Village savings groups uplift vulnerable women in Gulu city

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In Gulu city, vulnerable women, many of them single mothers and former abductees of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), are rebuilding their lives through Village Saving and Loan Associations (VSLAs).

These groups enable members to save small amounts daily and access modest loans, helping them start and grow small businesses to support their families.

Within these groups, women borrow money at low interest rates, using it as start-up capital for income-generating activities to improve their livelihoods.

Florence Akello, a resident of Laroo-Pece Division in Gulu city, spent 12 years in captivity. Upon her return, she was denied access to family land. With the little money she had earned, she joined a savings group and later borrowed money to start a business.

Akello said that selling pawpaws, bananas, oranges, tomatoes, cabbages, and other goods along the roadside has given her hope that business can lift women out of poverty if they remain focused.

“I am a single mother taking care of three children I produced from captivity, and our lives entirely depend on this business to cater for food, pay school fees, as well as medical bills in case we are sick,” she said.

She reported that, on a good day, she earns about sh60,000. Of that, she saves sh30,000 with her group and spends sh20,000 on daily household needs.

Similarly, Santa Aber, a businesswoman at Olayoilong Market in Bardege-Layibi Division and a resident of Lawiyeadul ward in Laroo-Pece Division, was also abducted by rebels and spent 11 years in captivity. Upon her return, she immediately joined a VSLA group to start a business.

“I started my business after seeing no hope in life. I joined a savings group and asked for a small loan from the group to start a business, and with that money, I joined women in the market, and my business is doing well,” she explains.

She said the money she earns is helping her pay university fees for her daughter. A single mother, Aber sells millet flour, groundnut paste, silverfish, tomatoes, and grains at Olayoilong Market.

She began her business with only sh20,000. Today, she earns up to sh100,000 daily, part of which she saves with her VSLA group while the rest supports household expenses.

Akello said her long-term hope is to buy land, as she was denied access to family land upon her return from captivity in the Central African Republic.

Nighty Ayubu, another vendor at Layibi roundabout, said her business has helped her become self-reliant and is growing steadily due to an increasing number of customers.

Ayubu urged women who are still staying at home to join VSLA groups and start businesses of their own to escape poverty.

Women activists speak

Florence Oyella Lagen, the female councillor IV representing Queen Ward in Laroo-Pece Division, said women who earn a living from business are successfully managing their homes, largely because many belong to VSLA groups where they can save and borrow money.

“I have learned that these women who are prospering in business are members of VSLA groups, and many of them are single mothers who are war victims living in the suburbs of Gulu city,” she said.

She added that business is transforming the lives of women, especially those who have embraced government programmes such as the Parish Development Model (PDM) and the Grow Project, which support and enhance their ventures.

Grace Regina Akullu, a business proprietor, stressed the need to empower women through financial literacy to ensure the growth of their businesses and help them rise out of poverty.

Akullu said it is only through business that women can break free from poverty, as they shoulder most family responsibilities. She urged more women to join business ventures to earn a living and regain lost hope.

Collins Atiko, the clan chief of Patiko in Gulu district, called on the government to support women who are struggling in business, saying financial empowerment is key to business growth and enabling them to support their families and educate their children.