Upcycle Africa

I am Kavuma Johnmary, a Ugandan entrepreneur, change maker, and an environmentalist. I am a sustainable development goals advocate, One younger world ambassador, Tony Elumelu fellow, Ocean leader, Yali fellow, Ye community fellow, Kumvana fellow, Social innovation academy scholar,  I was able to transform my difficult and past experience into a motivation of creating social businesses that enhence social welfare and solve some of the greatest challenges of 21 century. In 2015 i founded Upcycle Africa which empower marginalised groups people to turn plastic waste into products of inherent value so that they can earn a livelihood from it. I am also the co-founder Kimuli Fashionability, an initiative that is unchaining persons with disabilities from the bondage of discrimination and unemployment/underemployment by equipping them with hands-on creative tailoring skills to turn plastic waste into upcycled fashion.  

Plastic waste accumulation has reached a tipping point not only in Uganda but in the world at large with UN warns that we shall be having more plastic in the ocean than fish. Currently 91% of plastic waste globally is not recycled this is due poor waste management and lack of recycling/upcycling skills. Upcycle Africa addresses the waste crisis in Africa into employment opportunities for marginalised groups of people. Training them the skills of recycling and upcycling marginalised groups of people are able to find a livelihood just using locally available resources. With our activities of waste management education, waste collection, Training marginalised people to turn plastic waste into products of inherent value, Eco-house construction,  and supporting of green businesses we are looking to make plastic waste challenge in Africa a story of past to tell.

World-wide over 500 billion tons of plastic bottles are produced every year, and  according to Ugandan National environment management authority 600 tons of plastic waste are poorly disposed of in Kampala every day, 51% of this plastic remained uncollected, the major beverage companies in Uganda have decided to maximize their profits instead of protecting the environment through phasing out recyclable glass bottles and replace them with plastic bottles, without a waste disposal system in place the plastic waste ends up in water ways, clogs pipes, floods the city centres and affect aquatic life. In Addition, Uganda's population is the fastest growing in the entire world within the next 20 years the population is expected to double and this put massive pressure on the housing sector. The convention construction is still much reliant on ordinary build materials, majorly burnt bricks, the process of burning this bricks consumes a lot of wood that accelerate the existing challenges of deforestation. We believe that if people are retooled by changing their mindset and giving them the right skills they can use the challenge of waste to create their own jobs while earning a living from it.

Upcycle Africa is a social enterprise that focuses on environmental restoration, protection, and improvement in the lives of marginalized groups of people through waste education and collected/Zero waste campaigns in communities in order to change people's mindset on the way they think and dispose of plastic waste. On the other side, we also connect recycling companies to waste collectors hence improving their employability. With our team, we train communities on the way they can turn plastic waste into products of inherent value. We construct homes out of plastic waste while promoting capacity building and entrepreneurship in green businesses.

We transforming the waste crisis in Africa into employment opportunities for marginalized groups of people through creative skills training. Up-cycle Africa protect the environment and promote innovative mind-set while empowering youth. Through up-cycling plastic bottles we train our local communities especially the disadvantaged youth to protect the environment. Bottles replaces environmentally unfriendly bricks, which are burnt for days promoting deforestation. Bottles are collected and compacted with soil, making the houses very cost effective and affordable. Furthermore, the buildings are strong, buffer heat and are earthquake resistant.

The project is impacting directly marginalised people for example the women, youths, refugees, people on the streets and poverty striken communities who have been left behind in the value chain and economic status while getting for them alternative source of livelihood. The project skill the women and youths to be self-employed as waste collectors, sale handicrafts products, and transferring learnt skills at a fee and in the long run be able to have their own start-up businesses and capital hence improving their standard of living. We are involvinh these people directly in this organisation/project in a manner that they can be fully responsible for their own lives, this makes them grow in different roles and become fully engaged with the organisation development. We have done research and design thinking survey to undestand the problems that is affecting people in our communities. Skills development would leverage our beneficiaries to find a livelihood just through waste collection in their communities either to sell to recycling companies as waste collectors that we are going to connect to them or turning that plastic waste into product of inherent value for example beautiful crafts and eco-bricks and construction of homes made from plastic waste.

Elevating opportunities for all people, especially those who are traditionally left behind. Our project fits here because we are creating opportunities for marginalised groups of people in different communities by inspire and empower them on the way they can turn plastic waste into a resource and earn a livelihood from it. Additionally we are also train them in business developmet where they can be able to turn the learned skills into sustainable and innovative businesses. 

We also align with dimesion two and three whereby we are we are building awareness and driving action to solve the waste challenge and unemployment.

