Best Ayiorworth is an advocate for education and the empowerment of women in her home district in northern Uganda. And, there is no doubt Ayiorworth had more than her fair share of disadvantages, but despite all that she made good of the situation. At the age of 17, she moved to Kampala where she joined a vocational training school offering courses like catering, web, and graphics design.
The other part of the gist:
- After a stint with vocational training, she joined S7 Project – a skills empowerment center – where she trained in catering and entrepreneurship. From this training, she was able to get a job at a Mexican restaurant and a month later got her first salary – the salary that she would then use as her seed capital to start a microfinance company, Girl Power Micro Lending. Through this money lending institution, she ensured disadvantaged girls do not cut short their dreams for higher education as she was forced to do.
- With Girl Power Micro Lending, Ayiorworth is killing two birds with one stone; boost female entrepreneurs hustle while ensuring the girl child gets a fair chance at pursuing education.
- By giving women small loans to boost their existing businesses, mothers are able to support their daughters with school fees, books and other materials that will ensure they get a good education. Her effort has the potential to revolutionalise girls’ education and change her country.
- Through her work at Girl Power Micro Lending, Ayiorworth bagged the Anzisha Prize in 2013 and invested the $25,000 cash prize in the organisation to boost her business of social entrepreneurship.
- She was nominated for The Future Africa Awards Prize in Education, 2014.
- She was quoted by How we made it in Africa saying: “Personally, I love being educated. I always wished to go to high standards in my education if it was possible. But unfortunately I did not have the chance to go to the level of education I wanted, and I stopped at Secondary Four in Uganda. I never wanted to stop at that point in my education so it angered me… I would always remind myself that someday when I could, I would ensure that every girl child in my community received the best education they could.”
- Jonam Balikuddembe, her friend, describes Aiyorworth as a hard nut to crack. “She loves teasing people especially those she’s well acquainted with and is very hardworking,” he says.
Best Aiyorworth is the future!
