“I want to also get to a point where I can train the younger ones so that they don’t just louse around without any purpose. “ He says with a smile.
At 26 years of age, Ntege has defied the odds to venture into the carpentry business in Kayabwe town Mpigi district.
Ntege adores carpentry and prides himself on his ability to create beautiful things from scratch.
Every product he makes brings him so much joy; carpentry is his dream.
From the age of 13, when he saw his brother (a carpenter then) create items from scratch, his heart was captured, and he knew carpentry was what he would do when the time came.
Unfortunately, life was not as straight for Ntege as he wished. He joined Secondary school after primary but couldn’t get to upper secondary because of resources. With the hope that the funds would come around for him to complete secondary education, he waited around. But he soon realized he needed to do something with his life, something to earn some money. By this time, he had lost his mother, and things were not looking up for him.
He decided to go into portering at construction sites. At the start, it was to earn a meal, but it later became his source of income and where he earned a living.
Though he considered it his source of income, he needed to break even. It was so hard, so tiring, and with nearly zero pay at the end of the day. That’s when it occurred to him that he could try out carpentry. After all, it was still his first love.
He started by volunteering at a family friend’s workshop with no pay; luckily enough, he still had a roof over his head at his father’s place.
At the workshop, he learned the trade of carpentry and acquired the knowledge and skills he needed, and after a couple of months, he felt he had learned enough to start his workshop. Ntege quit volunteering.
He set up shop in his father’s compound with a hammer and a seesaw. At this stage, he knew how to make basic chairs, tables, and shelves. But he needed a lot more to get the business off the ground.
In search of help, he approached Nkuze Youth Foundation. The foundation was glad to give him a hand because championing young people is our goal.
"I looked at portering as a way out, but it was not easy …."
But, instead of just helping Ntege, the foundation set up a carpentry center – “THE NKUZE CARPENTRY CENTRE” to train as many young people as possible with a passion for carpentry or who can use carpentry to develop their lives.
With the support of partners, friends, and well-wishers of the foundation, we hope to acquire the tools, machinery, and resources to train as many individuals as to produce some of the top-notch products in the region and the country.
Ntege, the pioneer of the center, cannot wait to get more skill training because his dream is to create some of the world’s most unique, captivating, and exquisite furniture. He is optimistic that he can do this and much more with the needed resources and machinery.
In the future, he wants to register a carpentry company and take on more significant projects – even outside Kayabwe. He wants to be the go-to person for the best carpentry products. He hopes to use his company to give others a chance to make a living by giving them jobs.
He also wants to train younger ones not to louse around without purpose. He desires to contribute to community development.
Of course, the business comes with challenges like any other, but Ntege is positive the challenges can be tackled one by one as he grows in the craft. Plus, with the training and support from the foundation, to him failing is not an option.
Most challenges Kayabwe carpenters face include a lack of capital means to transport items and raw materials, poor bookkeeping leading to losses in business, lack of skills to make quality products, and lack of machinery, among others.
As stated, these challenges have not deterred Ntege and do not deter him at all. He gets up every day by 6 am to create new items, especially when he has orders to work on. He admits some days are slow, but he still will get up ready to make the best creation of his life fromtimber. He can make beds, cabins, cupboards, chairs, shelves, office desks, tables, and wardrobes.
He loves to hang out with friends and play football in his free time.
"It's the Nkuze team leader who encouraged me and even bought me my first lander; it gave me hope that I can make it!"
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