Pearl Times 26

OCTOBER 26, 2019 VOL. 9

PEARL TIMES
Where the heart of Uganda lives..

IN THIS ISSUE I am Joan Nalubega from Uganda and I am the CEO and founder of
Uganics - a company fighting malaria in Uganda and in Africa through
How Anzisha Prize Helped Young
Ugandan Grow Her Mosquito- a mosquito repellent. I won U.S.$12,500 as the second runner-up of
Repellent Soap Business the Anzisha Prize.

Ray G Apologizes, Explains Why In Uganda, malaria is one of the most killer diseases that continues to
Western Promoters and DJ's kill a lot of people, including children. And some of these children end
Were Boycotting Him up becoming disabled because of this disease. This is mainly because

the most affected people lack awareness and knowledge about the
disease.

The doctors that treat them just give them medication and do nottell
them about the prevention measures they can take, which makes it
hard for the affected people to deal and fight the disease that they do

not even understand.

Full story on page 2.

Hope South Safaris is a travel and
tours charity firm that specializes
in tailor-made and set departure
safaris and vacations in Uganda.

[email protected]
+256(0)793493226

OCTOBER, 2019 VOL. 9

How Anzisha Prize Helped Young
Ugandan Grow Her Mosquito-Repellent
Soap Business

by Monica Nabimanya.

I am Joan Nalubega from Uganda and I am the CEO and founder of Uganics - a company fighting
malaria in Uganda and in Africa through a mosquito repellent. I won U.S.$12,500 as the second
runner-up of the Anzisha Prize. In Uganda, malaria is one of the most killer diseases that continues
to kill a lot of people, including children. And some of these children end up becoming disabled
because of this disease. This is mainly because the most affected people lack awareness and
knowledge about the disease. The doctors that treat them just give them medication and do not tell
them about the prevention measures they can take, which makes it hard for the affected people to
deal and fight the disease that they do not even understand.

My business works with hospitals to carry out malaria campaigns in hospitals and also in
communities. We also try to encourage health workers to give out more information about this
disease so that ordinary people are able to understand what they are dealing with. We are also
making malaria-preventing measures affordable and accessible to communities even to the most
low income families through a mosquito repellent soap that we sell to the high-end market like the
tourism industry in Africa, to hotels and resorts in Uganda. We are also selling it outside of
Uganda.

How did this business idea come about?

OCTOBER, 2019 VOL. 9

When I finished high school one of my sponsors invited me to Social Innovation Academy - a place
that empowers marginalised youths to become socio-intrepreneurs or to start social businesses, or
even to just discover their purposes not just entrepreneurship but what one really wants to pursue.
When I started looking into my life and what I could do, I found myself leaning towards doing
something that will combat malaria because I was a victim of the disease.Finding out that there are
still a lot of children that are still dying from the disease that is preventable made me want to do
something about it. I first had to identify what the problem is so I decided to develop or to come up
with solutions that will tackle the disease. One of the solutions was to go to communities and talk
about the disease and finding out how I can help, talking to hospitals and giving out as much
information about the disease and symptoms as possible. I developed the products using different
malaria research on malaria interventions that were available about the disease, and working with
institutions and chemistry institutions to help me test the product I was developing. It took me
almost a year and four months to really come up with this product and another year and eight
months to get a certificate to even sell the product in Uganda. It was a long journey with ups and
downs and challenges.

Did you have funding before winning the Anzisha Prize money?

Most supported mostly came from the Social Innovation Academy when I was doing the field
studies In the communities to understand what would work better for them. In 2017, through
the Social Innovation Academy I received my first funding from a Germany NGO through a
competition. They were looking for two businesses and I was one of the two businesses that were
picked for funding of U.S.$3,000 which I thought would be enough to develop my products and grow
the business but that wasn't the case. I then applied for Tony Elumelu foundation funding of U.S$5
000 and that amount helped me to finish developing the product. I would say it was the basic
capital I needed to kickstart my business.

How has the Anzisha Prize helped your business?

It has really boosted my business to produce the good and quality products that people can buy, not
because they want to support me because they are my friends or my family but because they see a
good, well-packaged product and its a repellent and they see potential in it. This year I was
awarded as the Champions of Science by the Africa Innovation Academy during the World Health
Organisation forum, so this is all the support that doesn't just find you where you are, you need to
look for it and the Anzisha Prize was one of the opportunities that has helped the business get
where it is today.

