Business plan BEHOD

One of the main concerns is ‘how to sustain the training centre’. In general the suggestions and questions can be grouped in 3 categories:
1. What are the current activities, and would it be possible to capitalize upon them?
2. IT training centre: requirements for setting up the centre and suggestions how to run it and make it sustainable.
3. Other (new) activities that could generate income or mobilize the community.

1. Current activities

BEHOD could try to capitalize upon the current vocational training and develop some sort of lucrative activity out of it. Theoretically, this should:
(a) not require too many additional skills
(b) enable people out there to use existing personnel
(c) build upon existing know-how base somehow.

Ideas for income generation:
• Offering current courses to other target groups as well, for a certain charge. The question is whether tailoring is a rare or needed skill in the region, and if there is a potential market that would be willing to pay for these classes. Another practical aspect would be the time & space for providing these courses. If the Behod premises are occupied 7 days a week, from morning until evening, this would be a problem.
• Using the current courses in order to manufacture products that can be sold on the local market. Behod may already be doing this in order to generate cash, OR it may be doing this, but the revenues may go to the orphans/ handicapped people themselves.

2. IT based activities

The costs of running an IT training centre are almost the same as running an internet café. All that needs to be done is removal of cost of running internet in the place. The rent, power etc remain the same.

Question is how will the training centre sustain itself? We need to find a way of sustaining the place locally. People in Uganda are enthusiastic about learning IT.

We should learn from other computer centres, including those on Nabuur, e.g. Kootapuli in India who, as well as providing training, also earn income by providing services to local businesses.

One of the main ideas mentioned is:
• Offer IT training for free for the target groups (disabled & orphans), but charge other people for the training. That way the public helps in running the training centre. Offering basic computer courses to school kids is one Paul’s own ideas.

Other ideas for income generation:
• Secretarial services/business services centre: Typing, printing, photocopying, faxing etc. These services lack in very many offices in Uganda leading to an opportunity to make money providing such services. Not every office in Uganda has a computer (& other machines) therefore they look for such services in secretarial bureaus. These secretarial services are usually provided by internet cafes and IT training centres. The only extra cost is acquiring the machines and getting them to Uganda. We will only need one (1) qualified person to handle this section while we have one other for the training section.
• Other skills could be things like accounting/bookkeeping, writing a CV, report writing etc. Or training on how to start their own business. Once you have internet access, you can also do things such as how to use the internet to find a job, doing online research etc. Again these courses could be offered for a fee.

At least one person should be trained to repair computers in case they break.

3. Other (new) activities

Income generating:
• Selling of water
• communal shower service
• Selling drinks
• Room rental: cheap accommodation for start e.g. lodge
• Telecommunication and internet public phones international and local
• Library
• Watching television/DVDs

Community services:
• indoor games e.g chess . monopoly
• television and video services
• mini media : broadcasting from 6;30 to 7:30
using amplifier radio broadcaster to 6;30 to 7:30
about community program
• reading room
• public meeting such as wedding and meeting
• drama and music
• other outreach activities dancing and debates, competitions and poetry

4. Questions

About BEHOD
- What are the three top strategic objectives of BEHOD. Not the goals for this year, the overall purpose.

- Who is your team and what are their skills?

- What are the things you do really well?

- What are the things you need to be able to do better, to run this as a business?

Current status
- what is meant by "helping" orphans and disabled people?

- Financial suport? (I think not, but I must be sure)

- Training classes? On what? (we're talking about tailoring, as far as I understand)

- How long does a course last ? (weeks? months?) How are they provided? (In

- mean how many days a week, how many hours a day?) By how many trainers? Are the trainers paid?

- Any other activities?

- Does the centre have any income source now? Does it generate cash? Are there any incomes from prior periods that can be invested in order to sustain this ICT centre in the very first weeks / months?

- By the way, how is the centre currently sustaining itself?

I'm asking this in order to see if there is a possibility of generating some income from current activities, in order to avoid various extra costs. I also assume that any revenue from ICT services will come with a certain delay, while expenses surely won't.

I don't understand very well which were the reasons you decided to let go of the idea with the internet cafe for ensuring some revenue. What exactly is impeding you to run the cafe? Is it costs? Lack of personnel to run the cafe? Time? Regulatory issues?

Will having basic computer skills be likely to lead people directly into work - are the skills in demand in the town? Or will you need to offer other training as well? And will employers expect them to have internet/email skills which they will not be able to get as part of phase 1, as you will not be connected to the internet.