4 x 60′, Channel 4

In a new land mark series for Channel 4, eight of Britain’s top entrepreneurs are being invited to Uganda by the charity, World Vision; the aim to see, if by working together, the communities and entrepreneurs can develop and form new sustainable projects which will help alleviate some of their basic development needs.

Over the course of three weeks the entrepreneurs will form their own, fully self funded, ‘NGO’. They will live within a rural community and learn first hand of the challenges that any charity or NGO face when attempting to implement projects ‘on the ground’. How the fund is spent, what needs are deemed most important, and how the group manage projects will all be decided through community consultation, and much deliberation.

The communities, as well as World Vision, are keen to specifically invite entrepreneurs to work with them (rather then simply successful business people, or a team who already has extensive experience of development work), as they hope that the entrepreneurial mindset, and their very different approach to problems and solution finding, will spark and generate fresh ideas when looking at age old development issues.

The entrepreneurs will be put in the situation of genuine charities; with limited funds and time they will have to prioritise their work, and make difficult decisions. Over the course of the series, they will experience first-hand the vast variety of challenges and dilemmas charities face when trying to develop an impoverished rural area. They will also have to struggle against the basic conditions, sleeping in tents, relieving themselves in mosquito-filled pit latrines – learning the hard way how one third of the world’s population is forced to live.

The entrepreneurs will form relationships with the villagers and develop projects that could seriously change lives. By the end of their stay, they hope to have made significant and lasting contributions, enabling each community to better sustain themselves, generate more income, and having improved the quality of daily living.

This series will explore the coming together of two groups of people who live totally opposite lives; following the journey as both cultures attempt to live together, learn from each other, and make a positive change.

Series Producer
Tamara Abood

Executive Producer
Tanya Shaw