprofit that equips youth with entrepreneurship and employability skills in secondary schools and beyond. Direct peer given overlapping geography, beneficiary profile, and entrepreneurship/work-readiness curriculum.
• Generation: Global nonprofit operating employment programs that train and place young people into careers, with rigorous impact measurement. Closely comparable to Wezesha's youth work-readiness and labor-force-outcome focus across multiple geographies.

Regional players

• Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator: South Africa-based nonprofit solving youth unemployment through work-readiness and employer-matching programs. Comparable model and target beneficiary (out-of-school youth seeking first jobs), though focused on South Africa rather than Uganda.

Emerging players

• African Leadership University: Pan-African higher-education and youth-leadership institution developing entrepreneurial and work-ready graduates across East Africa. Comparable target segment (African youth aged 15-29) and capability-building mission, though delivered through formal degree programs rather than Wezesha's NGO model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookweb.facebook.com/WezeshaImpact
• Xx.com/WezeshaImpact_
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wezeshaimpact

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wezesha Impact