Caritas Kasese, the Social Services and Development Commission of the Diocese of Kasese in partnership with Caritas Uganda is implementing the Livelihoods and Inclusive Microfinance Project in Kyarumba and Kasanga Catholic Parishes in Kasese District, covering 11 ower local governments of Karambi, Mpondwe Lhubiriha, Bwera, Isango, Nyakiyumbu, Munkunyu, Kyondo, Karumba TC, Kyarumba, Kitabu and Kahokya. The project is funded by Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and is targeting to reach 1800 vulnerable Households in Kasese and Kabale Dioceses with a goal of “improving food, nutrition and income security”. The project is undertaking three objectives
- To strengthen Household livelihood strategies and self-reliance of 1800 households in Kasese, and Kabale by November 2025.
- To enhance easily accessible, cost-effective and sustainable financial services to the 1800 people living in Kasese, and Kabale that would enable increased investment in income-generating activities is resulting in an increase in their income levels by November 2025.
- To Increase sustainable management/leadership capacities of the 14 congregations of the catholic sisters in Kabale and Kasese Dioceses by November 2025.
In regard to objectives 1 and 2 specifically, Caritas Kasese has formed women and youth Village Savings and Loan Associations-VSLA Groups to increase access to savings and credit services for these vulnerable households, have fully under taken the village savings and loan associations methodology training, but also acting as platforms for other project educational activities.
To ensure group members achieve improved incomes, food and nutrition and other core family outcomes such as health and education among others, the project has supported VSLAs to establish business ventures/income generating activities through training and support with startup kits. 60 groups identified diverse ventures including crop and animal husbandry, crafts making, soap making, bee keeping and tree nursery bed management among others. In September and October 2023, all the 30 groups received their startup kits. Alongside the above support, Caritas established the backyard gardening fund in the VSLAs to support the establishment and management of vegetable gardens at household and group level in response to nutrition and income needs.
Additionally, groups have gained training in group dynamics to improve their management and leadership skills.
Groups have been introduced to the establishment and management of nutrition sensitive backyard vegetable garden. This is to supplement efforts at household level to have meals that are diet balanced, but also as an avenue for income generation.
A Caritas Credit Microfinance Scheme has been set aside for the groups to easily access cost effective financial services. This is to save them the bureaucratic, non-inclusive, non-favorable and exploitative financial products with financial institution. This will encourage engagement of women and youth in running businesses that they understand and love and that will increase revenue, thus affording household core needs.
With the execution of the above interventions, a number of stakeholders have been at play from time and again from the local government, community and church institutions. The achievements registered so far are a credit of many players therefore. To ensure adoption and practice of the different technologies and ideas got through training, vigorous monitoring and supervision has been and is continuously being done.