How Ivan Niwagaba Is Bridging Uganda’s Digital Divide

Tasha: [00:00:00] good morning. Can you please introduce yourself and tell us
a little bit about your nonprofit origin story?

Ivan: Thank you so much. Tasha Foundation for Youth Empowerment FOYE
first registered as a community-based organization, CBO in 2016.
Our vision is to empower Uganda youth through technology. At FOYE, we
believe in the power of young people to create a better future for themselves and
their community. We are passionate about empowering vulnerable youth with
the skills and knowledge they need to thrive, and by providing training and
support in technology and STEM skills.
F is building a generation of economically independent young leaders in Marra
Uganda. Together we can employ youth and create a more sustainable future for
them. For them all. [00:01:00] Yes. Not leaving anyone behind. about the
foundation of FOYE. I am the founder of FOYE, one of Ivan.
I was raised by my grandparents and growing up in rural Uganda, access to
digital skills was dented and tech skills weren’t seen as important for youth. I
attended schools with minimal resources, no libraries, no labs, and barely any
access to technology. Despite my passion for learning, the digital gap was a
constant barrier, and when I disparately needed a job, I was stand away.
Not because I lack determination, but because I didn’t have the basic tech skills
required for that job. That rejection opened my eyes to a deeper issue. Many
young people from backgrounds like mine are [00:02:00] denied equal
opportunities to technology and opportunities, of course, keeping them trapped
in a cycle of poverty.
I founded FOYE with a clear mission. Create opportunities for youth in rural
Uganda to access education, particularly in technology, stem, and
entrepreneurship. For me, four is more than just an organization. It’s a
movement to redefine what is possible for our youth. Why the digital divide In
Uganda, nearly 40% of people live in poverty.
Only 28% have internet access. The gap is even wider for rural youth with only
24% having basic digital skills and just 19% having access to technology. This
lack of technology hinders education, [00:03:00] job opportunities, and access
to vital information, youth in rural areas, especially those from poor families.
We talk about teenage mothers, we talk about orphans, refugees, and survivors
of abuse face even more significant barriers to education, job opportunities, and
essential resources.
So the importance of technology for these youth became even clearer during the
COVID-19 pandemic when schools shut down in March of the world, moved
online, many children in rural areas. Were left behind here in Uganda, they
didn’t have access to the internet. No devices or the digital skills needed to
continue learning, and that’s why FO A focuses so heavily on technology.
We are not only teaching youth the skills to navigate the digital world, we are
also giving them the tools to [00:04:00] succeed in life by equip children with
technology and STEM skills. We are preparing them for a future where
disabilities will be essential in nearly every field, we hope to give these youth a
chance to achieve their dreams, become financially independent, and lead
change in their communities.

Tasha: I always love talking with founders. Where the story is so personal,
right? Of why they’ve started the nonprofit they usually have this deep
connection to the work. And often that is because of lived experience. So what
does it look like in terms of the services offered to youth?
How do you get. Across some of those barriers. Is it a struggle? I, I’m a parent
myself. We were talking about this before our chat a little bit. How do you get
around, sometimes that generational gap when it comes to digital skills
[00:05:00] as well?

Ivan: Yeah. What actually makes us different as fo a, we are looking at the
basic digital skills, what someone may call simple tech skills.
But real changing life skills, yeah. We look at young people who are using a
computer for the very first time in their life, and majority of young people work
with. That’s why we look at rural areas where these are under populations. They
do not have electricity. They do not have labs, and yet they need that in terms of
education.
They believe that education is an equalizer. We don’t have to leave some people
behind because of their geographical backgrounds because they’re in rural areas.
Yeah, and that’s why we do that. We carry our computers, take them to a rural
school. We partner with a school that gives us children and we teach them
computer how to use computer things.
Like opening a computer, shutting it, [00:06:00] shutting down safely, sending
that email confidently. This is what we are doing. And it’s so impactful.

Tasha: Can you tell me what has been one of your favorite things about starting
a nonprofit? Being in a nonprofit?

Ivan: Alright. Something really that has been a favorite piece of my work as a
nonprofit founder. The work that we do here in Uganda is especially about the
success stories from our beneficiaries.
Every time I meet young people we started by involving the talents of young
people before digital literacy classes. And every time I meet a young person
saying, okay this, that she did to me was very impactful to today, I have a job. I
am using my talent to earn. Or maybe I’m using the computer skills I got from
fo I have a job right now.
[00:07:00] I feel impressed. That one fuels me and really impresses me to keep
on doing the good work that FOYE does. I’ll give you one story. For example,
Catherine’s story. Catherine is a young girl from Ong cell in ghetto, in a ghetto
here in Mar City. She came from a ghetto place in Barra City and was raised by
a single mother when she came to us. She never had she had never used a
computer before. And after entering high school Catherine was excited to tell
us.
That the three computer lessons she received from FOYE helped her excel in
computer exams and our lessons gave her the confidence, digital skills, and
ability to keep up with peers from more privileged backgrounds. Who once
laughed at her for not knowing how to click mouse at school. So when we gave
her, lessons, computer lessons, when she joined high school, she started clicking
in the mouse.[00:08:00]
Like the other kids from privileged backgrounds and that was the equalizer that
we are talking about and such stories are my favorite part when it comes to the
non-profit world.

