Decent work
Safe conditions, fair treatment and real career paths for the people who power tourism and hospitality.
About Ukarimu
Practical training, made open to everyone
Ukarimu is Africa's first open-source curriculum for tourism and hospitality — built to close the gap between what employers need and the training young people can actually reach.
2018
where it began
Our story
From a shared frustration to a shared standard
Ukarimu — Swahili for hospitality — began in 2018 as a collaboration between two Ugandan organisations, EyeOpenerWorks and Mango Tree, born from a simple frustration: tourism companies could not find practical, contextual, affordable training for their teams.
With early backing from Booking.com and training providers across four countries, it grew in 2019 into a full open-source curriculum. Today it is stewarded by EyeOpenerWorks and has expanded through the GIZ Employment and Skills for Development (E4D) programme, supported by the German and Norwegian governments.
How Ukarimu is different
Seven principles behind the curriculum
Every module is shaped by the same set of beliefs about how young Africans learn best — and what the industry really needs.
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Active learning
Learners build skills by doing, not just listening — practice is at the centre of every session.
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African focus
Written for the realities, examples and contexts of the African tourism industry.
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Private-sector relevance
Shaped alongside employers, so graduates leave with skills businesses actually hire for.
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Practical & soft skills
Technical ability and the people skills — communication, service, teamwork — that set staff apart.
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Video with offline access
Video lessons designed to work even where internet is limited or unavailable.
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Open-source & simple
Free for anyone to use or adapt, with modules designed to be taught in about a day.
Our focus
What we stand for
Ukarimu is about more than skills. It is about the kind of industry those skills help to build.
Sustainability
Helping the industry protect the places, wildlife and communities that travellers come to experience.
Resilience & recovery
Built to help tourism companies and workers rebuild stronger after the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Join us
Help us set the standard
Whether you train, hire, or fund — there is a place for you in the Ukarimu story.