Faces of Local Leadership: The Entrepreneur
When Gertrude first started her career, work was simply a job—she would come in, do what needed to be done, and go home.
But when she became the Bakery Manager at AsOne, her perspective began to change. She started to see work as more than a way to earn an income. It became an opportunity to grow as a leader, invest in others, and create opportunities that could extend beyond herself.
Today, Gertrude isn’t just leading a bakery. She’s helping build a stronger local economy.
As the bakery grows, it creates jobs for people in the community, equips employees with practical skills, and provides families with a reliable source of income. Gertrude plays an important role in making that possible by training her team, developing future leaders, and preparing others to take on greater responsibility.
“I know that even when I’m not here, someone will do exactly what I’ve been doing—which means I have mentored the team well and they have learned a lot from me.”
That kind of leadership creates a ripple effect. One local business can provide employment, strengthen household incomes, develop new skills, and create opportunities that continue multiplying throughout the community.
And the impact goes even further. AsOne’s locally led businesses are part of a larger vision for sustainability—generating revenue within Uganda that helps strengthen the work happening in each community. Rather than relying solely on outside support, AsOne communities are building the people, businesses, and local revenue needed to increasingly sustain their work for the long term.
This is what locally led transformation looks like: people like Gertrude are given an opportunity to grow, then use that opportunity to develop others, create jobs, strengthen their communities, and help build a more sustainable future.
Gertrude’s story is a reminder that lasting change isn’t simply about creating one job. It’s about creating opportunity that multiplies.