Tasha: The equalization is enormous, right? Yeah. There’s so many that end up
with a privilege that. It, you don’t realize how far that puts you ahead at each
stage.
Right. Of education in particular. So I love that story. That’s fantastic. Thank
you for sharing. And what about the challenges of this work? What are you
finding to be the most challenging?

Ivan: The most challenging part in this work is fundraising. I confidently say
that because many of us founders of small nonprofits.
Do not have a history of fundraising. You don’t know how to ask for money.
Yeah. And this is the reality. You have to do that if you’re a founder in the
[00:09:00] nonprofit world. Because, for example, as we heavily end or rely on
donations, and you can’t receive donations without sending the asks, without
asking for money or even resources.
So it’s a great challenge that every day I’m learning new things about
fundraising. But that wasn’t in anything to do with me in my background,
fundraising. And it also becomes a problem where you need to hire a team to do
fundraising for you write grants. This is heavy work and the people who need,
the people who do it need to be paid and sometimes you don’t have the money
to pay them.
So it’s a great challenge that fundraising. It’s very difficult. It’s heavy work in
the non-profit world. Many of us are finding it difficult, but of course we are
learning and we love challenges because I came into the non-profit world, to
face all challenges and learn from there. This [00:10:00] today I’m learning a lot
of things about fundraising and I can say I’m not all that bad.
And besides that. I have a team that I’m working with to make this possible,
help us fundraise fundraise and really make it big for the organization, scale our
programs and even make greater impact. Yeah,

Tasha: absolutely. Hey, it’s, I think I’m in a startup, very, small business, still
trying to figure this out and for sure, I think.
Passionate people who are really excited to, get out there, make an impact,
change the world. It’s almost like your brain has to switch gears from very much
those you are serving to those who may support what you’re doing. And those
feel like such different groups that it’s real. I find even getting back into
thinking about money.
It’s my brain. My brain even struggles with it. Right? Like that, that it’s
[00:11:00] such a different context. And we often forget that fundraising is such
a skill. Like it’s a very skilled profession. And so many people outside of
nonprofit don’t think about it that way. Right. They don’t think about how much
skill it requires.

Ivan: Yeah. Yeah. It’s a skill. If you did someone who’s good at fundraising.
They’re very good at it and they love it. Okay. And you can also learn, because I
think I’ve learned a lot so far from the time I’ve been around. I’ve learned a lot in
fundraising, meeting different people. It’s been one of the most talked about,
talked about poet of chart.
Every chat I go to, I, we end up talking about fundraising. So I learn from
different people and get a lot of resources. That myself and my team are really
using to push our to push our work forward.

Tasha: One of the questions I always ask during these interviews, but how are
you getting the, how are you finding your [00:12:00] peers help you?
And you already talked about it just now, like resource sharing and those types
of things. How has peer networking supported your growth as a founder and a
nonprofit leader?

Ivan: That’s great. I’ve learned so many things, from the peers, all the support
that I get from the people that I connect with.
Connections are very key, very important. I remember last year my goal was to
connect with a lot of people in the non-profit industry, and I’ve achieved this
goal. I can’t thank the non-profit Hive hive team enough because I have
connected with so many people who connect me to other people.
And beyond that, my goal was to make a lot of connections. Having so many
people I’m talking to meeting so many people I’m learning from. So learning
from each other. Quite often we end up talking [00:13:00] about important
topics, like fundraising, like, management, how to, how to scale impact in the
non-profit world.
So, because I meet people with different specialties, some even share resources,
we talked about resources, some of ’em come out and say, you know what I
think I have a resource that I can share with you. Maybe it’s an AI resource that
can help you maybe come up with social media pointed. And save your time.
So I really learned it learning from each other and that kind of support where
someone is going to, is not going to ask you to pay for the resources or the
support they’re giving you. Some people are free to share the knowledge that
may you consultants should be asking you to pay for.
Some people are want to share with you freely, not think about competition or
whatever. So I love that.