I am Kavuma John Mary from Uganda, when I was 19 years old the poor drainage system next to our house flooded due to huge accumulation of plastic waste dumped in the trench next to it. It led to the collapse of our house. According to the police report. My only grandmother died from the injuries she suffered and I only survived with huge wounds on my head and a broken right arm. The pain of my loss became my inspiration to start a new form of housing construction hence founding Upcycle Africa. In 2015 i joined the Social innovation academy which empowers marginalsied groups of people to start their own businesses through design thinking i become fully aware of the challenges affecting our communities aligned it with my passion hence coming up with the idea of using plastic waste to solve challenges of unemployment and huge acculation of plastic waste. I thus founded Upcycle Africa a social business which conserves natural transforms the waste crisis in Africa into employment opportunities for marginalised groups of people by training them the skills of turning plastic waste into products of inherent value. 

I was able to change my past and difficult past of losing my grandmother into a motivation of creating a social business that is intended to protect the environment and contribute towards the uplifting of marginalised groups of people. I was fortunate early in my life to find the intersection of what my passion was and the world greatest need. The experience of growing as a poor orphan in Uganda motivates me to work towards sustainable development goals especially SDG 13. I experienced firsthand the brunt of climate change and how that shapes the level of injustices and inequality that meet people daily. I believe human will act when informed and empowered. I am on a mission to raise awareness and inspire others to join me and act now! I was also fortunate to pass through different incubators that enabled me to fully receive the full empowerment, boosted my creativity and I was able to solve the most pressing challenges this world is facing today.

Upcycle Africa‘s management is highly experienced and qualified. The organization is divided into six units: Advocacy unit headed by Nampeera Sophia holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental science and she has trained the youths and carrying out sensitization for the last 6 years. She will be helped by Kisaakye Doreen who is a certified artist, business developer, peer educator with experience in community development for over 10 years. Field operations/ construction unit is headed by Monday David who is an engineer by profession and has 7 years’ experience in construction; Finance and administration unit will be headed by Abditam Shaban, an accountant by professional who has a bachelor’s degree in commerce majoring in accounting and finance and has over 10 years of experience; Climate Smart unit will be headed by Nabbumba Stella, an environmentalist who has a bachelor’s degree in environmental management and pursuing Master’s degree and has 8 years of experience in this field. The business development unit will be headed by the CEO, Kavuma Johnmary who is a certified business developer and deals with research and market development for the matters regarding innovations and team recruitment & development and has 5 years of experience with a degree in business adiministration. 

I was laughed at seeing me collecting plastic waste in my community, people thought am mad I received negative feedbacks which at time demotivated me. But reaching this far I believe in the power of perseverance. I gave up on all opportunities that came my way for example well paid jobs. But I insisted on my dreams and the cause. Turning my painful past into advantages to both the planet and people was difficult at the age of 20 years. Talking openly about environmental protection has resulted into action to different groups of people. I stood amidst the negativity and changed people’s mindset on the way they behave and think about environment.

I believe that if you want to walk far, walk together but if you want fast walk alone. I was able to attract a team of passionate people, introduced Holacracy system which distribute authorities and accountabilities with no hierarchy which gives each one a room to grow in their specific roles. With this I want everyone to grow as leader, accountable for their specific roles. My role rotates around inspiring the team, over seeing that activities are done. manage the organization's resources within budget guidelines according to the current regulations to ensure its mission, programs, products and services. I am conducting Zero waste campaigns in communities, school, and universities inspiring younger people to take lead and fight for environmental protection in their respective communities. I am a one younger world ambassadors, SDGs advocate, and finalist environmentalist of the year. I am on a mission to raise awareness, inspire and empower other to join me and act now.

I didn't selected others.

Upcycle Africa is a social enterprise which focuses on environmental restoration, protection and improvement in the lives of marginalized groups of people. We are doing waste education and collected/Zero waste campaigns in communities in order to change people's mind-set on the way they think and dispose of plastic waste. On the other side we also connect recycling companies to waste collectors hence improving on their employability. With our team we train communities on the way they can turn plastic waste into products of inherent value. We also construct homes out of plastic waste and support environmentally friendly start-ups. Through up-cycling plastic bottles we train our local communities especially the disadvantaged youth to protect the environment. Bottles replaces environmentally unfriendly bricks, which are burnt for days promoting deforestation. Bottles are collected and compacted with soil, making the houses very cost effective and affordable. Furthermore, the buildings are strong, buffer heat and are earthquake resistant. We believe that the uniqueness of our work lies in using the challenge (plastic waste) to solve other challenges of unemployment, affordable housing, poverty, and environmental degradation. 

PROBLEM. Plastic waste accumulation has reached a tipping point not only in Uganda but in the world at large with UN warns that we shall be having more plastic in the ocean than fish. Currently 91% of plastic waste globally is not recycled this is due poor waste management and lack of recycling/upcycling skills.

