Uganda Women’s Effort to Save Orphans

A money miracle by Amora Einor Group

Amora Einor is one of the Village Savings and Loan Association groups found in Omolokonyo village in K umi districts that was formed by UWESO in 2009.

Like any other rural community, saving money had not been part of the people’s culture. Until UWESO Community Based Trainers conducted sensitisation meetings on the importance of saving.

“At first when they called us for the meeting, we thought that they had called us to get free money which they did not do” narrates one of the members of this association.

However when these sensitisation meetings continued, the CBT explained to the locals the importance of saving and how it can helps them secure money for the future. That is when 30 of them accepted to join VSLA.

These 30 members would often meet and save and each had single share values of 500/= because they had wanted to first try it out before committing to it.

“Many of us doubted its impact and success because we had never seen such a thing in our community before”.

This uncertainty cleared when their savings started accumulating, and the rate at which the savings were mobilised increased. Men who earlier on spent all the money to drink, reduced the habit and resorted to saving as soon as they saw their wives savings accumulating.

After a period of saving this group accumulated funds that were to be borrowed by members who needed them, most members were able to start small business on open markets which improved the condition of household.

By the end of the share out, this group was able to share out 7,755,000/= and the highest saver received 485,000/=.

TEACHER BY PROFESSION

My name is Mutesi Rachael Mwaitun.I Joined Masulita Children’s Village (MCV) in 1997.It was really a nice place to stay in and I was catered for in a motherly way. They always made me feel like I was with my biological parents.

Some of the things that I admired while I was there were so many but security of the home, food and clothing, medical care and above all basic education that I acquired from there were among the things that I still admired about MCV.

After nine year at MCV, had completed my senior four. I was resettled with my grandmother in the village. After staying with my grandmother for some time, UWESO gave me another chance of paying my fees for more two years and I decided to take on teaching as a career because always admired teachers. After the two years a attained a certificate in teaching and am now a teacher.

Because of UWESO’s effort am now able to sustain myself and can raise money to upgrade to a diploma which I am currently pursuing at YMCA in Kampala.
I am really appreciating the great work that UWESO is rendering the Children of Uganda more especially the Orphans and Vulnerable Children like me because if it was not for UWESO, I would not be what I am today. I am now a responsible citizen and educated. It’s because of UWESO that am a teacher by profession.

Long live Maama Janet Museveni, long live UWESO.