About us
Grow Movement works with volunteer business consultants from around the world to transform the lives of people in Uganda, Rwanda and Malawi. By Skype, phone and email we empower African entrepreneurs with business skills, enabling them to run their organisations more effectively, increase profitability and create jobs in their communities. Our volunteers are global business professionals with skills in marketing, finance, strategy and business development who offer their 12 consultancy sessions for free. They remain in their own country enabling Grow Movement to operate at a very low cost.
Grow Movement was set up in 2009 by Chris Coghlan. He felt compelled to assist those living in the developing world after studying the Rwandan genocide at university and witnessing extreme levels of human suffering when volunteering in Mozambique in 1999, the DR Congo in 2006 and Rwanda in 2008. Chris felt frustrated by current methods to tackle developing world poverty, both in their lack of effectiveness and the ethical compromises that occurred.
From his experience building effective cross cultural relationships as well as nine years working in global finance, Chris believed that a new approach was possible and Grow Movement was born. What started as a discussion between Chris and the now board of trustees has grown from an initial trial of 10 management consultant friends working over Skype to Ugandan entrepreneurs, to a UK registered charity in 2010, to expansion into Rwanda and Malawi in 2012 working with over 400 micro, small and medium entrepreneurs per year. We are grateful to all of our volunteers, entrepreneurs, funders and supporters who have enabled this to happen.