Aussie female founder changes the lives of thousands of Ugandans

by Jessica Tancred, Accelerator for Enterprising Women

Annabelle Chauncy remembers hiding her P-plates and wearing a borrowed suit from her mother, as she pitched her idea to build a school in Africa to some of the country’s leading business people.

“I remember the fear, but I also remember thinking, ‘what have we got to lose?’,” said Annabelle as she recounts the first steps she took to set up the charity School for Life Foundation.

At 21, the then disenchanted law student travelled to Uganda to undertake six months of volunteer work, and by the time she landed back in Australia, Annabelle had drafted the business plan for what would become a multinational NGO that helps thousands of Ugandans obtain an education, healthcare, employment and fresh food and drinking water.

“I stumbled onto my passion. I knew I always wanted to contribute and make a difference, but did I think I’d ever run a multinational NGO - definitely not,” confessed the co-founder and CEO of the not-for-profit that now educates more than 1000 students across three schools in rural Uganda.

Now 14 years on, Annabelle believes it was her passion and her age that gave her the confidence to make the leap from idea to execution.

“When I was starting out, I didn’t know what I didn’t know. Naivety and enthusiasm are two very powerful tools that you can harness at a young age to your own advantage.” she said.

It’s advice the recipient of the Order of Australia medal told young women from across the country attending a free virtual summit hosted by the Accelerator for Enterprising Women.

“The more that I can support women to do that and share the journey I’ve had, the easier it will be for other young women who want to do something similar,” Annabelle said.

Annabelle’s tips to young women starting a business:

  1. Build a clear business plan: In the plan explain what you’re doing and why. This will be your guiding light and will help you map out the risks and problems you may face. It’s also a way to articulate to your team and potential investors what you’re trying to achieve.

  2. Just take the first step: There will be things that go wrong and things you don’t know or can’t plan for. If you sit in the ideation phase for too long it’s very difficult to learn on the job. You will make mistakes, learn from them and continue moving on.

  3. Develop brutal resilience: Be prepared for setbacks, challenges and the word ‘no’. Growth happens when you exist outside your comfort zone. Ask people: how can I do something differently? Where are my blindspots? Why won’t you invest in my company?

  4. Hold onto passion and purpose: Don’t lose sight of the ‘why’.

  5. Pivot faster: COVID taught us how quickly we had to move. The organisation didn’t want the students to stop learning in lockdown and wanted to keep as many people as possible employed, so they pivoted to provide home-learning. You have to think on your feet to come up with solutions at challenging times.

  6. Surround yourself with people who lift you higher: Find mentors who can provide counsel, advice, and open doors. Try mentor walks, reaching out to founders or leaders in the field you are pursuing or Kilfinan mentoring.

  7. Adopt a growth mindset: If you’re not learning, you’re not growing. We exist in a resource-rich society, so access free podcasts, blogs, EDM newsletters and books like Brene Brown’s ‘Dare to Lead’ and Jim Collins ‘Good to Great’.

Her final words of advice:

“Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.”
— Annabelle Chauncy
Success Stories
Goretti

Sweet and shy Goretti lives with her aunt, uncle and cousins in a small house in the local village. When Goretti was younger, she moved in with her aunt and uncle because her parents could no longer look after her. She was one of our first students at Katuuso Primary, starting in 2011 when she was just 4 years old. Now, Goretti is in Senior One at Mbazzi High School, and is relishing the honour of being a high school student in her community - something that is taken for granted in Australia, but in Uganda, represents freedom and opportunity. Goretti also loves attending School for Life because she hopes to one day become a pilot in Uganda - a dream which she knows can only be reached with the help of a good education.

Violah

Violah has been at School for Life since since she was six years old. Sadly, Violah has experienced hardship no child should ever deal with. Her Dad passed away three years ago, leaving her Mum without the financial means to support her family - so she left Violah and her siblings with their elderly grandmother. Every day, Violah has to wake up at 5am to fetch water, cook meals and make sure that her younger sisters are properly looked after. Then she walks half an hour to get to school. Despite this adversity, Violah has flourished at school and has made many friends. She loves that School for Life is "helping me to build a future". After finishing school, Violah hopes to become a teacher to help other children.

Umar

Umar is one of our best performing students at Mbazzi Riverside High School - but life has not always been easy for Umar. His father abandoned the family in 2015, leaving his mother to struggle to support her five children on her own. School for Life has provided Umar with opportunities that may never else have eventuated for him. Umar begun his journey with School for Life at Katuuso Primary School, where his academic ability was quickly revealed. Now, he is a thriving member of our Senior 1 class and a formidable wing on the football team. With a love for mathematics, Umar is set on studying electronic engineering after finishing his senior studies - a goal which he is the first to admit is now within reach thanks to the skills and resources provided to him by School for Life.

Rose Nambooze

Rose is a 32‐year‐old single mother of one. She started working with SFL in 2013, after taking part in our tailoring training program. Prior to working with us, she was unemployed and living in her father's home helping to care for her father, who had cataracts, and his farm.
Thanks to her full time employment, Rose was able to save enough money to pay for an eye operation and restore her father's sight, allowing him to return to work as a mechanic. Now, Rose has moved into her own home and no longer relies on her father financially. 

Joseph

Joseph is one of our Special Needs teachers at Katuuso. After surviving a severe case of malaria at age four, he was left permanently deaf. He was raised by his single mother and attended a nursery school for the handicapped and later transferred to a school for the Deaf in Kampala. He eventually mastered sign language and pursued a university degree in education. Joseph decided to become a teacher so that he could give the gift of education to others who are hearing impaired.

Teddy Namatovu

Teddy is a participant in the Kumi Tailoring Program and four of her five children attend Katuuso Primary School. She and her husband farm two acres of land, which supplies fluctuating revenue. Participation in the Kumi Tailoring Project has secured income to reliably pay for school fees, nutritious meals and renovations to the family home. Teddy has gained a great deal of self-esteem from her ability to support her family and she takes pride in independently financing the education of all five children. Teddy has also been working on her numeracy and administration skills. She was appointed Treasurer of the tailoring group and will be responsible for keeping records of their savings.

Flaviah Nassaazi

Flaviah Nassaazi started working at Katuuso Primary and Vocational School in 2011. Prior to cooking at the school, she and her husband were subsistence farmers. They worked tirelessly for small yields and minimal income to support their family. Flaviah's cooking job not only enables her to pay school fees for her children, but she has also invested in a local barbershop business. She is now passing her cooking skills onto her eldest son Frank, who has also joined the school's cooking staff. Flaviah and her husband attend the adult literacy classes offered weekly at the school. Her English and reading have improved immensely, as well as her confidence.

Rachel

In 2010, Rachel began as a cleaner at Katuuso Primary and Vocational School. She was working to save money to study to be a teacher at University. Thanks to Barrie and Simone Goldsmith, her dream of studying came true and she is now fully qualified.