https://youtu.be/7rHWmXcbyBc
After being subjected to borderline sexual harassment at a mixed gym, 25-year-old Ugandan writer and entrepreneur Mildred Apenyo decided to open a women-only fitness centre in the capital Kampala, promising a safe space for women to come together and enjoy wellness.
According to a BBC News report, Openyo’s business idea is now flourishing despite facing some challenges with getting a suitable venue initially.
She now aims to involve women in more ‘challenging’ activities like kickboxing, self-defense and strength training, and expand the gym to more towns in Uganda and other East African countries.
Fitness is a big business in East Africa’s main cities as a growing middle class in the region tries to find ways of keeping ‘rich-diseases’ at bay and staying in shape.
“We are looking at expanding,” Apenyo told BBC News. “After our first class we were kicked out of the space that we had gotten … It was a challenge, but it got us to a bigger and better place,” she added.