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  • Beyond Aid: A Case Study of Youth-Led Social Entrepreneurship, Agency, and Dignity through Kikobana

Beyond Aid: A Case Study of Youth-Led Social Entrepreneurship, Agency, and Dignity through Kikobana

  • Authors:Jayden Kim(BC Collegiate, Seoul, South Korea )
  • Publication Date:August 31, 2026
  • Type:
  • DOI:https://doi.org/10.23410/IJCSY.2026.1.2.03
  • Volume/Issue:1/(2)

Abstract

The present paper investigates the phenomenon of youth-led social entrepreneurship as an alternative and complimentary form of development, analyzing the case of Kikobana, an organization of social entrepreneurship in Uganda. Building on the concepts of capability approach, agency, dignity, empowerment, and youth social entrepreneurship, the study discusses how entrepreneurship could bring development further from resource provision to participation and self-reliance. It is shown that Kikobana generates several forms of agency at once. Vocational education enables the development of participants’ capability to make, earn money, and participate in the market, whereas the production of school bags turns capabilities into a tangible contribution which can be used to promote recognition, confidence, and self-reliance. The case demonstrates how the young entrepreneur becomes the designer of development through establishing the link between his/her passion for running and social enterprise that involves consumers, producers, and communities in the social value chain. Nevertheless, there are certain limitations associated with the scale, dependency on the market, and ability of economically vulnerable groups to engage. All things considered, development should be not only measured in terms of the resources provided but also in terms of capabilities, agency, participation, and dignity developed and control over economic future acquired.

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Keywords:

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figures

Traditional Aid Model versus Agency-Centered Development Model

Fig. 0 Traditional Aid Model versus Agency-Centered Development Model

Recipient Framing versus Contributor Framing in Development Practice

Fig. 1 Recipient Framing versus Contributor Framing in Development Practice

Participatory Development as Shared Decision-Making

Fig. 2 Participatory Development as Shared Decision-Making

Kikobana Website Homepage

Fig. 3 Kikobana Website Homepage

Kikobana Products Available in a Physical Store

Fig. 4 Kikobana Products Available in a Physical Store

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