Help bring Financial Stability to Uganda

Uganda, a vibrant and diverse country in East Africa, is also one of the world’s poorest, ranking 162 out of 189 countries on the UN’s Human Development Index. In Uganda, 41% of people live in poverty, and almost half of Uganda’s total population is under the age of 15, representing one of the youngest populations in the world. However, the country’s recent strides in poverty alleviation, reducing hunger, mobile connectivity, and women’s empowerment indicate a strong trajectory toward rapid and inclusive economic development.

UGANDA BY THE NUMBERS

• 42.7M total population
• 76% of the population lives in rural areas
• 41% of people live on less than $1.90 per day
• 33% have an account at a financial institution
• 6.3% GDP growth projected for 2019
• 5.8 children, on average, per family
• 72% of the workforce is employed in agriculture
• 51% of children complete primary education

ABOUT OPPORTUNITY UGANDA

In Uganda, Opportunity International partners with its local financial institution partner, Opportunity Bank of Uganda, Limited (OBUL), a leading savings and loans company in Uganda, to expand access to tailored financial services and training for families living poverty. Together, Opportunity and OBUL are reaching families in all four of Opportunity’s regions (Central, Western, Eastern, and Northern).

With access to tailored financial services, relevant training, and support groups and networks, low-income families are growing small businesses, farms, and local schools to build sustainable livelihoods for themselves and unlock more opportunities for their children through quality education.

Opportunity’s industry-leading program teams in Education, Agriculture, and Digital Financial Inclusion are working with partners like OBUL to reach more families in need with effective, sustainable solutions that ensure families can break the cycle of poverty and stay out of poverty, for good.

MICROBUSINESS OWNERS

• Small loans provide capital to grow their business
• Savings accounts offer a safe place to keep their income
• Training in financial literacy and digital literacy help less-educated individuals learn skills to effectively grow their income and use mobile phones to access services
• Trust Groups and Savings Groups connect clients to a local network of their peers to learn from, work with, and encourage each other

SMALLHOLDER FARMERS

• Agricultural loans provide capital at the right time to purchase inputs and supplies to grow higher-yielding crops, especially for coffee (a main crop grown in Uganda)
• Mobile phone banking makes it more convenient for rural clients to save and make payments
• Training in Good Agricultural Practices and support from a local Farmer Support Agent improves farmers’ technical skills in cultivation, farm management, and sales

CHILDREN & YOUTH

• School Improvement loans help school leaders invest in infrastructure and staffing improvements to local schools
• School Fee loans enable parents to pay for educational costs upfront, ensuring their children do not need to drop out when household cash is low
• School clusters help local educators learn from each other and improve conditions for learning at their schools, preparing students with a higher quality education

Thanks to your support, families working their way out of poverty in Uganda have access to these life-changing programs and services. Thank you!

Links:

• Visit our Website
• Where We Work: Uganda

An Opportunity survey of Ugandan coffee farmers revealed that without support, 65% of the farmers are likely to fall below the $1.25/day poverty line and 90% are likely to fall below the$2.50/day poverty line. Coffee, however, is one of the top-earning export crops in Uganda and holds tremendous potential to become a powerful economic engine for rural farming communities. With access to loans, savings accounts, technical training, and connections to good crop purchasers, coffee farmers are increasing their yields, accessing profitable markets and boosting their incomes, improving their families’ livelihoods and financial security.

Opportunity’s Agriculture Finance team is working to expand outreach to key coffee-producing regions throughout Uganda, including Mityana, Mubende, and Masaka in the western regions, and has partnered with more than a dozen coffee companies in the country to help farmers connect to higher-value markets and earn a good profit for their crops. Opportunity is currently working to digitize payments between coffee farmers and coffee companies to reduce the need for cash – which can be difficult to manage, and risky to carry in lump sums. Digital payments will also help farmers manage their accounts conveniently without the need to travel to a bank branch.

Opportunity’s 2018-2019 goals include:

• Explore opportunities for expansion in new regions – Opportunity recently opened a new branch, Oyam, in the northern region of Uganda and is working to expand lending to coffee farmers in the surrounding regions.
• Strengthen market linkages for coffee farmers – Opportunity’s growing network of value chain partners will connect more coffee farmers to the rapidly growing industry, helping them grow and sell more coffee and improve their incomes.
• Expand agricultural best practices trainings for farmers – Improved trainings will help farmers with challenges such as protecting their crops from recent recurrences of pests and diseases.
• Connect farmers digitally to financial services – Opportunity is working to rapidly expand digital banking services for farmers, improving access for clients in rural areas.

For a small farmer in rural Uganda, a good harvest opens up countless possibilities. A good harvest means a farmer can grow her savings account, and send her children to school well-fed. It means she can make improvements to her home, buy medicine when she or her children are sick, and hire her neighbors to help on her growing farm, expanding opportunities for others in her community to earn a good income and work their way out of poverty.

Links:

• Visit our Website
• Where We Work: Uganda