Opening A New Chapter On IGAs: Bookmaking
Demand for black composition books in Uganda is immense and ongoing. School-age children, university students, teachers and even small business owners use them for notetaking, data entry, record keeping and more.
Wholesale price for one notebook is 3,500 Ugandan shillings ($1), but the same product can be handmade for a fraction of the cost. The process is easy, does not consume a lot of time or energy and can be learned in a matter of days.
All you need is glue, thread, the right kind of paper and a skilled instructor to get started.
Bookmaking seemed like a perfect Income Generating Activity (IGA) for guardians to carry out at home during the lockdown; so, we invited a group of women for a 4-day training to learn how to start-up this lucrative, new project.
Our first composition book IGA training was held in Kisaasi, Kampala from August 21st-24th. Children of Uganda Sponsorship Assistant, Rose Nalwoga, led the instruction and expert bookmaker, Godfrey Kato, was brought in for one day to help the women perfect their craft.
They learned how to make both small exercise books, as well as standard black composition books.
Within just 4 days of training, everyone was able to make a book independently.
Products made during and after the training will be available for the participants’ children to use for schoolwork, as well as sold for income to help keep the project going. We are also in discussion with partner boarding schools to see if they will support our efforts by purchasing the composition books or creating space where they can be sold to community students.
Trainees were also encouraged to teach their children so that they could learn the new craft, start making a little for themselves and gain insight into how to run an IGA.
With such a vast and readily available market, a small business venture like this truly has no limits.
Since the training ended, guardians have continued making books on their own and were asked to develop plans for a group project. We will then review their plans, assess their performance in our absence and select the most committed groups to expand their IGA with additional inputs (bookmaking materials and/or other related items).
