The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Kitgum Municipal council has received 146.6 million shillings from Ministry of Gender, Labour and social development for implementation of Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme [UWEP].
Benson Kidega Lugai, the Kitgum Municipality UWEP focal point person said on Friday that the fund will benefit 26 selected women groups in the three divisions of Pager, Central and Pandwong.
He says the fundaims at improving women access to finance to enable them be self-sustainable through engaging in entrepreneurial ventures.
Lugai says the various women group representatives will by next week start receiving the money deposited in their accounts for their business ventures.
The group with the least fund have been allocated 4.9 million shillings while the highest fund disbursed was shillings 7.8 million whose members are undertaking piggery and tailoring.
He reveals that most of the women groups ventured into poultry keeping, tailoring, mushroom growing, grinding mill, produce buying and selling, catering, piggery, hairdressing and saloon among others.
Unlike Youth Livelihood project that hasn’t been successful in Kitgum Municipality, Lugai says UWEP programme has positively impacted on the lives of the beneficiaries.
He says majority of the women who received the first batch of the money since its inception have been able to repay it on time and without hesitation.
For instance, he says out of the 118 shillings disbursed to 28 women group in the financial year 2016/2017, a total of 75 million shillings has already been recovered from all the beneficiaries.
He also notes that the beneficiaries of the 88 million shillings released to 16 women groups in 2018/2019 financial year are on the right course with their businesses adding that he believes they won’t have any challenges repaying it.
Lugai says UWEP sector committee will monitor the third lot of beneficiaries after three months for advice on whether the businesses they chose is viable or not.
Jackline Acayo, one of the beneficiaries in Lemo South Cell in Pager Division says they are hopeful that their poultry business will grow with the fund they received.
The group, Tem Kwo Poultry Keeping comprising of 15 members received 5.1 million shillings.
She says her group had been struggling to keep 200 layers chicken last year because they never had enough capital yet the business is profitable.
“With this money, we intend to increase our layers to 300, the rest of the money will be for buying feeds. We want to buy layers, we have realized that with layers, the group members can earn double profit from selling their eggs and later sell the birds” Acayo says.
Kitgum Municipality has so far received 352 million shillings under UWEP targeting 69 women groups ever since the programme was rolled out in 2016.
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