Before the First Block

The Work Behind the Work

For more than two years, The Market Project has planned and been preparing BuildRight, the work most people never see. From the beginning, our Senior Business Adviser Becky was thinking carefully on what it will take to launch this construction materials company. 

What We Knew

The Arua region of northwest Uganda is growing fast. Informal building groups carry out 90% of the construction and primarily use traditional kiln-fired brick, a material that is unreliable, costly and contributes to deforestation. With a real demand for construction materials, the opportunity was clear. What we needed to figure out next was how to build a sustainable business around it. 

The first product concept checked most of the right boxes. But when Becky ran the numbers, the math didn’t work. The product couldn’t be priced competitively and still turn a profit. The team pivoted.

Interlocking Hollow Concrete Blocks

Business Development Advisor Ed’s research into innovative and environmentally-friendly building materials pointed toward Interlocking Hollow Concrete Blocks (IHCB), a high-quality, cost-effective product. BuildRight would produce and sell them to the growing construction industry, creating dignified jobs and a sustainable revenue stream in the process. 

The months that followed meant working through every dimension of the business. Lessons from Nguvu Dairy told the team that a minimum of 15 employees is ideal for TMP’s Trauma Healing and Supportive Community programs to take root and build a genuinely healing workplace. The demand for jobs in the region is quite high, so the more jobs the business could support, the better. 

TMP was founded to bridge the employment gap for survivors of complex trauma by building trauma-informed workplaces. That meant looking closely at the place-specific challenges BuildRight employees might face. BuildRight’s work is physically demanding, so the budget includes a daily nutritional meal to help employees sustain their performance. Malaria is a serious health concern in Uganda, and the economically vulnerable people who will make up BuildRight’s workforce often delay treatment until symptoms become severe. That’s bad for the employee and challenges the business’ efficiency. So, BuildRight budgets for early treatment incentives, because caring for workers and running a viable business can be compatible priorities.

Stress-Tested and Ready 

No stone was left unturned. Experts in Ugandan employment and tax law, international investment structuring and regional construction markets were consulted. Financial projections were built, stress-tested and rebuilt. The result is a 63-page business plan covering BuildRight’s products and services, operational and marketing strategy, management structure, detailed financial projections and growth strategies. 

BuildRight is ready to launch in fall 2026 because our business team did the hard work of making sure it was ready, alongside the early investors who believed in this mission. Now your support will lift BuildRight off the ground.