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Topista in front of the sty she built for her pigs For Topista, a 40-year-old mother of 9 children, providing for her family was a struggle. Subsistence farming and livestock barely met their immediate needs, resulting in inconsistent income and virtually no savings. "We wouldn't produce much. We had some pigs, but they wouldn't fetch [...]

Moses, with the mandazi he bakes and sells with his wife and son. When Moses and his wife Fidah joined the Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) in their village, they would save UGX 2500 each week. In less than a year, with their bakery business doing well, they now save UGX 16,000 in their [...]

Johnson in his garden in Mitooma "Until a year ago, we had little income and scarce farmland. Poverty is a big issue, and we and the rest of the village are living on the extreme edge," said Johnson, a subsistence farmer from a last-mile village in Mitooma. With no sustainable source of income, providing for [...]

Vastin outside her home in Kagadi. Vastin and her husband Mathias have been farmers all their life. With subsistence farming, they couldn't produce enough to earn and save for a secure future for their children. "We mainly produced Cassava and didn't have enough savings to rent or buy more land for farming," Vastin said. Vastin [...]

The Ngombe petroleum jelly business members When the Ngombe Women's Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) started its petroleum jelly business in June 2023, they began with the hope that it would supplement their agricultural income. Six months after its beginning, the business generates about 300,000 UGX in weekly revenue and is well on its [...]

In 2023, our partner last-mile families continued to build sustainable pathways out of ultra-poverty. Driven by knowledge, technical support, and their determination to bring about lasting change, our partner communities are well on their way to breaking the cycle of ultra-poverty and building a better future for their future generations. In this special segment, we [...]

Patience by the closed water well situated near her home In a remote hilly village in the district of Kisoro, south-west Uganda, 21-year-old Patience's daily routine revolved around fetching water. Characterized by lush green hills, the beautiful landscape of Patience's village belies the challenges faced by the residents, particularly in accessing clean and safe water.  [...]

Molly in her garden Molly, a grandmother to three, resides in the Rubanda district, surrounded by the stunning but challenging hilly green terrain. As a subsistence farmer, she grows beans, sweet potatoes, and sorghum but with very low returns. Her spouse works in the village school, but even with his income and their farming combined, [...]

Fred and Beatrice outside their home in Nyakshema cluster, Kagadi. 67-year-old Fred lives with his wife, Beatrice, in a last-mile village in Kagadi, located in Midwest Uganda. When their children moved to the city for better employment opportunities some years ago, Fred and Beatrice couldn't be prouder as parents. As lifelong farmers, they continued farming [...]

Annet, residing in a last-mile village in the Kibaale district, is a grandmother, a farmer and a financially independent woman. While Annet has always been passionate about agriculture, her hard work was overshadowed by constant struggles and disappointing results until recently. "I loved farming so much but almost stopped doing it because the amount of [...]