Nziru Scovia studies at Adumi Secondary School in Arua District, Uganda. She was adopted by a teacher when she was in primary school when her parents faced severe financial difficulties. As Scovia grew older, she became aware of how much responsibility her guardian carried taking care of Scovia and her other children.

"I didn't want to be a burden to my guardian anymore"

Scovia joined the School Enterprise Challenge club in her school with the hope of gaining ideas and skills that could help her become more self-reliant. In the Club she learned how to identify business opportunities, conduct simple market research, start saving and manage finance.

Starting small

Scovia started small with a snack-making business during school holidays. She borrowed 17,000 UGX (US$4.8) from the school savings club loan fund and with some personal savings she had the capital to start.

In the first holiday she earned 96,000 UGX ($27.6) in profit within a few weeks. Immediately, she used some of her profit to buy school materials for herself and her siblings while setting the rest aside as savings and to continue her business. Encouraged by her success, Scovia continued her business each holiday, reinvesting her profits and watching her income grow.

In 2025, Scovia earned 472,000 UGX (US$ 134) from 24 days work during her holidays.

Scovia continues with her business activities each holiday. She has since expanded into selling silver fish, and from her earnings, she has been able to buy a goat, a piglet, and a chicken. These are her very first personal assets.

Generating earnings that are 3+ times above average

If Scovia were to run her business as a full time operation, she could expect to earn 393,000 UGX per month (US$112). This is just over 3 and a half times more than most of the households in her community according to our Baseline Household Survey.

Scovia proudly describes herself as self-reliant. She doesn’t need to ask her guardian for pocket money or money for school materials, and she feels proud that she can contribute to the family’s wellbeing.

She has always dreamt of being a nurse but couldn’t see how she could afford to pay for further studies. Now she believes that she can expand her business to include other products and gradually grow her savings which will give her the money to pay for nursing school. She hopes to inspire more young people to work toward financial independence.

“The School Enterprise Challenge has helped me to become self-reliant. I’ve learned how to manage money, save, and think like a business person."