Stella
Innovation, Courage, and Climate Leadership: The Story of Stella Nakawuki Lukwago
After weeks of trying to find a moment to connect amid persistent power outages and busy schedules, I finally reached Stella Nakawuki Lukwago by phone. What started as a simple conversation quickly became something much deeper. When we hung up, I felt moved, challenged, and truly inspired by her story and the work she is doing.
Stella is the Country Manager for Youth Challenge International in Uganda. Her connection to the community runs deep; she was born and raised in Bwaise, one of Kampala’s largest and most underserved slums. There, she developed a passion for empowering rural innovators and young people. Through her leadership, Youth Challenge International is making a real difference by advancing sustainable development projects that ensure local voices are at the heart of climate action and community-led solutions.
Bwaise is a place where flooding happens regularly, plastic waste covers the streets, and daily survival is often more urgent than dreaming about the future. Stella described it simply and honestly: “You grow up seeing the worst before you understand what the best could look like.” Living in such harsh conditions shaped her early years and sparked something powerful inside her.
From a young age, Stella was surrounded by injustice. But instead of letting it defeat her, she quietly made a promise to herself: “I’m going to change this.”
“I Wanted to Make the World Better, Starting With My Own Backyard”
Stella’s journey did not begin with opportunities handed to her. She worked hard, studied diligently, and seized every chance she could find. Her determination led her to an internship in the United Kingdom with the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. That experience, combined with earning a diploma in Lobbying and Advocacy, gave her new insights into how systems operate and how power can be influenced and shifted.
Despite the opportunities abroad, Stella was determined to return home. She told me, “There was so much I could do at home.” When she returned to Uganda, she brought with her not just experience but also a clear mission to make a difference where it mattered most.
Over the past ten years, Stella has worked alongside some of the most vulnerable people in her country: refugees, school dropouts, orphans, and rural youth. She has helped these individuals launch social businesses and, more importantly, believe in the power of their own ideas and potential.
Innovating From the Ground Up
In 2019, Stella founded Ouroots Africa Ltd, a social enterprise that creates 100% biodegradable drinking straws as an alternative to harmful single-use plastic products. What struck me most was not just the product itself but the deep purpose behind it.
“Bwaise is full of plastic. It’s everywhere,” she explained. “So I asked myself, what can we do that actually solves this problem? And how can we create jobs in the process?”
The biodegradable straws are more than just a product. They represent hope and possibility, proof that innovation can and should begin with the people who understand the problem best.
Mindset Is Everything
One thing that Stella returned to time and again during our conversation was the power of mindset. Whether she is mentoring at the Social Innovation Academy (SINA) or leading Youth Challenge International’s programs, Stella looks beyond funding and ideas. She focuses on how people think and believe in themselves.
She shared, “The people I work with, many of them come from nothing. Yet they still believe they can create something meaningful. That belief, that mindset, is powerful.”
She doesn’t only teach this way of thinking; she embodies it. She told me about women she has coached, women who once hesitated to make decisions for themselves but who now run successful businesses that provide jobs for others. “I’ve watched caterpillars become butterflies,” she said. Even over the phone, I could sense the pride and joy in her voice.
Giving Voice to Women Entrepreneurs
As a certified lobbyist, Stella is passionate about changing the narrative around women in business in Uganda. She pointed out a striking difference she has noticed: “Most women wait until they feel 100% ready to apply for a job. Men often apply when they feel 60% ready.”
She encourages women to leap, to take risks, and to start before everything feels perfect. Through her leadership at Youth Challenge International Uganda, she has supported over 450 rural women each year in launching and growing businesses that serve both their communities and the environment.
“Sometimes all you need is someone to say, ‘You can do this.’ And truly mean it.”
Uganda’s Role in Climate Leadership in 2025
Our conversation also touched on Uganda’s growing presence in the global climate conversation and the importance of centring rural and grassroots voices in that movement.
The Climate Action Summit 2025, hosted by Youth Challenge International on Earth Day in Mpigi, brought together rural innovators, women entrepreneurs, and changemakers to showcase climate solutions that are deeply rooted in local communities.
For Stella, these events are far more than just gatherings. “This is about showing the world that solutions can come from us, from our people, our communities, and the soil we stand on.”
Just Start
When I asked Stella what advice she would give to young people eager to make a difference, she did not hesitate for a moment.
“Start. Don’t overthink it. That idea you have in your head, try it. Take action. If it doesn’t work, pivot and try something else. But don’t let fear stop you.”
Her journey, from the crowded streets of Bwaise to leadership on a global stage, is not a story of having it all figured out. It is a story of courage, resilience, and the determination to try anyway, no matter the obstacles.
If you want to support grassroots climate action and be part of this inspiring movement, click the portfolio below and learn how you can help make a difference.