President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and the First Lady, Maama Janet Museveni, have pledged strong support to the Teso Widows Development Initiative during a meeting at their country home in Irenga, Ntungamo District.
The initiative brings together 36,000 widows from the Teso sub-region with the aim of improving livelihoods through education, entrepreneurship, and skills training.
President Museveni is the Patron of the initiative and used the occasion to reaffirm his commitment to its vision.
The members of the group expressed their gratitude for his leadership and ongoing support.
“You have changed our name from the mothers of problems to mothers of blessings,” they said.
In a memorandum presented by the secretary, Ms. Pauline Akello, on behalf of the Director, Ms. Akurut Beatrice Omese, the initiative requested government support to establish a technical institute for disadvantaged youth.
“Many of our children cannot afford education, and we believe the technical institute will equip all the disadvantaged with essential skills,” the members stated.
President Museveni welcomed the proposal, praising it as timely and transformative.
“This is a very good effort,” he said.
He committed Shs 600 million towards setting up the institute, a fund that will cover books, laboratory equipment, salaries, and other operational costs for the first two years.
To strengthen the financial base of the widows, the President advised the group to establish a Savings and Credit Cooperative (SACCO).
He pledged Shs 100 million to the SACCO to enable members to access soft loans for business and income generation.
The President also promised to provide a pickup truck for the widows’ activities and a bus for the proposed technical institute to ease transport challenges.
The widows applauded Maama Janet Museveni for her long-standing role in empowering marginalized groups through training and mentorship.
The First Lady encouraged the women to embrace saving as a habit and build collective financial power.
She gave the example of semi-literate Bangladeshi women who managed to start one of the largest banks in the world through group savings.
“It is my desire to see women’s organisations come together to save and establish a bank in the future that will ensure self-reliance rather than dependence,” she said.
She cautioned the widows against the culture of borrowing for consumption.
“The problem we have is that we don’t know how to save, and we often borrow to spend,” she noted.
To instill financial discipline, Maama Janet advised members to consistently save part of their income on a weekly or monthly basis.
She explained that as savings accumulate, the widows will be able to invest in bigger projects that can sustain their households and communities.
The event marked a renewed partnership between the First Family and the Teso Widows Development Initiative, aimed at transforming widows into a force for socioeconomic change.
