Efficient, hard-working, responsible for their children’s school fees and food – and yet without respect and equal rights in their families and villages. Men still dominate, although women could do a lot to solve some problems.
The association “Friends of Uganda” and its partner organization “Voluntary Action for Development” have been working for 30 years to leverage this hidden potential – through income generation measures.
Training, start-up financing and small savings associations (SACCOs) have enabled around 500 women in the region in northern Uganda to earn their own income. With their harvests from agriculture, with chicken and pig farming, corn and fish products, they want to give their lives a new perspective.
In the neglected north of the former war zone of the “Lord Resistanc Army” with its notorious child soldiers, this market could serve as a model.
Now a further step has been taken to improve their living conditions – a marketplace in the nearby provincial town should make the women independent of the low prices offered by wholesalers and create income for them.
A training centre was also set up near the market square.
Here, young mothers receive practical training in sewing school uniforms, knitting school jumpers and washable sanitary towels.
Afterwards, some of the young women can work for the local tailors, while others will remain in the production department of the centre, finance its sustainability according to a fixed plan and receive 50% of the profits as income. After a year, more women will join the training programme.
The boys and young men in the region were also given the opportunity to complete an apprenticeship by building and operating a small craft training centre.
Project no.: 136-21 and 2024-019
Project partner: Friends of Uganda eV
Funding year: 2021 – 2025
Local organization: Voluntary Action for Development (VAD), Uganda
Project location: Kaperebyong, Norduganda