Agather aged 39, is a widow with three children and seven other dependents all are refugees who settled in Uganda from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Together with the other five members formed a self-help group Women Group. She says VAC-NET came at a time she needed a hand to hold her from collapsing. “I was having a timber business in the Democratic Republic of Congo when I lost all I had to the soldiers that confiscated all my timber and took all the money I had. It was a trying moment and I was on the verge of giving up on life as I had completely nothing. I and my family ran away from violent conflict in our country and we settled in Gulu.
A friend of hers invited her for training. It was about addressing the mindset. A number of facilitators talked and gave them hope and encouraged them to look at things from a positive angle. The facilitators told the story of a Bumble Bee that manages to fly even when many people thought it had no ability to fly. This motivated Agather and she started imagining herself holding millions of shillings again. During the training, she learned about business Selection and Projected Income Statements that enabled her to identify the business opportunity of growing and selling Rice.
After the training, she requests an agro loan of $350 and used it to buy rice for selling; and used the balance to hire and prepare land for growing beans and maize and UGX800,000 for paying school fees. After harvesting, she raised 2.4 million shillings from two tonnes of beans and one tonne of maize and also continued buying and selling Rice.
She has since diversified into a big supplier of produce linking the buyers from Gulu in Uganda with those in neighboring DRC who need all most food. She has been consistently working in this field and her daily sales range between UGX300,000 and UGX800,000 per day.
Agather currently employs 4 workers. She has a daughter at University where she pays her tuition,
"I was on the verge of giving up on life," Says: Agather
Women like Agather inspire us to do more and we thank you for your continued support using the power of microloans and education women can break the cycle of poverty and support their communities. Your thoughtful investment not only brings hope but it facilitates sustainable empowerment for women.
Thank you
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