Emyooga Journeys and Forecasts Underlined in Greater Mbale.
Over 3 billion shillings were disbursed to different entrepreneurial groups in Mbale district to prioritise and shift from substance to commercialisation as a revolving fund hence widening the tax base and threshold of the growing economy. One billion has been realised after the stakeholders engagements with the Sacco leaders at different intervals.
Six years of transformative entrepreneurial impact, the district has 54 registered entrepreneurial Saccos across the 14 Sub counties and three town councils, covering the anticipated diversified groups in three constituencies of Bungokho North, Central and South. It is from this narrative that the government has increased their funding depending on proper utilisation, recovery and enrollment of entrepreneurs. Emyooga has evidently transpired to transform aspirations and Inspire many lives to realise the government's role in building a society where economic participation starts at an individual level towards a forecast of 2040 middle income in Uganda.
Several groups have been vibrant with indelible performances leading to successful journeys.
Mbale District trade, industry and local development aims at creating jobs and wealth for specialized groups like boda-bodas, women entrepreneurs, carpenters, market vendors, fish farmers, restaurant operators and Journalists.
On the same development, impact assessment was carried in the three constituencies of Bungokho North, central and south to document the successful journeys and these include the taxi operators' SACCO fully owning its vehicles through a combination of the grant and their own savings.
The main objectives of the Emyooga program are to promote job creation and improve household incomes by transitioning households from subsistence to the money economy.
Key goals include;
Enhancing the entrepreneurial capacity of beneficiaries through skills and tools, and providing access to capital through savings and credit groups. The program aims to increase employment opportunities and foster market-oriented production among its target beneficiaries.
Emyooga Saccos with outstanding progress and additional funding depending on recoveries are denoted as follows;
The Bungokho South Constituency "Toma Parish association" performing artists as emyooga Sacco have two active associations with 30 members led by honourable Nasubunga Deborah as their chairperson. This group keeps on recording several songs on public domain. Their performances are on both political and economic aspects, it's a Sacco with vibrant members who are using their resource envelope to adopt other business ventures at a personal level to improve household incomes for sustainable living.
Their destination breathes a life of social networks with awareness messages incorporated into a musical form. The determination to own a recording studio is still alive on their journeys.
They are helping those with similar talents realise their dreams come true in this era. They appeal to the NRM government led by H.E YKMT for more funding to such groups since most of the current population are evolving into transitional talent mindsets.
Even when the progress seems crystal like, there a lot challenges that affect the local content industries ranging from financial to target audiences.
The Sacco chairperson stressed the need to work together for better and consolidated plans to step up profits.
Gibaba Moses extended gratitude to the NRM leadership and president Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in particular upon such initiatives of funding small business groups across the country.
He also appealed to the government for continuous support and guidelines to ensure 2040 vision is attained with such economic aspirations.
Looking at the business aspect and rate at which members are attracting other people into the associations, the Sacco's position relates a benefit of hope towards prospects.
With 180 members and 12 active associations, the seed grant isn't enough to handle the high enrollment and the business atmosphere.
However with little grants, the Sacco has managed to purchase tools worthy of 5 million and looks forward to buying better machines if the money portfolio increases in future.
They hope to train and create employment opportunities for over 20 youths.
The government funds Saccos to realise their dreams with appraised financial strength. Most of the members under these enterprises out source catering services to maximise profits and support their families with basic needs and other economic means that might arise.
Market vendors deal in a variety of goods which depend on the trend or situational calls, there are a lot of challenges facing these vendors in particular. One of the fascinating ones is the unstable prices that change anytime.
Restaurant owners in Bungokho South constituency have tended in their efforts to change mindset and accomplish the President's directive by engaging in the wealth creation initiative like the emyooga program at sub county, town council and division level to improve household income by government, this program started in 2022 with 20 members from 5 registered associations realising only 3 association groups with potential savings including Bunashimolo, Bumaena and Buwalasi. The Sacco chairperson, Wasike Deo K during this study, revealed to us that Bunashimolo parish association has ably borrowed and recovered from members in a progressive manner. It is assumed that those doing personal business from the initial seed capital and saving well have attracted an additional grant to a tune of 50 million shillings. The Sacco chairperson revealed this during the monitoring exercise in the constituency. The chairperson pointed out the need to have enough sets so that each association can be independent if there needs to be!
The members have increased from 20-60 since 2022.
From dusk to glory, some members in the Sacco have successfully lived on purpose including one, Namono Florence owning her own house after the emyooga intervention in the constituency. Other beneficiaries have taken a step to focus on household income generating ventures from the individual loans.
During the visit, the chairperson highlighted the Sacco progress as being a milestone in families carrying out livelihood entrepreneurship.
It is noted that association group members delay to remit back the borrowed monies due to personal interferences.
From this point, the Sacco wishes to integrate some enterprises to boost with income generating aspects like acquiring tents, chairs and transport means. This is one the core values for life changing perspectives to members in the three active associations.
During the visit, the chairperson ably noted that the most eye catching momentum vanished at the time the Sacco was unable to sustain and accommodate all the members yet their contributions were evident the government had given an additional money to the farmers. The five associations include; Bunashimolo parish association, Mwanda A parish association, Lwaboba, Mwanda B and Isingo parish association.