How many people does the company employ?

Because our product is natural we outsource most of the material that we use to have a quality and
natural organic products. We have to ensure that the organic components and that the raw material
that we use is of quality and effective. We wanted to do it ourselves but we didn't have the
resources.

OCTOBER, 2019 VOL. 9

What would you say to a young person who is thinking of starting a business and one days hopes to
win the Anzisha Prize?

I think it depends on what business you are starting but if you are starting a social business I think
right now we are not even competing anymore. This year I met a girl who wants to start a mosquito
repellent business just like me and she was asking me if I wouldn't feel bad that she is starting the
same thing that I already am doing and I asked her how can she ask that when over 16 million
people in Uganda are still suffering from malaria almost every year. Right now the United Nations
says it wants to end malaria by 2030 and that is almost in 10 years and I don't think I will be able to
make my products accessible to all those 16 million people because we are 24 million in Uganda, I
do not know where the 16 million people are. I told her that there is still room for many people to
start such a business. Entrepreneurship is not only about starting a business that will make a lot of
money, you want your business to be sustainable and also you want to make an impact and be able
to solve problems that people are facing.

My advice to any young person who aspires to becoming an entrepreneur, I would say you need to
start right now because what to do is within you and around you. It is up to you to stand up and
start what you would like to start because the resources are there. We live in the times of advanced
technology, the Internet is available for one to find information on the kind of business they are
interested in starting. There are people that are willing to support you but you have to go out and
look for them because they are not going to look for you. You are the one that is supposed to show
them that you are capable of doing what you are saying you want to do. Also keep in mind that
there is no such thing as failure. At some point your business might take a wrong direction but you
will learn and then you will eventually find your way.

OCTOBER, 2019 VOL. 9

What would you say to a young person who is thinking of starting a business and one days hopes to
win the Anzisha Prize?

I think it depends on what business you are starting but if you are starting a social business I think
right now we are not even competing anymore. This year I met a girl who wants to start a mosquito
repellent business just like me and she was asking me if I wouldn't feel bad that she is starting the
same thing that I already am doing and I asked her how can she ask that when over 16 million
people in Uganda are still suffering from malaria almost every year. Right now the United Nations
says it wants to end malaria by 2030 and that is almost in 10 years and I don't think I will be able to
make my products accessible to all those 16 million people because we are 24 million in Uganda, I
do not know where the 16 million people are. I told her that there is still room for many people to
start such a business. Entrepreneurship is not only about starting a business that will make a lot of
money, you want your business to be sustainable and also you want to make an impact and be able
to solve problems that people are facing.

My advice to any young person who aspires to becoming an entrepreneur, I would say you need to
start right now because what to do is within you and around you. It is up to you to stand up and
start what you would like to start because the resources are there. We live in the times of advanced
technology, the Internet is available for one to find information on the kind of business they are
interested in starting. There are people that are willing to support you but you have to go out and
look for them because they are not going to look for you. You are the one that is supposed to show
them that you are capable of doing what you are saying you want to do. Also keep in mind that
there is no such thing as failure. At some point your business might take a wrong direction but you
will learn and then you will eventually find your way.

OCTOBER, 2019 VOL. 9

Ray G Apologizes, Explains Why Western
Promoters and DJ's Were Boycotting Him

Western Uganda's biggest music export Reagan Muhairwe alias Ray G has come out to speak about
his allegedly uneven relationship with Western Uganda's DJs and media affirming that he is at
peace and at good terms with the later.Previously, reports indicated that DJs and media houses in
Mbarara and other western districts of Uganda had put down tools as regards the 'Omusheshe'
singer's music and made up to put a boycott to his career just like they did with Latinum for lack of
transparency.This all came after the Western born and bred singer held a successful music concert
at Agip Motel a few months ago and didn't fulfill his promise of paying up the DJs and media houses
that had promoted his entire show down.

 During an exclusive interview with one of the top TV stations in town last Friday, Ray G clearly
rubbished rumours of being at logger heads with the media and DJs in his home area asserting that
there were just a few hitch ups that were fixed so soon."I'm at peace with DJs at home.....it was just
a simple disappointment Caz their payments reached them so late but we good and my music is
played on a daily basis," Asserted singer Ray G.