From grass to grace and greatness - Uganda

From grass to grace and greatness

Akiror Grace is a mother of four children and is married to Ojur who is living positively with HIV. She is a member of Ekeunos farmers group together with her husband in Arubela Village, Akoromit Parish in Akoromit Sub-County. 

Being married to an HIV positive husband with no job, she was faced with challenges of providing basic needs for the household, and most importantly caring for her husband. She says, “Life has its own hardships, others very hard to bear. I didn’t have any knowledge on agronomy. I would buy seeds for planting and use much more than necessary.

This made it difficult for me to weed. Amidst that hard situation I did not know how to start going for ARVS for my husband and from where. This made my life very difficult.” 

In April 2014, SWEP II was brought to Amuria District by Enterprise Uganda. The project emphasized people living with HIV and AIDs as one of the target beneficiaries. It had activities to enhance household food security, increase household income and mainstream gender, HIV and AIDs. She got training in agronomy of different crops, farming as a business, positive living, group savings, and post-harvest handling among others. 

After attending Enterprise Uganda trainings, she used her savings amounting to UGX300,000 and bought cassava and started selling it. She then bought three goats. In 2014, she planted groundnuts and harvested 30 bags from the three acres which she sold and got 3.6 million shillings. She used this money to buy a cow and two oxen and used some money to start up the business of buying produce and selling it at a roadside stall. Grace currently has eight cows, a motorcycle and a milling machine. As a result of field tours and on-site training, she is currently testing growing bananas and onions in sacks. She tested growing tomatoes and was able to buy two goats from the proceeds. 

Grace has been able to meet the daily needs of her family easily. She has also ventured into poultry keeping where she rears chicken and turkeys. “I had never imagined owning any livestock,” she says, “but with the support this project gave me, encouragement and counselling, I regained confidence that one day I could be out of the hard situation. I used all the knowledge and skills I obtained from the project.” 

Grace no longer fears selling in the market and has been able to train her husband and has started for him a business of selling sodas such that they all generate income. All her businesses are worth 20 million shillings, an increase from only UGX300,000 in a period of three years. She currently has savings of two million shillings and employs one full-time and 6 part-time workers. She is in the final stages of completing their permanent house, pays school fees for two children – one in S.6 and the other in S.4 – and plans to buy more land for farming. 

She advises women to attend trainings whether organized by Enterprise Uganda or not, start small businesses with whatever money they have and join savings groups. They should yearn for skills, not money. 

All her businesses are worth 20 million shillings, an increase from only UGX300,000 in a period of three years.