What was so special about this particular event is that it was taking place in Northern Uganda, Amuru District in an area still struggling to recover from 20 years of a particularly brutal war. First and foremost this was a success story marking a milestone on a journey that had began at a time of suffering and despair. A journey from group members earning less than one dollar a day to buying a maize milling machine with money they had saved. They did not borrow or take loans for this venture; the machine was not a donation. The group though their own efforts with the training gained from the Enterprise Uganda SWEP project had done what at first they thought was just a dream. The Norwegian Embassy in Kampala was invited to witness the official launch of the maize milling machine. The story of what led to this uplifting and inspiring event is what follows.
The Amuru Ribbe Ber Integrated Farmers was formed in 2004 when all its members were internally displaced people living in settlement camps in Amuru district in Northern Uganda. The people in Northern Uganda had been in a conflict situation for 20 years and were displaced from their homes and land. Government had set up the internally displaced camps as a way to protect the civilian population from the marauding rebel solders of the Lord’s resistant Army led by Kony. While in the camps the members formed themselves into a self help group to improve on livelihood and incomes so that they could supplement what they received from Government and Relief Agencies. With the return of peace and security to the area the population was allowed to return to their homes to begin the task of rebuilding their lives. The members of the group made a decision to stay together and continue with their original objective. At present the group comprises 41 members engaged mainly in farming of groundnuts (peanuts), sorghum, millet, cassava and beans.
The journey from 50% of members earning less than a dollar a day, to a group that was now able to buy a maize milling machine worth Uganda shilling 1,800,000 or 800 US dollars was made possible with the training provided by Enterprise Uganda’s
Strengthening Women Entrepreneurs Project (SWEP). This is a program implemented with support from the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Kampala. The program started in 2008 with the development objective to enhance the participation of women, both in rural and urban areas, in economic development through contribution to job creation, improved household incomes; improved food security; promotion of value addition in agriculture, and promotion of access to markets and financial services. The program provides gender sensitive training and business support services to women in rural and urban areas. The services provided are geared towards passing on to the beneficiaries skills that will enable them to overcome obstacles to accessing finance, gaining new markets and they are trained in enterprise productivity and competitiveness.
When the group joined the SWEP in 2008, a business diagnostic study was conducted and the following challenges were identified in the group:
- Some members were still traumatized because of the war that lasted for 20 years.
- Low household income with many women members living on less than a dollar a day.
- Members had a negative attitude to success.
· Lack of leadership with business management skills.
· Limited entrepreneurial skills among members including the leadership.
· Undercapitalization of the group
· Most members had limited land for substantial production and therefore practiced subsistence agriculture
- There was limited knowledge about better agricultural management practices.
- Lack of storage facilities for the produce.
- Inadequate extension support from existing agricultural services therefore creating a need for Enterprise Uganda to bridge this gap.
The SWEP program has positively impacted this group in the short term and the benefits are both quantitative and qualitative, the project has had a positive impact on the women, both a group and as individuals based on the quantitative indicators below:
· All the executive leadership of the group have received training in entrepreneurship; business management and leadership skills;
· The group has developed a simple business plan that give them a long-term business outlook; a better understanding of their businesses and can be used to access finance from commercial and non-commercial sources;
· 2 new jobs have been created within the group.
· More than 50% of the group members now pay taxes to local government, therefore contributing to government revenue.
· The group established a Savings scheme and was able to raise internal savings of Shs. 1.8 million and to purchase a maize mill to add value to their produce.
· The group has deepened market access within the locality.
· Increased household incomes of the rural women with daily individual incomes increasing from as low as Shs. 500 to as high as shs. 20,000 per day.
· Diversification into other businesses in an attempt to improve cash flows and supplement their income from agriculture.
