Saul's Story - Uganda
Saul's Story: A young man’s journey to building a poultry enterprise takes flight
Across refugee settlements, young people are redefining
resilience—moving beyond survival to building viable, market-driven
enterprises. In Kityaza Village of Nakivale Refugee Settlement in
southwestern Uganda, 20-year-old Saul is part of this transformation.
His journey from early setbacks to running a profitable poultry
business shows that when young people gain practical skills, access to
finance, and the right guidance, they can quickly transition into
sustainable livelihoods.
After completing Primary Seven in Kiruhura District, financial
constraints forced him to abandon his formal education. Yet even in
school, a lesson on poultry farming sparked a lasting ambition.
Determined to try, several years later, Saul began with 15 free-range
chickens. Without the technical knowledge to manage them effectively,
he lost ten birds and sold the rest at UGX 60,000. It was a
discouraging start.
Following his parents’ advice, he relocated to Nakivale to live
with his brother, where he spent six months learning barbering as a
means of livelihood.
In 2025, Saul learnt about the Connecting Youth to Gainful
Entrepreneurship (Y-Connect) project, funded by the Embassy of the
Kingdom of the Netherlands and implemented by AVSI Foundation through
the Local Council I Chairperson. Saul enrolled in the programme, drawn
by its promise of hands-on training and business development support,
he joined a group of 23 young people and selected the poultry value chain.
He underwent three months of hands-on training at a
community-based common user facility. Alongside technical skills in
poultry production and management, the group formed a Village Saving
and Loans Association (VSLA), strengthening their financial resilience.
Through the program, Saul gained practical competencies, from
brooding day-old chicks and constructing poultry units to vaccinating
birds and mixing feeds for both broilers and kroilers.
Complemented by training in entrepreneurship and financial management,
he was equipped not just to farm, but to run a business.
With mentorship from a dedicated business coach, Saul translated his
skills into action.
He received UGX 1.1 million in startup capital
from the project which he supplemented with UGX 500,000 loan from his
VSLA group. He invested strategically, hiring a poultry structure,
purchasing 100 kroilers and 150 broilers, feeds and other essential
inputs. By January 2026, Saul had launched his enterprise. Within
seven weeks, he generated UGX 3.75 million in revenue - UGX 2.25
million from broilers and UGX 1.5 million from kroilers. “I did not
register losses because I had mastered the skills of poultry,” Saul
says confidently.
Building on this success, he has reinvested in 600 kroilers,
projecting earnings of up to UGX 4.8 million in profit in seven weeks.
His strategic decision to focus on kroilers was due to their disease
resistance and lower feeding costs demonstrating a growing business acumen.
Delays in the delivery of day-old chicks and limited access to
capital constrain his ability to scale consistently. Like many young
entrepreneurs in fragile settings, Saul must often sell existing stock
before reinvesting, slowing expansion.
Stories of Y-Connect
This story is part of a series highlighting AVSI Foundation's Y-Connect program, which is funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Uganda. Content, text, and photos are provided by AVSI Foundation. The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Uganda and the Government of the Netherlands are not responsible for the content and do not necessarily endorse the views expressed.