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.
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Babwerata is an 80 year old grandmother caring for three grandchildren in Rubanda district. Babwerata began caring for her grandchildren after the unfortunate passing of her son who died of an unknown disease and the disappearance of their mother. She is very hard working and has invested in goat rearing and farming using the goat manure to help grow vegetables and bananas around her home.
There are 4,357 grandmothers located in the Rubanda district who are organized into 52 groups. Of over 4,300 Rubanda grandmothers, Babwerata is among the best performing grandmothers in agriculture. She attributes her success to the savings opportunities in her grandmother group; she managed to buy an older goat that has given birth to four goat kids. Babwerata says she feels safe and doesn’t fear facing any health challenges or fear failure of having resources for medication if she were to get sick.
Babwerata looks vibrant, healthy, and is very confident in what she does with agriculture. She very much appreciates the vocational training from Nyaka that has guided her so much. Her wish is to get more funds for expansion of her goat rearing project and become even more economically strong.
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Phausta is an 84-year-old grandmother from Rukungiri district. Phausta cares for six of her biological grandchildren due to their mother and father not being able to provide for them.
Currently, Phausta and her grandchildren live in a small grass thatched house which also doubles as the kitchen and uses the neighbors pit latrine as they do not have one of their own. Sometimes the neighbor’s pit latrine is locked, so Phausta and her family are forced to use the bathroom outside in the banana farm. This poses a risk to their health and that of the community in general.
This year, Nyaka will be constructing a new house including a kitchen and pit latrine for Phausta’s family and improve their standard of living!
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Peace is the 57-year-old biological grandmother of two, Sheilah (ten) and Violah (seven). Peace’s daughter and her husband separated after Sheilah and Violah were born. Peace was left to care for her grandchildren after the unfortunate passing of Peace’s daughter. Peace was able to use her tailoring skills to make additional income by borrowing 500,000 shillings ($141.71) in revolving funds from her granny group. With the microloan and money from selling some of her piglets she was able to acquire a sewing machine.
Peace is well known in her community for her expertise in tailoring. Schools from nearby go to her to make uniforms. She is always able to service her loans on time with the profits from tailoring clothes. Peace continues to raise pigs which enables her to see her grandchildren through school. Peace says, “My eldest grandchild dreams of becoming a doctor and the youngest dreams of becoming a teacher and I am optimistic that with the Nyaka Microfinance Program in place, their dreams will be fulfilled.”
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On Monday, January 10th, 2022 Nyaka welcomed children back to school! In order to keep our community safe, teachers and support staff have been vaccinated. Daily, staff members are doing all they can to follow the strict Ugandan Ministry of Health’s (MoH) operating guidelines including cleaning, maintenance, the provision of hand washing stations, masks for all students, plans for COVID-19 safe classrooms, etc. Medical personnel from the local Kambuga hospital, have visited Nyaka to address staff and students at the Nyaka Vocational Secondary School (NVSS) to provide additional guidance on how to stay safe.
Students are being tested regularly. Any student who tests positive is treated and quarantined to protect themselves and the rest of the community. We are grateful that at this time all infected students are recovering quickly. Students who are of age are encouraged to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Nyaka has a new coffee table book 'For Our Children’s Sake' available now. To learn more about how to get your copy click HERE!
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Gauda is a 71-year-old grandmother from Nyaruhanga village. Gauda stays with one grandchild who lost both their parents. Gauda was lucky to benefit from the revolving fund given to her granny group. She was able to borrow 300,000UGX (84.45USD) and use it to start a retail business in a trading Centre. Gauda always had a dream of starting a retail shop to sell items like food (fruits, soft drinks and some dry crops like beans, peas and ground nuts) and household goods. This type of small and easier going business is ideal for Gauda since she is older in age and suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure. Gauda’s business keeps her active since she no longer has the physical ability to do gardening on her own, but she is able to utilize casual laborers in her garden to plant crops like maize, beans and ground nuts on a small scale. The continuation of her garden provides food for her family and also allows her to sell any extras in her retail shop. Gauda is able to repay her loan using the income she gets from her small coffee garden.
Thank you for helping make Gauda’s dream a reality!
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