In addition, the women have registered several qualitative improvements such as:
· Improved confidence; self-belief and public-speaking abilities;
· Better business understanding and long-term outlook to business;
· Positive attitude to life;
· Cohesion among the group;
· Increased participation of women in local council leadership;
· Increased awareness of HIV aids and Malaria prevention methods and its implications of family health, and labor productivity;
· Family stability and decreased cases on domestic violence as a result of women’s ability to contribute financially to family obligations;
· Ability to appreciate farming as a business and run their groups on a profit-driven basis. Women are now moving away from subsistence agriculture to commercial agriculture;
In the course of the 2.5 years the group has been on the SWEP program, the women have received the following interventions from Enterprise Uganda and its partners.
· Entrepreneurship training was attended by the 10 executive members of the groups. They were able to recognize, evaluate and strengthen their personal entrepreneurial behaviors. They increased their financial literacy in record keeping and use of financial statements.
· Managing groups training; some executive members attended and were introduced to better skills of managing and working in groups. They later shared this information with the others.
· A Business health check was conducted for the group. Their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats were identified and advice on the way forward was given.
· Sustainable marketing training; members were given tips on why and how to use agricultural information services and effective selling techniques.
· Spouses awareness session; husbands appreciated the need to work with their partners so as to benefit from the SWEP programme.
· Tailor made support services were delivered, these included; Book-keeping, costing and Pricing, Savings mobilisation and Investment. As a result, the group bought a maize mill and have now set a target to mobilise 9 million shilling by June 2011 to buy a plot of land in Amuru Town (3 acres)
· Peer educators training; some members were trained as peer educators in HIV/AIDS, malaria and Sexually Transmitted Infections.
· Farming as a Business Training; this training enabled farmers to think about farming in business terms and built their capacities in different ways (record keeping, enterprise analysis and selection) of improving farming as business.
· The group participated in a Study Tour to St. Jude Family Projects in Masaka which was very educative and inspiring.
· Exchange visits among the groups were also carried out.
· NAADS extension support was given to the farmers.
Challenges:
· Need for storage facilities for their produce. The group needs Shs 3 million to purchase iron sheets and cement to construct storage. Members are willing to offer land, bricks and sand.
· Market access - Middle men make bigger margins thus the need strengthen the group so that they can bypass the middle men.
Testimonies from some of the members of the group.
· “Our husbands allow us to attend the group meetings because of the benefits they have realized” Member, Amuru Ribbe Ber.
· “The International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) has provided our members with oxen and ground nut seeds” Chairperson, Amuru Ribbe Ber.
· “From the study visit to St. Jude Projects in Masaka, I acquired better farming practices and have been able to grow onions on a small piece of land and have earned U.shs 180,000” Dwoka Robert, Amuru.
· “Through proper negotiations, we were able to receive seeds (cassava cuttings, groundnuts) and oxen from NAADS” Member of Amuru Ribbe Ber.
· “I was recommended by a friend to Centenary Bank and borrowed U.shs 400,000 for clearing the land” Charles Ofwonya, Amuru.
· “By being a member of Amuru Ribbe Ber, I was able to borrow U.shs 100,000 from Amuru Town Council SACCO and paid it back in time” Otto JB, Amuru.
· “We have been able to acquire sand from our land and my family has been of great help in excavating it out which we sell to constructors” Acan Josca, Amuru.
· In 2009, I started the business of selling petrol; my working capital has increased by over 60%” Acaya David, Amuru.
· “I am now rearing local chicken and within one year, the number of chicken reared has doubled” Member of Amuru Ribbe Ber.
· “I have purchased a fridge, a weighing scale and empty of crates of sodas and beers for use in my new business of produce buying and a retail shop” Group member.
· Other businesses have been started by individual members;
- From income earned from my restaurant business, I have been able to start the business of produce buying and my total investment has now doubled” Christopher Ayoo, Amuru Ribbe ber Integrated.
- “In 2009, I bought a solar panel at U.shs 800,000 from my produce, am now able to earn U.shs 10,000 per day from charging of phones” Kweya Michael, Amuru.