INPUT.  Construction of the incubation center, Online, local and external mentors, Funds to sustain the projects and facilitators in conducting trainings, Purchasing and Developing the IT infrastructures to enable our youth to have access to research advanced education with technology and develop a mobile app (upcycle app).

OUTPUT. Empowering 200 marginalised women and youths every year by giving them skills in turning plastic waste into products of inherent value, business development. Training youths and women as our ambassodors in their respective communities. 20 start-ups developed, incubated and  mentored every year. 150 scholars are able to use learned skills to create a product out of it. 

OUTCOME. 10 enterprises developed in the innovation hub per year and each enterprise creating at least 10 employing rural youths every year. 24 youth creating their own jobs every year and becoming self-sustainable. 250 women and youths trained on proper waste management & turning plastic into products of inherent value and at least 100 plastic bags produced, 150 flowers made, 140 necklaces made and 200 pen holders

IMPACTS. 3800 72 jobs created for youths in rural areas of Uganda and starting with Mpigi district by 2028.  800,000 people positively impacted from the created jobs 2027. 100,000 tons of plastic waste recovered.

EVALUATION. We will conduct mid and end-term tracer studies, employee satisfaction surveys, mid-term management review, and semi-annual performance audits as well as post-training monitoring and evaluation to ascertain the effectiveness or otherwise of the training provided. Also spot checks and group discussions will be carried out to evaluate continuity and progress of the project. The monitoring team will include 2 members of staff, 2 board members and 2 Sub County/ Area Leader. 

Here are the benefiries impacted by the organisation. These people are employed in waste collection, sorting, compaction, construction and making products of it. Additionally we also hope to support a number of them in starting their own businesses from the skills learned.

Direct: Female:  278 (including youths)                       Male:  60 (including youths)

Indirect: Female:  771 (including youths)                  Male:  180 (including youths)

In the next 1 year we are hoping to double our impact by with the funding we expect from our new partners. 

Direct: Female:  556 (including youths)                       Male:  120 (including youths)

Indirect: Female:  1542 (including youths)                  Male:  360 (including youths)

With in the next five years. We expect disrupt new markets/ demographic locations.

Direct: Female:  2780 (including youths)                       Male:  600 (including youths)

Indirect: Female:  7710 (including youths)                  Male:  1800 (including youths).

This years impact has been greatly affected by the COVID 19 pandemic so we are not coducting training, waste collection is on the pose, and we are looking forward to create a platform where people can learn online on the way they can upcycle and upcycle plastic waste.

However by 2025 we will have trained over 3380 marginalized groups of people as waste collectors, sorters compactors and constructors and we are able to provide employment for 2789 of them due to a high demand of our services. We hope to head over 20 Zero waste campaigns in different part of Africa, disrupt new markets, for example Nigeria, DRC, and Namibia. We hope to increase our team to more people in different countries and also trained as ambassadors. We will have built a social business standing for environmental and social impact, whereby our work contribute to a mindset shift in regards to waste and inclusion. We are expecting to support over 100 Upcycling initiatives/start-ups in different parts of Africa. In order to practice a circular economy we hope to connect with different recycling companies hence strengthening our waste recycling program. 

Limited access to funding to address the culminating plastic waste accumulation.

We are marketing our houses so that we can be able to raise money that can pay workers as well as sustaining the business.

Changing people’s mindset on the way they think and dispose of plastic.

We have embarked on sensitization programs in communities, recruiting communities to spread the word and change the way people think and dispose of plastic waste.

Huge production of plastic waste by beverage companies.

We are supporting more upcycling ventures in Africa for example Tanzania, Rwanda, and Uganda so that we can out-compete the rate of production and accumulation from beverage companies.

Remoteness of the areas of operation.

We have recruited more people with passion in different regions as community ambassadors and trainers of trainers so that we can solve the problem of remoteness of some places.

Limited access to funding to address the culminating plastic waste accumulation.

We are marketing our products/ serives  so that we can be able to raise money that can pay workers as well as sustaining the business.

Changing people’s mindset on the way they think and dispose of plastic.

We have embarked on sensitization programs in communities, recruiting communities to spread the word and change the way people think and dispose of plastic waste.

Huge production of plastic waste by beverage companies.

We are supporting more upcycling ventures in Africa for example Tanzania, Rwanda, and Uganda so that we can out-compete the rate of production and accumulation from beverage companies.

Remoteness of the areas of operation.

We have recruited more people with passion in different regions as community ambassadors and trainers of trainers so that we can solve the problem of remoteness of some places. 

The following are the organisation that we are partnering with include;-

Social innovation academy. We partner with them by providing to us capacity building to our team and on the other side they're among our customers. 

Unleash. We are partnering with unleash by promoting our their invents and vice verser. 

Kimuli Fashionability. With it we are partnering with them in waste collection where by the waste they dont use is provided to us. 

