Stories

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 so against all odds. Read her story.

Stella and her husband have been cultivating coffee in the Kitagwenda district 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. Read how she is working on changing this.

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 constructed home. Read about their journey.

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. Eager to build a better future for her family, she wanted to improve her income but didn’t know how. Things gradually changed for Topista and other community members in her village in 2023. Read her story.

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 respective VSLAs weekly. Read about their journey.

With no sustainable source of income, providing for their families was very challenging for Johnson and Emmanuel. Through training, technical support, and good-quality inputs, read how they changed this.

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. They weren’t alone; most families in their community shared the double burden of low agricultural productivity and lack of savings or credit to invest in farming. In July 2022, Vastin’s community partnered with Raising The Village, with support from the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada (GAC), to sustainably improve household incomes. Read their story.

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 way to being the primary income source for some families. Read their inspiring story.

In 2023, our partner last-mile families continued to build sustainable pathways out of ultra-poverty. In this special segment, we bring you a firsthand account of the impactful change our partners made this year.