In a small, sunlit workshop in Uganda, the rhythmic hum of sewing machines tells a story of transformation. Here, Barbara Nangendo is orchestrating a quiet revolution, turning simple threads and fabric into tools of empowerment for women trapped in the grip of poverty. Through Skills for Change, she's not just teaching tailoring, she's stitching together the fabric of entire communities.

The challenges she tackles are stark and unrelenting. In the urban slums and rural areas where Skills for Change operates, many families survive on as little as $1.25 a day, with female literacy rates in some of these communities as low as 4 percent. Young women and girls face an additional burden: without access to basic menstrual hygiene products, many are forced to miss school or work, their dreams unraveling one day at a time.

Barbara's path to becoming a changemaker crystallized during her volunteer work with marginalized communities. Walking through urban slums, she witnessed firsthand how the lack of basic skills and necessities trapped women in cycles of dependence. A chance encounter at a conference in Belgium with the founder of Malaika for Women and Children sparked a partnership that would change everything.

Today, Skills for Change runs an innovative six-month program that's anything but ordinary. Participants don't just learn to sew ? they become entrepreneurs and health advocates. In a brilliant twist, the same hands that craft fashionable garments also create reusable sanitary pads, tackling both economic and health challenges in one strategic stroke.

Things are starting to happen with over 50 graduates have transformed from job-seekers to job-creators, while thousands of reusable sanitary pads have given girls and women back their dignity and freedom. But the real magic lies in the ripple effect ? each graduate becomes a catalyst, teaching others and spreading change throughout their communities.

Barbara's vision extends far beyond her workshop walls. She's building a movement that will soon showcase Uganda's creativity through handmade African products while empowering more communities. It's proof that with the right tools and training, determination can weave even the most fragile threads of hope into a tapestry of lasting change.

SHIFTERS 100

Shining a light on the young people and ideas changing our world.

Barbara Nangendo

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Barbara's story

share Barbara's story

Watch Barbara's Podcast Episode

Shining a light on the young people
and ideas changing our world.

Watch Barbara's
Podcast Episode