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SIA Team

Choosing new business groups in Uganda

The training started with the chairperson describing how the word TEAM is an abbreviation. It really stands for Together Everybody Achieves More. “He therefore strongly advocated for the spirit of ‘Each for All and All for Each’ if we are to succeed in any event,” read the meeting minutes. And so the group gathered agreed to be a support for each other to make their businesses successful.

This meeting, held in January, is part of the recent expansion of the Spirit in Action Small Business Fund in Uganda. The chairperson is one of the local leaders who will help with training and mentorship. And he is working together with our new coordinator team there – Naomi and Santa.

So far three families in the remote village of Amukugungu have received their $150 grants from SIA. They all decided to use their grants to start piggeries and they are now building the shelters, which will help keep the pigs healthy.


Naomi (in green) goes through the small business training manual with the new business groups.

Naomi (in green) goes through the small business training manual with the new business groups.


How were the families chosen?

Santa and Naomi select the grant recipients using a method called the Poverty and Opportunity Assessment. It helps identify families in need who are also in a position to leverage the grant to start a successful endeavor. If a family is currently facing immediate financial needs and illness, then they may be better served with food and care to address those pressing needs rather than receive the SBF grant, which is designed to be an investment.

When identifying household poverty, Santa and Naomi assess the quality of household utensils. Are the plates and cups broken? Is there a proper saucepan for cooking? They also look at the diet and the variety of food that the family eats. Since this is a rural village, the third assessment criteria is the family’s ability to purchase high-quality seeds. Finally they review the sleeping facilities. Does the family have have a mattress or do they sleep on the ground with a mat?

When looking for opportunities, Santa and Naomi noted when families had plots of land that they could use to build a pig shelter or use for small-scale farming. If families are near the stream they may be able to make bricks or create a fish pond. Sometimes a family has a bicycle, which could be used for selling things door-to-door or at a farther marketplace. 

These three families were chosen because they are both in great need and ready to take on the challenge. They are eager to start and to keep working together to create the best possible future for everyone!

For more about how we choose: https://spiritinaction.org/choose/


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