Overcoming Challenges Collectively

Alice in a last-mile village in Kyenjojo

Alice’s typical day involves looking after her grandchildren, checking on her farm and goats, and attending the weekly VSLA meetings. Living in a last-mile village in Kyenjojo, Alice is gradually building a better future for her grandchildren. Through improved farm yield, income, and savings, she ensures all her household needs are met, and her grandchildren continue going to school. But her journey to getting here was not easy. “I often felt helpless. I had no opportunity to save, no support, and no means to improve my family’s life. My grandchildren were missing school due to lack of fees. It felt like we were stuck in poverty,” Alice shared about her life until recently.

Alice’s story is not uncommon. Women in last-mile communities often grapple with additional barriers to participate in income-generating activities. Lack of access to knowledge, tools, and affordable credit combined with a traditional societal outlook often results in limited opportunities. When Alice and her fellow community members participated in training sessions organized by RTV, they decided to come together and address these barriers. As part of the “From Last Mile Into Possibilities” (FLIP) project, supported by the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada (GAC), the community participated in sessions designed to improve agricultural incomes, address barriers to development, and create inclusive change. These included mindset and behavioral change sessions to shift traditional attitudes, promote inclusive growth, and encourage an entrepreneurial and community-driven approach. Additionally, gender equality and social inclusion sessions emphasized equal participation in decision-making and community development. 

Kacungiro Tukundane Women Savings Group members during a weekly meeting

Soon, women in Kacungiro village came together to form the Kacungiro Women VSLA to pool savings, access loans, and invest in income-generating activities. Access to affordable credit through the women’s VSLA group proved to be a turning point for Alice. “After the training, I joined the Kacungiro Tukundane Women Group, which has changed my life. Every week, I would save UGX 2,000. In May 2024, I borrowed money from the group to buy a goat that gave birth to two kids,” Alice shares. After paying back her loan, she borrowed UGX 200,000 to invest in her maize farm. Applying improved farming techniques, such as using organic fertilizers and crop spacing, she experienced significantly improved harvest. “I harvested around 3200 kg of maize and sold it for roughly UGX 2,000,000,” she proudly shares.

Alice tending to her goats.

Alice’s improved knowledge and income have helped her meet her family’s immediate needs and plan for a better future. With surplus savings, she has started building a new home for her family, which is expected to be completed this year. Additionally, in May 2024, the women’s VSLA began an initiative to procure a goat for each member to build livestock assets, with seven members having received goats so far.

Alice in front of her under-construction home.

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Raising The Village (RTV) partners with last-mile, rural communities in Sub-Saharan Africa and develops holistic initiatives that pave the pathway out of ultra-poverty towards economic self-sufficiency within 24 months. Our programs focus on improving agricultural incomes through training and providing agricultural inputs, diversifying income streams, removing barriers to participation such as lack of access to health, water, financial inclusion, and food security, and promoting healthy behaviors including adopting healthy WASH and gender equity practices. Since 2016, we have impacted the lives of more than 1.3 million people in last-mile villages in Uganda.