Imagine Her
Imagine Her
Sector Portfolios
- Lokumu (Livelihoods)
Focus Areas
- Livelihoods
- Climate
- Gender Equity
Cohort 05 (2026)
- East Africa
- Uganda
The question Nathan Okiror set out to answer was simple: why were girls in eastern Uganda dropping out of school? The answer that kept surfacing was menstruation: girls who lacked the means to manage their periods fell behind until they stopped attending altogether. Imagine Her's first response was direct, training girls to make their own reusable sanitary pads and bringing fathers and brothers into that training to shift attitudes at home. But the deeper they went, the clearer it became that menstruation was not the real barrier. It was economic dependency. Women in rural Uganda perform roughly 77% of farm labor but own only about 6% of land; without land, they have no collateral, no bank accounts. By 2017, Imagine Her had reframed itself entirely around that insight.
Imagine Her works with young women and youth in rural Uganda through a three-tier model: three months of Skills Lab training in social entrepreneurship and design thinking, access to patient, interest-free start-up capital, and ongoing mentorship as ventures take shape. The organization focuses particularly on agri-food systems and climate resilience, supporting rural enterprises from first idea through long-term growth.
Partner Impa ct
Leadership Highlight
Nathan Okiror
Purpose & Strategy Principal
Nathan is the Purpose & Strategy Principal and Founder of Imagine Her. He has been recognized as a community change influencer by the Swedish TV program Lärlabbet and has also been featured on Shoutout Socal Los Angeles, Canvasrebel, and Uganda Radio Network.
Recognizing that many entrepreneurs struggle to scale due to limited financing options, Nathan pioneered Her Capital a financing vehicle designed to provide accessible, recyclable capital for rural entrepreneurs. The initiative seeks to bridge the funding gap for early-stage businesses that are often overlooked by traditional financing institutions. Through a revolving fund approach, Her Capital aims to support 3,500 businesses over the next decade while creating long-term, community-driven economic impact.
Nathan is also a co-founder of Pangea Publishing, a social enterprise that develops culturally and linguistically relevant learning resources for Uganda's young language learners. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work and Community Development from Kyambogo University, concentrating on Social Work and its role in transforming communities, a postgraduate diploma in Social Work from Alison Institute, and a certificate in design thinking from IDEO U. He is a YALI East Africa Regional Center Alumnus, a Robert Bosch Alumnus, an Ashoka Xchangemaker Fellow, and a Perennial Fellow. He is part of the 2023 cohort of the Collective Learning Initiative by the Issroff Family Foundation, a member of the PEP – Mastercard Foundation Advisory
Board under the program: “What Works for Rural Young Women and Marginalized Youth: Review of Inclusive Youth Employment Policies & Interventions in Africa.”and a Gratitude Network Fellow 2023.