Our business model falls in giving, unique, eco-friendly, sustainable, affordable products and offering services to our target groups of people (beneficiries) especially marginalsied groups of people . by empowering marginalised groups of people in skills development to make unique, artistic, affordable products made from plastic waste we deliver first class upcycled products to our target customers which includes, organsiations, tourists, and environemtally counscious individuals. 

Our beneficiries are provided with the skills of turning palstic waste into products of inherent value for example by turning used sugars sacks into upcycled bags, turning milk packs into pencil cases, polythen bags into shopping bags, car tyres into roofing materials, plastic bottles into eco-bricks etc 

Our community need them because they contribute to their sustainability by learning the skills of turning plastic waste into products of inherent value, eliminate and solve the challenge of huge accumulation of plastic waste and its effects on both planet and animals. 

We provide these programs and services in different ways, for example we educate and train marginalised groups of people on waste management, recycling and upcycling, turning plastic of plastic waste into eco-bricks, construction of eco-homes. Additionaly we also train them on the way they can start their own businesses from the skills we give to them. 

Our revenue is generated through our services and products. Services include giving training to marginalsied groups of people, organisation at an affordable proce hence earning from it. Waste management sessions to schools and organisations hence making money out of it. Training marginalised groups of people on the they can start there own businesses at an affordable price. We are looking forward to develop a mobile app that will connect waste collectors to recycling companies, schedule pick ups, act as an eco back, knoweledge sharing platform as well as a tool for people to learn how they can turn plastic waste into wealth. 

Our products include upcycled and recycled products  upcycled bags from sugar sacks,polythene bags, pencil cases from used milk packets, roofing materials from car tyres, eco-bricks from plastic bottles and many others these products are unique, artistic, beautiful, durable and affordable which we sell to our target customers which includes organisations, tourist, artistic selling shops and tourists centers. 

Other revenue will be obtained from grants, donations and angel investors.

We have been able to raise funding from friends and family, well wisher and different foundation included Tonny Elumelu foundation which gave us a grant of 5000USD. Addition other source of funding inlcude self funding from the sales of our products and from our services.

For the past 12 months we have been able to obtain 8 costruction contracts with the revenue of 96000000UGX which is 25,218USD. 

Held 5 training worthy 600,000UGX which is 160USD.

Yes, we are seekig to raise funding for the project activities. We are looking forward to raise 100,000USD by June 2020 which will enable us implement the project activities in different communities. 

The funding will be used make our website more proffessional, construct a mobile app that will connect waste collectors to recycling companies, use that money to train more marginalsied groups of people, pay for consultations, buy materials for training and make, help us create more products, create videos that will enable everyone every where learn differnt ways of upcycling and recling. The funding will also be used to create a sustainable sustainability plan for the project. 

The annual budget for Upcycle Africa in 2020 is sumed at 316,310,000 UGX which is 83,071USD. 

Here are some details of the budget. 

Project Managment/ Administration sums to 48,450,000UGX which is 12,734 USD.

Climate change and adaptation/mitigation sums to 49,060,000UGX, which is 12,889USD. 

Construction of eco-homes, it sums to 194,800,000UGX, which is 51,164 USD. 

Women and youth empowerment sums to 24, 000,000UGX  which is 6,302 USD. 

I hope to gain Entrepreneurial skills and knowledge on business management such as business financing, marketing, staffing and scaling up of business. I believe that through networking and interactions with like-minded persons, I will appreciate how similar businesses are run elsewhere and how challenges are addressed. I hope to acquire more Leadership skills which will enable me lead my team better, and encourage them to work together for prosperity of business. My entry into the program will hopefully enable me acquire more skills and experience in running a empowerment based business so as to impact Uganda, Africa and world atlarge positively. I equally hope that I shall be able to pass on skills of management to my teams and to many other entrepreneurs. All the challenges that Upcycle Africa is facing today can be addressed by the elevator prize. 

The partnership will enable Upcycle Africa to become the leading source livelihood skills to different groups of people for example the youths, women, and other different groups of people in Africa. In addition the funding will be reduce huge accumulation of plastic wate in diffent communities in Africa, inspire and empower communities to take lead and save themselves from poverty and plastic waste manance in their respective communities. The mentorship will be really vital to me and my team where by we shall be able to get the latest knowledge and skills of solving some of the greatest challenges of our time as well as increasing our sales, strengthen our financials and build a brand that exist for years to come. 

The organisations that we are looking forward to partners with include those who are working to make this world a better place for example combating environmental pollution, environmental restoration, women and youth empowerment. Additionally am also looking forward to partners with organisation and companies who wish to give back to communities as a way of corporate social responsibility. 

With the partnership from those organsisations, having the best idea that is tackling poverty, plastic waste, and other challenges, having the best team with me and the best partners we can create the much needed change our planet and people need.