UBUCHANGE is more than a name. It comes from the Swahili word Ubunifu, which
means creativity and innovation. The word “change” in our name shows our purpose. We
believe creativity is not only for art but also for life. It can put food on the table, it can
send a child to school, and it can give dignity back to families who lost almost
everything.
We started UBUCHANGE in December 2023 in Kampala. A group of young refugees
came together with one idea: refugees should not wait for help from outside. We must
build solutions from inside our communities. Our founder, Didier Maliki, had many years
of experience in sales and entrepreneurship. With other young leaders, he decided to use
this knowledge to support refugees who face daily struggles of survival.
Today, UBUCHANGE is a registered social enterprise. We are based in Kyaka II
Refugee Settlement and Kampala, Uganda. We work with displaced people to turn them
into entrepreneurs, or as we call them, Salespreneurs.
What is a Salespreneur?
A Salespreneur is both a maker and a seller. This idea is very simple but very powerful.
Refugees have talent: they can farm, make baskets, sew clothes, sing, or paint. But talent
alone does not pay bills. People also need the skill to sell.
In most aid projects, refugees only make things, and someone else takes care of selling.
That means the real value goes out of their hands. Our model gives back this value. We
teach refugees how to make products that can sell in the market and also how to brand,
promote, and sell them. That way, they control both sides: creation and sales.
We call this model Salespreneurship. It is our answer to unemployment, hunger, and
lack of dignity.
Why UBUCHANGE Matters
Uganda hosts more than 1.5 million refugees. Kyaka II settlement alone has about
130,000 people, most of them women and children. The challenges here are many:
● Unemployment is very high.
● Food insecurity is common. About 55% of children under five in Kyaka II are
stunted because of poor nutrition.
● Lack of training in business and sales means most refugees depend on aid.
● Environmental problems grow because of plastic waste and unsustainable
farming.
If we do nothing, these problems will continue. Aid helps in the short term but does not
build independence. UBUCHANGE exists to flip this story. We believe refugees can be
their own solution. With training, with tools, and with markets, they can build lives full
of hope.
The 7Cs Ecosystem
UBUCHANGE works with what we call the 7Cs Ecosystem. This is the backbone of our
Salespreneurship model.
- Construct – We organize refugees into groups with structure and leadership.
- Collaboration – We build partnerships with refugee-led organizations, buyers,
and networks. - Capacity – We train in sales, business, farming, financial literacy, and leadership.
- Create – We support people to make market-ready products.
- Capital – We open access to microloans and savings so they can grow.
- Channel – We give them sales channels like our e-commerce platform and local
shops. - Connect – We use digital tools to link Salespreneurs with customers and track
sales.
This system takes a person from survival to self-reliance step by step. It is not charity. It
is empowerment.
Our Work So Far
UBUCHANGE has already started projects in both Kampala and Kyaka II.
● Stand for Talent (2023): We supported young urban refugees with skills in
music, art, and performance. Many of them had no way to earn. We created a
platform to help them showcase talent and get income.
● Greenspace Recycling Impact (2024): We worked with youth in Kampala to
collect plastics and recycle them. This gave green jobs and protected the
environment.
● Agribusiness for Livelihoods (2025): In Kyaka II, we trained single mothers and
youth in vegetable farming. This improved food security and gave families daily
meals. We also turned banana bark into baskets and bags, linking them to local
and global buyers.
These projects prove that refugees are not just surviving. They are creating, working, and
leading.
A Story of Change
Let me share one story. In Kyaka II, a mother of four joined our training. She used to
depend fully on food rations and had no income of her own. She joined our agribusiness
program, learned to grow vegetables, and also started making banana bark baskets. With
support from UBUCHANGE, her baskets reached Kampala through our Salespreneurs.
For the first time, she had her own income. She bought school books for her children and
no longer worried about the next meal.
This is the kind of change we work for. It starts with one family, then a group, then a
community.
Our Vision for the Future
UBUCHANGE has big goals for 2025–2030:
● Train 10,000 Salespreneurs.
● Launch a marketplace for African handmade and agricultural products.
● Facilitate 5 million USD in sales every year.
● Support refugee families with daily meals through modern farming.
● Build 50+ partnerships with global buyers.
These are not dreams. They are plans we are working on with our team and partners.
How You Can Be Part of It
UBUCHANGE is not only for refugees. It is for anyone who believes in dignity, hope,
and self-reliance. You can support by:
● Buying refugee-made products.
● Partnering with us to grow the ecosystem.
● Sharing our story so more people know about it.
Every basket, every bag, every vegetable sold carries a bigger story. It is a story of
survival turning into growth, and of aid turning into independence.
UBUCHANGE matters because it shows that displacement does not have to mean
poverty. It can mean creativity, innovation, and real change.
