Our Story
Jovan missed out. A big dream shattered when he was 21. He would never be discovered by the scouts of a prestigious European soccer club and realizing that he would never achieve his dream of living his passion and at the same be able to provide for his mom, his siblings, and his family... depression set in.
Dad passed away when he was 6 years old. Consequently, Jovan was supposed to be the leader of the family. He was supposed to be an uncle to all younger kids in his community. It's tough to be a leader when you feel empty inside, when at best, your pockets hold some change, and it's tough to follow your dreams when you live in a country where 60% of the working population makes less than US$54 a month.
But Jovan didn't give up. Together with the help of his mom and a small loan he scraped enough money together to start a small hardware shop. A few boxes of nails, a pallet of wood, and a couple of bags of cement later, he had started his first business. A new chapter, a new adventure and in search of prosperity... Six months later he was able to hire a young apprentice.
Jovan at his hardware shop in Kampala, showcasing a small soccer ball made out of plastic bags (2019)
Wanting more, he came across a business mentoring program. Every other week he would huddle around an old laptop with 10 other people and connect with David in Canada who taught them the basics on how to build a successful business and how to grow a team. It was through David that Jovan and Herbert met.
Jovan and Herbert started talking 3, 4, 5 times a week and it didn't take long before they both realized they had a shared passion for making a positive difference in the world.
Jovan and Herbert at the river Nile (2019)
The more they talked, the more Jovan's new dream was revealed. He wanted to replace struggle with opportunity for himself and the people around him. He understood that the best way to making positive generational change had to do with first positively impacting youth. Why youth? There is no doubt that our future lies with our children. Their minds are full of imagination and they have big dreams still.
It is up to us to provide them with a healthy environment so that they can flourish, so they can raise the bar for themselves and lift their families and communities out of poverty. Not because of some handout or charity, but because they are strong, educated and understand the power of having a vision and purpose in life.
In September 2018, Pamoja and the ambitious goal of impacting one million Ugandan children was born. We are just getting started.
Through our work, we aim to break down barriers and create new opportunities for youth in Uganda. We believe that by offering access to technology, education, and training, we can help young people build confidence, develop new skills, and find their voice.