From Subsistence to Security

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, they found it difficult to put food on the table and make ends meet. Molly's family was not alone; most of the community members in her village experienced diminished yields as subsistence farmers. But this changed when Rutooma partnered with Raising The Village in June 2022. 

Molly and her fellow community members participated in training sessions on Good Agronomic Practices (GAP). They learned the importance of good quality seeds, creating organic pesticides and liquid manure. They also learned about practices such as constructing compost pits, optimizing crop spacing, line planting, keyhole gardening, and optimal post-harvest handling. 

Molly soon witnessed a considerable change in her results. She harvested over 400 kg of Irish potatoes and 95 kg of beans from the improved seeds. She sold about half of her harvest for UGX 527,000 (approximately USD 140), purchased a pig, paid her grandchildren's school fees, and invested in their women's Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA).

To provide a nutritionally diverse and wholesome diet for her family, Molly planted a keyhole garden and started growing vegetables for her family's consumption. Her family now relishes maize boiled with beans, sweet potatoes, and greens, all sourced from their own garden. 

Molly's dreams are as vibrant as her gardens. "I want to provide my grandchildren with quality education and make sure they finish school," she said. She plans to further invest in livestock and the Village Savings and Loans Association and continue increasing her family's income.

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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.