Carving the Narrative:
Women Fundis Reshape Uganda's Carpentry
Written by: Hellen Kabahukya
Thursday, December 5, 2024
Eunice Nalyaka can proudly point at different pieces of furniture that she has put together in the furniture showroom at V-Interiors in Namusera, a suburb in Wakiso District.
“It is thrilling to see the finished product. As soon as it is glued up, Phew! Off to the next project I go,” she says cheerfully.
Nalyaka loves the moments when she finally assembles and glues together a piece of furniture, home decor piece or wooden art piece.
She has mastered the skill and art of building one-of-a-kind pieces, including wooden tables, benches, shelves and sofa sets, often as commissioned by clients. She is always trying something new; the end goal is to see her clients elated.
For the last three years, the 28-year-old mother of three has worked as a carpenter and upholster.
Eunice Nalyaka smoothens a door ahead of spraying at V-interiors outside Kampala. Courtesy Photo
Women in the carpentry industry such as Nalyaka are innovating every day with saws and sandpaper.
“I was raised to think that this was a man’s job, but there are many things within the process that a woman can do if they preferred not to do the tasks that are considered hard,” Nalyaka explains.
According to the Ugandan Bureau of Statistics records, only 6% of women occupy positions in manufacturing trades, and even fewer enter roles requiring practical skills such as carpentry.
Wo-Men disparity
“When I first told my family that I wanted to do carpentry, they were shocked and against it because they believed that it is a man’s job,” says Evelyn Zalwango, the founder of V-Interiors and Fundi Women, a project that trains female carpenters. She reveals that even when she began training other women in the craft, one of the challenges was a mindset shift for women who believed the trade is for men.
Zalwango’s experiences are not surprising. In Uganda, it is more common to find women contributing to the value chain as tailors and caretakers rather than crafting furniture. My sojourn to one of the popular furniture hubs, Nsambya, in Kampala city, told this story.
As I walked along the stretch of furniture shops looking for any women building furniture, I tried not to get distracted by the cat calls from the carpenters stationed at the workshops. This was the first indication of male dominance in the trade and the vile nature of the environs. After scanning the area for about 20 minutes in vain, I walked into one of the workshops and asked where I could find female carpenters. When I explained my intentions, I saw grins on the faces of the carpenters. They were shocked that I expected to find women in the trade.
After a back and forth, I was directed to a blue-roofed enclosure.
“There are no women here, try that blue place, that is where the tailors are, but we do not have female carpenters,” a seemingly repulsed man said as he pointed to the place.
Evelyne Zalwango, the proprietor of V-Interiors is pioneering women carpentry in Uganda. Photo by Richard Mugambe
The enclosure has groups of men clothing sofa sets and smoothening frames. In the corner is the tailors’ workspace. As I sit down, I overhear a man whisper to one of the women, “Beautiful shall we go home together, you see the weather.”
The woman shifts uncomfortably but refrains herself from speaking up.
“It is difficult to find women here, some come to train but mostly in how to dress the chairs and after that they leave,” one of the tailors whom I had been directed to, says.
Shanita Najengo is a 25-year-old who has tailored in this place for the last two years. She was drawn to tailoring because she felt that carpentry was very physically intense. However, from my brief time at the furniture hub, I can tell that more than just the labour-intensive nature of carpentry would drive a woman away from that environment.
“Working with these men is a waste of time, they will only try to marry you,” says the female tailor whose station is next to Najengos.
Elias Ddembe, the proprietor of the shop, commissions women like Najengo to make covers for his sofa sets. He believes that women are better suited for roles that are not very labour-intensive such as tailoring, so having a female carpenter is not an idea he is keen on.
“It is not to say that women are lazy or soft, it is just the reality. I can move that bedframe by myself in no time, but a woman will need my support to do it. The same applies to carrying the timber, or any other heavy task around here,” Ddembe says.
“We are in an era of empowerment but it does not eliminate the fact that there are things a woman cannot do as per her nature, so I cannot have her making a bed from scratch. If I make one and she can smoothen or polish, this is still an opportunity,” Ddembe explains. His sentiments are shared by the carpenters I interacted with.
“Why would you be heartless and make a woman, a mother, lift heavy things? She will look like a bodybuilder,” Yonah Ssentongo, a carpenter in the workshop, wonders. While some like Isma Yiga, another employee of Ddembe, appreciate that women are creative and pay attention to detail. Like most there, he insists that women are not meant for the heavy stuff. In this furniture hub, women are mostly traders, and help manage the shops.
