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Women making strides through economic empowerment.

Kitawoi Women's Group

Ruth 39, Augustine 41, and Rose 40 are members of Kitawoi joint saving farmer’s group.
The group consists 17 men and women, some of whom are Persons With Disabilities (PWDs),Gender Based Violence (GBV) survivors, school dropouts, widows and Persons living with HIV.
Ruth, the chairperson of the group narrates;

"Before this intervention, our situation was characterized by poverty, domestic violence and alcohol abuse. We lived in constant conflicts in our homes due to poverty and deprivation of basic needs. We relied on our husbands and the men in our lives to meet our families’ needs. Women in the group neither had access to income nor engaged in any income generating activities. 

The education of our children was none of our concern to us since we could barely meet the basics of life. However, our lives changed when ActionAid mobilized women to organize themselves in groups where we were empowered and equipped with various knowledge and skills. We realized that many women and communities are violating women due to lack of knowledge."

The condition above reflects the daily living conditions of women in Sebei region where cultural beliefs are deeply rooted and offer women and girls an inferior position with no access to income and dwelling in poverty and violence all their lives.
It was on this basis that AAIU with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)mobilized, organized and equipped women with relevant life skills.


"The women economic empowerment project by ActionAid mobilized us who were the most vulnerable members of the community and equipped us with knowledge and skills in handling family relations, fighting gender based violence, taught men on issues of positive masculinity, trained us on improved agronomic practices, introduced the concept of Village Savings and Loan Associations, trained us on financial literacy, record keeping and management of books of accounts at group level, Facilitated group formation including leadership trainings for group leaders and finally supported us with 60 bags of Irish potatoes seed, 03 Knapsack sprayers, 100kilograms of fertilizer, books of accounts and a cash box” as narrated by Ruth.

AAIU has through their Local Rights Program(LRPs) aimed to create local networks within the communities where we work because everyone has a role to play in the fight against Gender Based Violence. 


As a result of this intervention, the group planted the Irish potatoes and harvested 25 bags that were sold at Ugx.100,000 (USD27) per bag fetching us Ugx.2,500,000 (USD683) and 10 bags of seed. The group used the proceeds to mortgage land at Ugx.1,000,000 (USD273) where they planted 10 bags of Irish potatoes that fetched 45 bags that were sold at Ugx.80,000(USD22) fetching Ugx.3,600,000 (USD984)

Besides that, the group started to charge its members a savings and welfare fee of Ugx.1500(USD0.40) per week that has totaled up toUgx.350,000 (USD96) in addition to theUgx.3,600,000 (USD983) in proceeds from the farm, they now boast of a total income ofUgx.3950,000 (USD1,079) in savings that they are able to loan to members at 5% interest per month and 10% percent for non-members.


“We are now economically secure; women are making meaningful contributions to their households since they have loaned money from the group to improve on their farming and also meet basic needs. Gender based violence has greatly reduced in our homes because the men have now appreciated the contribution the women are making towards children’s education, improved farming, and general improvement of the welfare in our homes. Special gratitude goes to ActionAid for this generous support that has uplifted and given us meaningful lives. We hope to increase on the acreage of land under cultivation and use the available proceeds to procure group land” as narrated by Augustine.

During the monitoring, the women requested that the scope of the project be expanded to other parts/sub counties in Sebei region to benefit other women to overcome the plight of Violence and poverty, and to empower them to access and utilize productive resources to better their lives and enjoy the life of dignity, free from violence.


AAIU is still focused on supporting more women and girls but calls for collective efforts from all stakeholders including donors, Government, cultural and religious institutions and communities to direct their efforts toward recognizing women rights and challenge all harmful traditional practices through a multi-stakeholder approach.