A Well of Hope, Health, and Prosperity

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. 

The hilly terrain would make it difficult for people like Patience to travel long distances to a stream to fetch water, winding its way down from the hills. This daily endeavor took over an hour, and the water obtained was often contaminated with dirt and debris. 
Patience said. The community also resorted to collecting rainwater directly, but it proved insufficient and undependable. 

In 2019, Patience's community and RTV joined hands to improve household income sustainably. While the program's primary objective was to increase incomes through agriculture and small businesses, a holistic approach to poverty alleviation requires addressing development barriers and creating an enabling environment for the communities to participate. During the initial consultation process, access to clean water was identified as a major barrier to overall development. The time spent fetching water would take away time and space for economic activity. Moreover, with women and girls bearing the majority of water collection responsibility, it also meant greater inequity in participation in income generation. 

she further added.

The time saved from water-fetching duties has allowed Patience to focus on her farming activities. Cultivating beans, Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, and maize, she has increased agricultural productivity by applying Good Agronomic practices she learned in the RTV training sessions. She has also started investing some of her increased earnings in the Women's Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA).

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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 665,000 people in last-mile villages in Uganda and increased household incomes and earnings by 138% in 24 months.