Woodworks on display at V-interiors. Photo by Richard Mugambe.
A game changer
Zalwango, as a strong believer in the notion that women can do it all, has defied the norm by her choice of career— carpentry, a job that she has held for over a decade. She employs more women than men at her V-Interiors Limited.
“Carpentry comprises tailoring, upholstery, joinery, design, among others. Women can apply themselves in any of the sections. It is my purpose to show them the way,” Zalwango says.
With a diploma in Carpentry and Interior design, she is on a mission to change the face of the trade from one regarded for the uneducated or career failures to one that is pristine and respectful.
“Do a survey and you will realise that many started as apprentices in an uncle or father’s carpentry shop. Even though I was inspired by my grandfather, I went back to school and professionalised my passion,” she explains, adding that she is also a graduate of IT, a career path she abandoned for carpentry.
“Initially I was not drawn to carpentry. I developed the love for it because I wanted to do something with my hands. My creativity came to life during my studies in India where I experienced many women and men in the crafts,” she says.
Carpentry, Zalwango believes, is a calling, whose foundation was laid by her grandfather. The challenge, however, was acceptance from society and family, given the stereotype surrounding the trade.
Other artistic assortments made by women carpenters at V-interiors. Photo by Richard Mugambe.
The Fundi Women
Fundi Women was born in 2018, out of a need to find skilled, reliable artisans.
“I discovered it was almost impossible to find enough skilled carpenters and artisans to staff my entrepreneurial venture. I wanted to work with female artisans but, of course, they were very few and quite underskilled,” she admits.
Fundi is a slang to mean a person who repairs and maintains things, in this instance, a carpenter. The initiative empowers women economically and aims to create gender equality in an industry. Nalyaka is an alumnus of the project.
“I want to change the face of carpentry; it is not just for the less educated or the less fortunate. It is a very good venture if you are intentional and aspire to make quality products,” Zalwango notes, adding, “People that have failed school or do not want to study formally are always sent to me. I keep asking why they think I do not want graduates”.
Indeed, Sam Opolot, a trainer in Teacher Education at Kyambogo University reveals that many women join the carpentry vocation informally, having been school dropouts or teenage mothers and are usually enrolled through programmes by organisations that take them to the institution as a means to skill them. However, many opt for simple processes such as finishing and designing.
“There is still gender disparity in the industry and many girls struggle to join the industry. In a year only one or two will join formally for university studies,” he says. Opolot emphasises that there is need to have more awareness campaigns to encourage girls to join the vocation.
The training begins with orientation. Here, trainers interact with the recruits to understand their ambitions and create a mindset shift as many, despite the enrollment,still believe that carpentry is a man’s world.
The women are then assigned to the sections of their preference, including tailoring, upholstery, polishing, joinery, machinery and the general woodworking.
“It is important that the women join sections that they are comfortable with and later they are eased into other departments,” Zalwango explains.
This training takes six weeks and some of the previous graduates have been assimilated into V-Interiors as workers and trainers.
“We have trained more than 60 women with the intention of not only filling the gap in the market but also creating employment opportunities that are readily available in the market or equipping them to start a business,” she says.
Women from easy housing Uganda measure up wood before joining it. More women are joining carpentry in Uganda. Photo by Richard Mugambe.
A steep slope
Fundi Women addresses some of the critical gaps for women in carpentry in Uganda.
Through this programme, women like Nalyaka undergo a rigorous curriculum that combines both the technical aspects of carpentry and the entrepreneurial skills needed to manage a business. This holistic approach is designed to equip women not just to be workers but to take ownership of their craft and contribute to the carpentry value chain. But it is not without challenges.
“Not only men believe that carpentry is not a place for women, many women too. They are even more biased than the men, so we struggle to change their mindsets,” Zalwango explains.
Many women require permission to engage in such trade from their spouses and hence lack the decisiveness needed to take the course.
“Sometimes, a recruit will enroll in the programme and then withdraw after orientation, claiming that her husband is not keen on her being part of such a trade,” reveals Zalwango.
For Zalwango, Fundi Women is more than just a programme; it is a movement challenging the narrative that carpentry is not a suitable trade for women.
“We are redefining what it means to be a craftswoman—in Uganda,” she says.
As she sands the final touches of a table that she has crafted, she reflects on the future of Fundi Women and hopes that she can attract funding to help her support many more young girls and women out there.
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