Highlights from the July 2004 Global Office Visit to Uganda

From July 22^nd to the 30^th, The Hunger Project’s Vice President, Dr. Fitigu Tadesse, and Senior Program Officer for the AWFFI program, Ms. Jennifer Thomson visited THP-Uganda. The report below describes the highlights of their trip.

On July 23rd, almost 1,000 people gathered for the official inauguration of the Iganga Epicenter, which is the fifth Epicenter that The Hunger Project-Uganda has created in partnership with the local communities. The local government of the district and the local communities from the 100 participating villages came together to provide the land and materials to build the Epicenter building and The Hunger Project provided the remainder of the resources needed.

The event was celebrated with high-level key note speakers, namely the State Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Fabius Byaruhanga, and the former Vice-President of Uganda and current THP Board Member, Dr. Kazibwe.

<< Global Board Member Dr. Speciosa Kazibwe, former Vice President of Uganda, dances with some audience members before giving her speech.

Local groups also performed skits with a social message and musical performances. In the performance pictured below, the actors comedically dramatized the importance of repaying credit on-time, with one of the women actors playing the role of a negligent man.

In front of the new Iganga Epicenter building, The Hunger Project-Uganda’s Acting Country Director, Mrs. Irene Wasike Muanaguzi, dances with the “man” (a woman actor) in the drama group which performed a piece to educate people about the importance of repaying credit.

The Hunger Project-Uganda started mobilizing the communities in Uganda in March 2003 through THP’s Vision, Commitment and Action (VCA) Workshops. Soon afterwards, the AWFFI (women’s credit) program and men’s SPIA credit program were introduced. To date, over 400 women are working with over $29,000 in loans; while 17 men are using over $3,000. So far, the women’s repayment rate is actually 102% because women have been repaying early; while the men’s repayment rate is 100%!!

In addition, in-kind loans of improved maize, bean seeds and cassava were disbursed for improved food production, which are repaid in-kind to the food bank. The training components were also initiated especially for Functional Adult Literacy, which now has 40 ongoing classes, and the HIV/AIDS & Gender Inequality Workshops, for which 10 people trained to be HIV/AIDS ToTs (Trainer of Trainers) and have already trained almost 300 HIV/AIDS Animators who will conduct the workshop in their home villages.

It was truly inspiring to see the level of excitement and commitment of the people of Iganga, and the inauguration was truly a celebration of the achievements that they have attained in such a short time!!

On July 26th, The Hunger Project-Uganda celebrated a very unique occasion, the inauguration of their first government recognized women’s rural bank at the Wakiso Epicenter. In fact, this rural bank - a “savings and credit cooperative” formally registered with the Ugandan Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Industry - is the only one of its kind in Uganda to be 100% owned and managed by rural women themselves!! Therefore, this achievement is a major milestone for THP-Uganda and for microfinance in Uganda in general.

<< The Chairlady of the Board of Directors of the “Wakiso Women Food Farmer Initiative Cooperative Savings and Credit Society” (far right) with some of her Board members in front of their rural bank.

The inauguration was attended by over 800 people from the surrounding communities, as well as local officials, chiefs and leaders. The current Vice President of Uganda, who would have attended except that he was obliged to travel overseas, sent a representative to address the gathering, and the former Vice President of Uganda, Mrs. Kazibwe also attended to encourage the people, especially the women.

From left to right: THP-Uganda National Advisory Council member, Mr. Musheshe; THP Global Office Vice President, Dr. Tadesse; Representative from Uganda’s Vice President’s office, Mr. Mwesigye, and THP Global Office Board Member and former Vice President of Uganda, Dr. Kazibwe.

Some of the colorful audience members that came out to celebrate the event.

The rural bank is called the “Wakiso Women Food Farmer Initiative Cooperative Savings and Credit Society” and will serve all of the currently 1,800 AWFFI women around the Wakiso Epicenter, and they have already mobilized over $106,000 as their starting capital!! Of this amount, over $11,000 is in the form of the women’s own savings and “shares” purchased in the rural bank. The remainder of the funds - about $95,000 - represents the original loan funds provided by The Hunger Project for AWFFI credit in Wakiso in 2001, plus the interest accrued to the fund by the AWFFI women themselves as they repaid each loan cycle. Now that the rural bank has been created, The Hunger Project-Uganda will turn these funds over to the rural bank which will disburse all future loans to the current and future AWFFI women of Wakiso. After about one year of operational experience, the rural bank will also start to lend to men in the communities around Wakiso, so that everyone around the Wakiso Epicenter will have access to credit.

Dr. Tadesse, Vice President of THP’s Global Office presents the “Certificate of Registration” to the Board members of the “Wakiso Women Food Farmer Initiative Cooperative Savings and Credit Society.”

The management of the rural bank consists of a Board of Directors, a Credit Committee and a Supervisory Committee all elected from the membership of AWFFI women themselves at their Annual General Meeting. These women have been participating in the AWFFI program since its inception in 2001, and have therefore become very experienced working together and managing credit. In addition, the Uganda Cooperative Alliance (UCA) has provided detailed technical training to the members, and especially to the Board of Directors, so that they are prepared to manage the institution. UCA will continue to play a critical role in the training of the Loan Committee as the rural bank starts credit operations in the next few months.

Wakiso women’s rural bank Board of Directors members at work.

The Ugandan AWFFI laureate, Mrs. Ruth Namyalo, who received the AWFFI “torch” as part the celebrations to introduce the AWFFI program to Uganda in 2001, also spoke at the event and commended her fellow rural women for their work toward a better future for all Ugandans.

Mrs. Ruth Namyalo, AWFFI laureate of Uganda, addressing the audience.

Lastly, delegations from four other THP-Uganda Epicenters also attended the event, and were amazed to see what the women of Wakiso have accomplished. The news traveled fast over the next few days and really had an electrifying effect on the communities in the other areas, who are now committing themselves with new energy and clarity to the vision of creating their own rural bank like the one in Wakiso. Therefore, from now on, we hope to see these institutions being created every year in Uganda in the existing and future Epicenters so that they too will have a sustainable and affordable source of credit for the continued fight to end hunger and poverty in their villages.