This blog post was written by Grace Cooney, our Fundraising & Communications Assistant.
Mirembe at her business.
Mirembe is a widow with 5 children who lives in Karamoja, Uganda. When her husband died, she was left to take care of her children herself without sufficient resources. Before joining a Savings Group, she struggled to put food on the table and meet her family's needs. Previously, in order to generate food and income, she performed agricultural labor, fetching forest products such as firewood, logs, and reeds for sale. This hard work drained her both physically and psychologically.
Her life changed when one of her friends encouraged her to join a Savings Group. When she was first asked to join, Mirembe gave excuses such as not having enough money for weekly savings. However, her friend insisted that she would benefit from social support systems, life skills, and the words of God which were shared in the Group. Her friend also mentioned that the capital built by saving together with the other members would help Mirembe qualify for a loan. After her friend’s encouragement, Mirembe decided to join the Group.
“When I applied for the first loan, nearly half of the members stood surety and [the loan] was approved without much delays. I used part of that money to buy maize seed to expand my acreage from 1 to 3 acres. The other part helped me pay for the tractor with some small balance for weeding and food at home. God blessed this and I was able to harvest 19 bags of maize from the 3 acres. After the harvest, I waited for the perfect time during the lean season to sell the surplus. The waiting was finally rewarded as I was able to sell my maize with some good profit margin.”
Five years on, Mirembe has expanded her business ventures from selling produce to running a piggery unit and grain grinding mill. She is also among the top savers in her Group. Her success was admired by other members in her Group who decided to elect her as the Groups’ Chairperson. She has also gained respect in the wider community being elected as a councilor, representing her Parish in the sub-county council. At home, she has improved nutrition and was able to construct a permanent house for her family. Now, Mirembe is better able to pay for school fees and materials, so all of her children are able to attend school.
Not only is Mirembe an inspiration and role model to those in her Group and community, but she is also a proud and confident mother. Her words of encouragement to other people who face similar situations is to never give up and join a nearby Savings Groups.