Archive for the
‘Stories’ Category

Sarah in her vegetable garden Sarah, a single mother and a farmer, lives in a last-mile village in Kyenjojo. With low farm yields and traditional farming methods, Sarah would struggle to provide for her children. Additionally, gender-based societal barriers made it difficult to access affordable credit to invest in agriculture or small business. Eager to [...]

Pamela tending to her farm in Rubanda. Two years ago, Pamela participated in training sessions on modern farming practices to improve yields on her small farm. She set a goal to buy more farmland to increase her income and provide a better life for her children - a goal she not only achieved but did [...]

Stella laying our coffee berries for drying. Stella and her husband have been cultivating coffee in Kitagwenda for over six years. While it provides for her family's immediate needs, traditional farming methods, pests, and low market prices have been a huge challenge for Stella, resulting in poor yield and low income. "A frequent issue for [...]

Penilope checking on her coffee plantation For Penilope and Eric, residents of a last-mile village in the Kanungu district, the past five years have been a transformational journey. "The place where our new house stands used to be a pig sty. This is where things changed for us," Penilope beams proudly, pointing to their newly [...]

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 [...]