What is the name of your organization?
Ntinda Women Empowerment Initiative (MEND INITIATIVE)
What is the name of your solution?
Femme Mart Ug
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Empowering structurally marginalized women in Uganda through digital savings groups and market linkages for economic resilience
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Kampala, Uganda
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
UGA
What type of organization is your solution team?
Nonprofit
Film your elevator pitch.
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What specific problem are you solving?
We are addressing the economic exclusion of structurally marginalized women in Uganda particularly young women, adolescent mothers, sex workers, refugees, women with disabilities, and rural women who remain unbanked, digitally disconnected, and economically vulnerable. According to the World Bank report 2021, over 66% of Ugandan adults remain unbanked, with women disproportionately affected. The gender gap in mobile money ownership stands at 13%, and only 21% of women have access to formal credit.
Globally, 1.4 billion adults are unbanked, with nearly 740 million being women. In Sub-Saharan Africa, only 37% of women are financially included, compared to 48% of men according to Global Findex 2021. The digital economy shows a similar divide. UN Women notes that women are 23% less likely than men to use mobile internet in low-income countries, limiting access to e-commerce, digital savings, and financial literacy.
This systemic exclusion is fueled by stigma, discrimination, poverty, limited digital skills, and inadequate access to financial infrastructure. Our solution targets these barriers by using technology to connect marginalized women to digital savings groups, financial resources, and market linkages, fostering inclusion and prosperity at scale. We are leveraging Technology to increase access to jobs, capital in Uganda.
What is your solution?
Our solution is a hybrid digital platform that enables structurally marginalized women in Uganda to save, trade, and grow economically through technology. It combines a mobile-enabled savings group toolkit, an AI-assisted e-commerce marketplace, and a microlearning hub for business and digital literacy.
Through our platform, women can form and manage digital savings groups (VSLAs), contribute weekly savings, access small loans, and track group records via USSD or smartphone. The marketplace allows users to showcase and sell products locally and globally, with AI tools supporting pricing, inventory, and customer engagement. The learning hub provides short, gamified modules on financial literacy, marketing, and digital skills, accessible offline via a Progressive Web App (PWA).
Our tech stack includes:
1. USSD integration for feature phones
2. AI modules for business support
3. Progressive Web App for low-data environments
4. IVR voice system for low-literacy users
5. Payment system Integration
This platform bridges the digital divide while unlocking access to capital, markets, and knowledge while empowering women to build resilient businesses and livelihoods.
Learn more at: www.femmemartug.com
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Our solution directly serves structurally marginalized women in Uganda, particularly young women, adolescent mothers, sex workers, refugees, women with disabilities, rural women, and gender minorities who face compounded barriers to economic inclusion due to poverty, discrimination, limited access to education, technology, and financial services. Many remain unbanked, digitally excluded, and isolated from formal markets.
Our platform bridges this gap by offering a digital savings and lending system, an AI-supported e-commerce marketplace, and a mobile microlearning hub which is accessible even on basic phones. This enables women to form digital savings groups, access microloans, sell their products online, and gain essential business and digital skills.
The solution will empower women to build sustainable livelihoods, increase their financial independence, and connect with wider economic networks. It transforms informal support systems into structured, tech-driven pathways to prosperity, resilience, and dignity especially for those pushed to the margins of society.
We aim to improve the economic wellbeing of over 10,000 structurally marginalized women over the next three years, catalyzing community-wide change through inclusive digital empowerment.