Help 15,000 Ugandan grandmothers care for children

Prima, a 62-year-old grandmother who is responsible for taking care of her three grandchildren. Prima operates a retail shop located in Kanyamuhe Trading Center. She started her business with her modest savings and later joined the Kazindiro Granny Group, where she received poverty eradication and business training skills through monthly granny meetings organized by coordinators.

Motivated by her newfound knowledge, Prima used her savings to establish her retail shop. Additionally, she borrowed money from the Kazindiro Granny Group, which she wisely invested in her business to enhance her capital. Prima diligently repaid the borrowed funds to the group. She is proud to share her achievements as both a successful businesswoman and an active member of the Kazindiro Grandmothers Group.

Participating in the group has provided Prima with invaluable insights on maintaining meticulous business records. Through various trainings organized by the microfinance team, she has acquired knowledge on visible and viable income-generating projects. Prima now possesses a range of skills that she can apply to her own business and share with other members of the group.

With her hard-earned income, Prima manages to pay for her three grandchildren's school fees and fulfill their other essential needs. She takes great pride in her ability to provide for her family and contribute to their well-being through her business endeavors.

Links:

• Nyaka Website

Mukaaka (grandmother) Emily is a 50-year-old caregiver of five. She’s one of the many members of the Kitojo Grandmother Group who have benefited from the micro-finance revolving fund and agricultural training taught throughout the year, one of the many initiatives offered by our Grandmothers program. From participating in the revolving fund, Emily bought a piglet that has now grown to a big pig which she hopes will produce piglets she can sell to boost her seasonal trade in grains (sorghum). Emily’s pig is also providing her with manure needed to grow climbing beans, one of the teaching topics from an earlier agricultural training. Emily also participates in weaving baskets as another source of income. She says, “To my surprise Nyaka is going to take up some of my baskets and look for a market to sell these baskets.” She anticipates that with continued support in the form of training and financial opportunities, her life and income will increase and in a few years her family’s standards of living will improve.

"I send my greetings and my sincere thanks to the minds behind the ones who started Nyaka Mukaaka Project, the program that thought about one of the under looked i.e. old women who are least thought about by other community members. You have restored our hope and strength, trusted us with money and hence we now believe in ourselves and now have capacity," Emily tells staff during home visits.

We take the training and education of our community very seriously, including grandmothers. Alone, in the last quarter of 2022, staff conducted nearly 100 training sessions in Kanungu, Rukungiri and Rubanda. These trainings were conducted by staff during their meetings with grandmother groups. Training focused on general sensitization, agriculture (post-harvest, preparation and pre-planting and general agriculture), sanitation and hygiene, financial literacy, and micro-finance. Information is power and knowledge is wealth. Sensitization and training in finances and micro-finance are key to facilitating mindset change and sustainable community development.

Links:

• Nyaka Website