Ugandan entrepreneur, Jamila Mayanja has developed a waterproof, solar-powered bag made from recycled materials to help girls stay in school.

With 12,000 bags distributed so far, she hopes to reach a million girls across East Africa. Each bag includes a solar panel to charge a lamp, reusable sanitary pads, a menstrual hygiene booklet, and a sewing kit.

According to Wikipedia.org, Jamila Mayanja was born in 1988 in Konge, Buziga in a family of 14 children. She studied at Kitante Primary School and sat for her O-level and A-level exams in 2004 and 2006 respectively from School. Jamila holds a Business Administration and Marketing bachelor’s degree from Makerere University Business School (MUBS).

Achievements

Mayanja participated in the Young African Leaders Initiative [YALI] in the United States in August 2015. She was nominated for the Young Achiever’s Awards under the category of Social Entrepreneurship.

Jamila Mayanja has several years of experience working with profit-making companies and social ventures. While she was studying for her bachelor’s degree at MUBS, she was hired to join the marketing team of one of the top SMS companies in Uganda where she gained her experience as a professional marketer.

In 2012 she resigned from her job and started Smart Girls Uganda, a social enterprise that empowers and supports girls and women through training to build their life and economic skills. Smart Girls Uganda has several girls and women empowerment programs such as the Girls with Tools Skilling programme where young women are trained in male-dominated non-traditional STEM skills such as electrical and mechanical engineering. To date, through the girls with tools programme, they have skilled more than 300 girls, helped place 120 in already exciting workshops and launched 10 businesses.

Jamila is a 2015 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders Initiative Alumni, 2021 Duke- UNICEF social innovations fellow, 2022 One Young World Ambassador, Award winner Education category 2022 TIAW World of Difference Awards. Jamila is now also a human-centred design Coach with the Aga Khan Foundation Schools 2030 programme and Awa 2nd winner in the innovations category.