Burlcore Foundation launches artisan partnerships in Mawero.
The Burlcore Foundation has partnered with two established local artisans in Mawero, Busia: Ndegge, a carpenter who works beside the mine, and Issa, a basket maker displaced by the mine. The partnerships provide tools, materials, shop rent and school-fee support to help both businesses grow.
Following consultations with fourteen residents, the Foundation selected two artisans whose trades were already valued locally but constrained by a lack of capital and workspace. Each partnership is tailored to the person: Ndegge receives tools and raw materials to expand his carpentry business, while Issa receives help setting up a shop, a full year's rent and starter supplies for his basket-making trade.
Ndegge, a father of seven, has worked under a tree near the mine for years. The funding is designed to raise his income so that school fees become manageable and his children can stay in class. Issa, who lives with the effects of polio, gains a permanent, dignified workspace for the first time, allowing him to trade consistently and plan ahead.
Alongside the enterprise support, the Foundation is sponsoring school fees for the children of both families, linking steady household income to consistent classroom attendance.
The Foundation intends to evaluate the first year openly and, where the model proves durable, extend it to further artisans in the Mawero community.
