Savino.

I’ve learned that every idea matters, it’s just a case of starting.

Life in Nakivale is hard. Living costs are high, and jobs are scarce.

My name is Savino. I am 18 years old and live in Nakivale Refugee Settlement with my three sisters.

Our parents died and we have no older guardians. The four of us support each other.

I was born a refugee in Tanzania, but have spent most of my life in Uganda.

Here, refugees can move and work, but cuts to international aid is making it hard for families to meet basic needs.

Savino works on his laptop whilst another employee works in the background

Life in Nakivale is hard. Living costs are high, and jobs are scarce. One of the biggest challenges we face is unemployment. Young people especially struggle to find employment and have limited opportunities. Education is also expensive. I nearly dropped out because I couldn’t afford the fees.

Sometimes my sisters and I pool everything just to buy food or essentials.

I started earning in 2024 and have supported my family since.

Savino hols up a portrait of a woman he has sketched in pencil. — Alongside social entrepreneurship, I am a visual artist. Art lets me express myself and provides another source of income.

In 2023, I joined four others to start a peanut butter business called Nutrishield. We had limited knowledge, no equipment, and little experience.

We believed in creating something useful for our community and persisted.

We produced peanut butter and sold it to households and shops. Gradually, the business grew. Seed funding and new skills helped us improve.

Today, Nutrishield employs three more people and serves customers across the settlement.

Savino and an employee smile as they jar up peanut butter and add labels to them.

Savino smiles as he adds a label to a jar of NutriShield peanut butter

I’ve learned that every idea matters, it’s just a case of starting.

On this journey, I learned a lot about financial management.

Before, I wasn’t earning a lot and spent money quickly because I did not know how to save. Training from Opportunity International taught me to keep records, budget, manage finances, and open a bank account. It helped my business become more sustainable.

I now contribute to my family, support my sisters, and provide for myself. I have also been able to buy things for myself, like a phone.

I’m more confident now, and there is community appreciation for what we are doing. They see me as a responsible young man.

We are creating employment, contributing to the local economy, and improving the nutrition of the community.

A NutriShield employee pours peanut butter into a jar

A NutriShield employee roasts peanuts outside.

Savino prepares his art supplies. He holds a pencil and a big roll of paper sits on the table in front of him.

Savino looks at one his drawings whilst sitting on a bench.

Savino shows off one of his drawings, a pencil sketch of a woman's face

Savino shows off one of his drawings, which he says represents the hole between between the heart and knowledge while making decisions.

Challenges remain. We need better equipment, more capital, and stronger markets. Sometimes customers want our products but cannot afford them.

We want to expand our business, and we will, but it is hard in the face of these challenges. We want to be known as the one of the best peanut butter brands and be widely known.

Despite challenges, I am confident. I believe there is always a way.

My hope for the future is for a better life, for my colleagues also. I hope to see Nutrishield create a lot of jobs and impact more lives, helping other people to be sustainable.