Widows in Uganda often experience huge psychological, social, emotional and financial suffering. And that sadly was Jackeline’s experience. Amigos has a desire to help the most vulnerable thrive and leave no one behind. Things began to change for Jackeline when she was included within the sustainable community development programme.
Jackeline is full of joy and gratitude as she tells her story:
“It was one dark evening when I lost my husband in 2011. I felt the world had crumbled in on me. It was a very hard moment in my life to raise my four children as a single parent. Life changed dramatically and became worse as our family would often go without food. There were difficulties in paying medical bills and school fees since I was not involved in any income-generating activity. Days came and passed but life’s difficulties grew even bigger. Some days our family would be without a single coin in the house.
I didn’t give up hoping for a better life. By God’s grace, I heard about Amigos from one of my neighbours and decided to join the Kwite Aye Teko community farming group and it was a turning point in my life. The new conservation farming skills have greatly improved my crop yields. I planted 1 acre of groundnuts in the second season of the second year that yielded 8 bags (800kgs), the highest I had ever harvested when compared to traditional methods of farming where I could get 2-3 bags. This year, I have planted 1 acre of maize and it is looking very good. I’m hoping to harvest from 10 to 15 bags if all goes well.
Alongside farming, we are also in a savings scheme. I save between 3,000-5,000 UGX each week. Last year, I borrowed 100,000 UGX from the group savings and started a doughnut business which has picked up very well. My daily profits are 30,000–40,000 UGX. This has enabled me to pay school fees for all my children as well as medical bills when they fall sick. I also bought three goats which produced four young ones making seven in total and I now have over 30 chickens from the three with which I started.
Luckily, my late husband left me with 6 acres of land which is more than enough for farming. Food is no longer a challenge as we eat three meals a day and my family has never run short of food. Thank God that my late husband’s brothers and uncles did not grab the land from me since it is a common practice where widows are not given opportunities to own family assets. I have a plan to purchase a plot of land on the main road before the end of the year after receiving my savings and put up a permanent structure where I will be running my business as well as renting out other rooms. I can see the future now.”