Tasha: I think there’s so much to be gained. I always like to use the example if
you hear about a grant that is very much only focused on [00:14:00] rural
moms, let’s say, right? Isn’t it so lovely for you to be able to share that with
somebody else who you know that grant would be great for?
And if they hear about something that’s very youth focused or technology
focused, they can share that with you. And I love to see those types. Of just, it’s
not even like collaboration because it’s not as deep as that. It’s just that resource
sharing to go, oh, hey, I can do this. Take five minutes to send you a quick
email saying, Hey, I thought of this.
And so I think that’s the thing we sometimes miss about networking in the
nonprofit world that the for-profit world does all the time, right? It’s like you’re
frequently going, Hey, how can I maybe help you so that you then remember.
To help me someday too. Right. And I just, I’ve always thought that the
nonprofit world would be so much stronger if we just had that in the back of our
minds more frequently.

Ivan: Yeah. Yeah. [00:15:00] That’s great.

Tasha: Yeah. So, we looked this up when we first started chatting right before
this interview, but you have done 35. hive conversations since you joined us,
which is incredible. So thankful. I love that I’m able to put you in conversations
with anyone around the world and they always have lovely things to say about
the conversations with you, Ivan, so I deeply appreciate that.
What has been something that you have gotten out of being a member of the
nonprofit hive?

Ivan: Okay. Being a member. Of the non-profit hive I’ve really achieved a lot.
Maybe having an extended family has been incredible for me because I’ve met
with so many people, like you say 35 people. That’s incredible because I enjoy
meeting different people.
Different causes different stories, different missions every single week. So.
[00:16:00] I actually enjoy that. If I know that every week I’m going to meet
someone new and I’m going to listen, I’m going sit back, listen, share stories
with this person. So that kind of extended family, amazing people doing
amazing work to impact the world positively has been wonderful for me.
Now, for me, meeting a new person and hearing their why. Lives means
inspired because even if we are not doing the same things, okay, our mission is
not aligned, but just hearing someone, their story, their why, it is amazing
because people are doing a lot of things are always sat down to hear about
someone’s.
Someone’s calls and I always want to know the story attached to that. How did
that begin? How did that begin? I love that part. It’s my favorite part. So, and of
course many of these connections continue after the Hive chat. Yes, I’m in
[00:17:00] touch with some people and the organizations are amazing and
supportive in so many ways that I can’t even imagine because.
I quite often, go back to some of the people I met. If someone said their
expertise maybe is in social media or content creation, then I say, I go back
because. We province each other that we’re going to keep in touch. This is very
interesting that many people there are willing to share and I’ve quite often went
back to check out some of the connections with some people and asked them, hi
I remember you talked about content creation maybe designing graphics.
So please tell me what can we do so that we improve our content? As a
nonprofit so that we tell impactful stories, engaging stories, and blah, blah, blah,
blah. And yeah, people get back and we talk. Sometimes we set up another
meeting.

Tasha: That’s great. Well, and I think, for at least myself, every time I’ve ended
up [00:18:00] collaborating with someone else, it’s never just from one
conversation that’s not enough. Right? In nonprofit, we’re all very busy. We’re
doing big work. Finding those spots where maybe a collaboration comes into
being often takes.
Some time and some conversations and figuring out whether there’s that
alignment between two organizations or even two founders and all, and making
those plans together. So I love to hear that, Ivan. That makes me very, as a
founder, very happy to hear stories like that.

Ivan: So after the first time chat. I’ve often gone back, to catch up with other
people with nonprofit members. And I can tell you that I’ve had several of them.
The second chart comes along where maybe you were talking and you realized
time wasn’t enough. Maybe the stories were mind blowing and you feel like,
okay, we should have another chat and continue [00:19:00] our stories because
they’re amazing.
I would love to know what you do. I would learn, I would love to learn from
your work much more. And we end up setting a second meeting and sometimes
even a third meeting. And I also talked about the issue of having fellow
Ugandans in the non-profit high community where we meet for chats and end
up, collaborating and meeting that in person.
I’ve met people like Joshua Iman, who I’m in touch with. We talk often. And
you cannot imagine, because I’m sure at some point it’s the difference is just the
districts. We are the same country, different districts. But I’m sure at some point
maybe it’s going to be doing a project that stretches to the districts to districts
where we have, and probably a collaboration is going to come through that.
So you can only imagine how, these meetings can support us as founders. And
even the work that we do. Some sort. [00:20:00] Absolute amazing.

Tasha: I love that. That’s fantastic. And best place to get in touch with you,
Ivan, LinkedIn, or is there an email address website. What’s the best way for
people to continue to follow along with your work?
LinkedIn. Okay. Wonderful. Well, this was so fantastic. Thank you so much for
doing this with me. Thank you for being a very involved member and just
someone who I deeply admire the work that you’re doing and it’s so cool to
watch all these change makers from all over the world, get involved in our
community, but then start to support each other and build more locally to where
they are.

Ivan: Thank you so much, Tasha for this opportunity to share a story.