Shakira, 32, came to Kampala on one of the happiest days of her life: her wedding day.

She left her home in western Uganda to marry a man who worked in the city. The busy streets filled with cars and strangers were a big change from the beautiful mountains and lakes that surrounded her back home.

As she began to dream about what her life in this new city would look like, her father’s tailoring business came to mind. Shakira frequently passed a tailor’s shop where she’d stop to admire how organized and well stocked it was with sewing materials, fabrics and equipment. When the FIND project offered to sponsor her in a mentorship, she knew exactly who she wanted to ask to help her build her own career.

Christopher Bongababa, the owner of that shop and a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, taught her how to run a tailoring business, including what kind of inventory to keep in stock so that she would be prepared to tackle any project that walked through the door. Now, she’s ready to open her own business. She dreams of using her love for sewing clothes and vibrant colors to help people dress up to celebrate life’s milestones.