Eastern Uganda has emerged as a formidable contender for the Battle of Champions title in the Stanbic National Schools Championship (NSC), following an impressive showing of their innovations during the third week of appraisal visits.
The appraisal visits, covering all Uganda’s four regions, are the last stage of competitive activities before the overall winner is announced on August 29 in Kampala. St Mary’s Girls School Madera, showcased a groundbreaking solution designed to address real community challenges.
The home glucose test kit was developed by students to help diabetic patients monitor their blood sugar levels affordably and conveniently.
“The main purpose of this glucose kit is to help patients with diabetes maintain their blood sugar levels. Unlike other methods that require injections, our kit uses a urine sample and follows the simple test procedures,” Evelyn Ejang, a senior two student involved in the project, said.
Ejang shared how the NSC program has shaped her entrepreneurial mindset.
“I’m glad to be part of the NSC, because it has developed my thinking capacity, especially in entrepreneurship.” Beatrice Agado, one of their initial customers and a trader in Otuchopi market said, “I developed diabetes four years ago. Before this kit, I was spending a lot of money at hospitals just to test my sugar levels. Now I can do it from home. My husband introduced me to the product after researching it and I’ve been saving Shs 30,000 per week.”
According to Edward Charles Osidak, patron teacher at St Mary’s Girls, the project was born out of a desire to support the growing number of diabetic patients in Soroti district.
“We started with the idea of helping our community. With further research and guidance, we developed a portable, user-friendly glucose kit that can be carried and used anywhere,” he said.
He said participation in the NSC has helped the students improve in areas like pitching and financial management which they can apply in their business. Sr Mary Aguti Salome, the head teacher, expressed appreciation to Stanbic bank for their continued support in nurturing student innovation.
“We thank Stanbic bank for supporting our children in business. These platforms allow students to turn brilliant ideas into life-changing solutions that can improve our country,” she said.
Students at Musana Vocational High School in Iganga, Jinja district showcased an independent power source product that generates electricity from carbon monoxide.
Godfrey Muyambi said: “The MK Independent Power Source is a product that generates electricity on its own without application of batteries, fuel or running water. We are solving a problem of power shortage, electricity blackout and environmental pollution in our communities.”
He said its uniqueness lies in being eco-friendly, and doesn’t produce fumes, because it uses carbon monoxide as well as being more economical for cooking. Muyambi also highlighted the usefulness of Ikigai, a Japanese concept about discovering your purpose, during the boot camp stage.
He said it had helped him master the art of becoming a good decision-maker, to know what he wants, why he wants it and how it will affect the community. Speaking on the sidelines of the appraisals sessions, Diana Ondoga, the head of Corporate Social Investment (CSI) at Stanbic bank, said: “This competition offers a platform for secondary school students across Uganda to execute their innovative or entrepreneurial ideas. Out of 539 applications, we selected 200 schools, trained teachers, and narrowed it down to 150 refined ideas.”
Following mentorship sessions at the boot camp at Seroma Christian High School covering the Business Model Canvas, financial feasibility and Ikigai, judges selected the top 32 schools.
These were further narrowed down to 16, and then to the final eight representing Uganda’s regions. She, therefore, concluded by announcing that the final phase of the competition will be happening on August 29 in Kampala, where the overall national winner will be crowned.
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