From 50 million shillings as capital grants from the NRM government, the long journey has been integrated with other enterprises like hotculture, shops and dairy farming at a personal level.
Wakhata Geoffrey and Simbii Fred both own motorcycles from hard work and zeal to create wealth.
The chairperson related the importance of business integration to diversify on other enterprises for sustainability. Wakhata Geoffrey and Simbii Fred currently own motorcycles while others deal in hotculture. As the Sacco improves in terms of creating household income to entire members, the people of Bunashimolo greatly appreciate the efforts of the government towards the money economy.
It was also of concern to note the challenges affecting the Saccos during it's hard times and ways to recover from beneficiaries. High competition among the catering services.
In short, the Sacco remains a life changing landmark to the people of Bungokho South constituency with commitment to carrying out sustainable business
The chairperson says so far a total of 69 million shillings has been disbursed with a steady recovery of 28 million underway.
The government of Uganda under the NRM leadership has made sure such a program suits the livelihood ambitions of the "Wanachi" in their respective communities under the supervision of the office of the president at district and city levels.
4 years of transformative campaign to ensure money economy becomes a reality in households, the government has continued the support to all active Saccos with additional grants depending on association groups and loan recovery pace.
Most market vendors cut across various income generating ventures on a daily basis with the priorities in fresh, charcoal, food stuffs, clothes and meat supplies.
It is from this background that the chairperson revealed the gender competences at selection and appraisal before rolling out the loans.
He says the perception among members has been overwhelming after sensitisation about the emyooga program. One of the core values is to Participate in income generating activities and having money in our pockets. He stated!
17 members in the Sacco have successfully impacted lives and inspired other people to join and work tirelessly towards wealth creation initiatives.
One Nanyiri Badiru bought, Nabende Zadya has built a residential house and the rest own a variety of domestic ventures like cattle, poultry and goat rearing.
From teamwork exhibited and progressing on capital shares, one writes it up as a standing model Sacco in the constituency in future.
Bwara Gidudu, Janet and Zaintuna own a line of prospects from the Sacco initiatives which live in a landmark in reality.
The chairperson revealed that their dream is to own a modern infrastructure for storage since the association groups strongly appreciate the purpose of this Sacco leadership.
Namemba Winnie, the chairperson revealed the efforts behind sound progress. She says the Sacco has 12 active association groups highlighting 289 members from 32 members that started in 2021.
The enrollment indicates dynamic and visionary leadership and teamwork though with inadequate seed capital at disposal. The tremendous work and choice of their enterprise ramps up the readiness to ask more funding since most of them are on diversification with mobile money, retail shops, market vending, poultry farming and yeast brewing.
With the above snippet, this draws the vibrant energies and determination to get to vision 2040 for middle income. The landscape in this emyooga Saccos couples with a tender mindset towards business oriented members.
From 5 bags to 50 bags of produce, it's evident that the low interest rates are worth doing business and paying back on time.
Namemba says, the value additions include recycling processes from garden to milling stations then back to small farms as feed.
"Our dream in future is to acquire the Sacco milling house and packaging equipment to do exportation on the international market, own a village bank to serve beyond our capacity and benefit as a Sacco".
On similar development, Bushikori produce association in bungokho central constituency looks beyond produce as a component, it's deep interest is to carry out food processing with value additions like snacks, peanut butter, porridge flour and silver fish snacks.
Looking forward, the Sacco intends to install a fully processing plant for value additions and employ a number of youths in production, marketing and administrative slots. They also plan to do capacity building in terms of skill training to women against malnutrition and Hunger management not forgetting transformation of communities into agro processing platforms. This will contribute towards accurate piloting and tracking farmers on better yields to supply the plant and guarantee quality assurance.
Namataka Kuluthum, the chairperson of the Sacco acknowledged the disbursement of 37 million shillings as their first loan under the program of emyooga. The Sacco has three active associations with 30 members though only 14 received the loan.
The Sacco intends to expand the studio with fully fledged services due to public demand.
She says they have managed to procure a few gadgets for the start but wish to add a few items and open up a community road in bukikoso township in Bubyangu sub county.
In her bold statement, she remarked becoming a model journalists Sacco in the constituency though a few challenges have posted out power problem, small space and photo copying machines to enable them carry out satisfying service.
With the additional 20 million shillings upfront, better equipments are underway. She said!
Magidu Dengala, the fish farmers emyooga Sacco says the Sacco started in 2020 with one association and 18 members, currently they have over 10 active registered associations with 151 members.
Several youths and women benefit through employment on the hotculture farms and fish ponds with labour intensity.
From 50 million shillings from government, 76 million shillings has been disbursed and 14 million recovered on the current debt. 8.5 million shillings spent on purchase of land for office space
Going forth, out of 32 fish ponds, 8 ponds are active with over ten thousand fish species as a routine prospect. He says the harvests have a ready market going between 5.000-15.000/ and this benefits the communities surrounding the fish ponds in terms of consumption, selling and employment in Bubyangu sub county.
The chairperson highlighted the progress and remains key in this program with intent knowledge and skills. He believes the Sacco has the capacity to breed and make their own fish feeds with low cost to suit their species and topology.
"Our dream is to become fish model farmers through improved and sustainable fish farming in Bungokho North Constituency and Mbale district as a whole". He said!
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