By Our Reporter
Women involved in the Rwampara Entrepreneurs Emyooga SACCO have made significant strides in improving their household incomes by investing the funds received under the government’s Emyooga programme into various successful businesses.
Gloria Namumpa, Chairperson of the Rwampara Entrepreneurs SACCO, shared that they received a total of Shs 60 million from the Microfinance Support Centre (MSC) in 2019. Initially, they were supposed to receive Shs 30 million, but due to an unexpected increase in funding, the SACCO received Shs 60 million, which has enabled them to expand their operations significantly.
“We started with 45 groups, but today, we have grown to 68 women’s groups. The additional funds have allowed us to invest in various projects such as juice making, ushering, decorations, bakery, vegetable farming, tailoring, and bricklaying,” Namumpa said.
The seed capital has already supported a total of 1,452 women in Rwampara district. Among the various projects, juice making, ushering, bakery, decorations, and tailoring have proven to be particularly successful, generating a total income of Shs 126 million.
“Through Juwakari, we received four tailoring machines, which we are currently using to train 12 students. In the juice making and ushering projects, we initially injected Shs 6 million, and now we have about Shs 12 million. In decorations, we invested Shs 3.5 million, which has since grown to Shs 12 million,” Namumpa explained.
The SACCO’s bakery project, which started with an investment of Shs 7 million in 2022, now produces an impressive 1,200 loaves of bread and over 500 packs of buns daily. This has generated a daily profit of Shs 80,000 after accounting for fuel costs and wages paid to the bakers.
“We began by producing just five loaves of bread and five packs of buns, but now we produce 1,200 loaves of bread and over 500 packs of buns daily. The profits from this venture have been remarkable, allowing us to reinvest in our businesses,” Namumpa said.
Additionally, the Emyooga programme has allowed women in Rwampara to provide job opportunities for 38 young people in the area. Namumpa expressed her pride in seeing fellow women who once had nothing now involved in projects such as piggery and poultry farming, all supported by the seed capital provided by the government.
Namumpa herself has used a Shs 3.5 million loan to purchase four Friesian cows, which she manages through a zero-grazing system. She currently produces 15 litres of milk from one cow and 10 litres from another, with the milk sold as part of a growing business.
“The loan I received has enabled me to buy four cows, and I am now able to sell milk, which is doing very well,” she said.
Another beneficiary, DonaxTuryamureba from Nyeihanga Town Council, confirmed the positive impact of the decoration business, stating that the income has helped her contribute towards the school fees for her four children.
“The income from our decoration business has been very helpful. It allows me to support my husband in paying the school fees for our children, something that was not possible before,” Turyamureba said.
Challenges Faced
Despite the impressive success of the Rwampara Women Entrepreneurs SACCO, Namumpa pointed out several challenges that continue to affect their operations. One major issue is the lack of transportation for moving goods, which has led them to hire motorcycles daily at a cost of Shs 20,000 per day to transport bread and buns.
“We spend over Shs 600,000 per month just on transport. We would appreciate government support in providing a truck to ease the transportation of our products,” Namumpa urged.
She also highlighted the high rental costs for their bakery and office space, with the SACCO paying Shs 200,000 monthly for the bakery space and Shs150,000 for office space. While they aspire to buy land and establish their own facilities, the SACCO currently lacks the funds to make this investment.
Namumpa also mentioned that, while the seed capital has made a significant difference, the funds available are still insufficient compared to the large number of women eager to join the government programme and benefit from its support in reducing poverty at the household level.
Emyooga’s Nationwide Impact
As of now, 7,101 Emyooga SACCOs have been registered across Uganda, with 6,913 of them receiving seed capital. This initiative has helped mobilise nearly Shs 85.5 billion in savings nationwide. The total amount disbursed to members stands at Shs 293 billion, with Shs 102 billion recovered so far.
Notable high-performing SACCOs include the Rwampara Women Entrepreneurs, Ruhama Main Produce Dealers, Mbarara City South Women Entrepreneurs, and Mbarara City North Produce Dealers, among others.
Launched in August 2019, the Emyooga programme is a presidential initiative aimed at wealth creation and job creation, targeting the transformation of 68% of Uganda’s homesteads from subsistence to market-oriented production. Through various specialised enterprise categories, the programme seeks to promote job creation and improve household incomes, particularly for those previously excluded from financial services.
