This program will fund a self-sustaining microloan program that provides microloans and business skills training to women recovering from a brutal, 20-year insurgency in northern Uganda. Our clients receive small loans, typically between $50 and $150, which they invest in livestock, agricultural projects, and other small business ventures. Nearly 95% of loans are fully repaid at the end of each 3-month loan cycle. Our mission is to empower women to walk their way out of poverty with dignity.
Northern Uganda is a post-conflict region where women and children experienced horrific violence during a brutal 20-year insurgency. Many lost families to the war and are themselves former abductees, child soldiers, and/or sex slaves. Chronic poverty continues to plague the community, and these women have been largely invisible to their government and the global community. Our clients have the skills and the drive to create viable business opportunities but often just lack the capital to do so.
Our program provides small loans and financial training to women in post-conflict northern Uganda. We promote small scale entrepreneurship by extending credit to the most impoverished, those who would normally not have access to traditional banking and lending institutions. Women collaborate in groups to track repayments, building support systems within the community, and we offer savings options to help women plan for the future and ensure financial stability during difficult times.
Our approach emphasizes self-determination and empowering women to shape their own future and the future of their families. Studies have show that women are more personally invested in family welfare and therefore more likely to improve the lives of their children with nutrition, health, and education. We aim to address the systemic issues of poverty and marginalization by building self-esteem, cultivating leadership, and empowering women to walk their way out of poverty with dignity.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
