Hellen Munyasa

I am Munyasa Hellen, the founder and Managing Director of Helton Traders Ltd, a social enterprise in Uganda turning plastic bottle waste into sustainable polyester sewing threads for East Africa’s textile industry. With a background in Fashion and Industrial Fine Arts from Makerere University and over 10 years of experience in textile trading, I launched Helton to tackle two urgent problems: plastic pollution and the industrial sewing thread supply gap in our region.

At Helton, we transform locally collected PET bottles into eco-friendly threads that are more affordable, readily available, and environmentally friendly compared to imports. This not only reduces plastic waste but also empowers over 105 women and youth working in our recycling network.

Under my leadership, we have:

Served 100+ wholesale textile traders

Generated $160,000 in annual sales (and growing)

Created jobs in waste collection, sorting, and production

Laid the foundation to recycle 15,000+ tonnes of plastic and create 10,000 green jobs by 2030

Started expansion plans to Kenya, leveraging the AfCFTA and regional industrialization goals

My work has been recognized through multiple awards:

UNDP Youth4Business Grant

Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) seed funding

EAC GIZ prize

Afrise Challenge and Total Startupper 2024 Finalist

Represented Uganda at Youth Connekt Africa Summit (2022 & 2023)

I’ve completed over 10+ accelerator programs, including JICA NINJA Accelerator, WasteAid, TEF , CrowdSolve, and more , gaining global mentorship, funding, and investor exposure.

Beyond business, I mentor young women entrepreneurs and champion sustainability and climate solutions in community forums. I also love creating fashion inspired by African heritage and nature.This year , 2025, I was selected as a Mandela Washington Fellow (Business track), currently hosted at Rutgers University, USA. Through Helton, my mission is to drive a green circular economy in Africa, promote import substitution, and unlock scalable impact through innovation and trade. My vision is to build a brand that proves business can be good for people, planet, and profit , and inspire more women to lead in climate action and entrepreneurship.