As part of its continued efforts to empower people with disabilities (PWDs), the government of Uganda, through the Microfinance Support Centre (MSC), has extended financial and technical support to a group in Kawempe Division to engage in value addition.
This initiative is aimed at enhancing self-reliance, boosting household incomes, and promoting financial inclusion among marginalized groups.
A sum of Shs 20m was extended to Mama PWDs and Youth Group, a community-based organization that brings together persons with disabilities, youth, and women to engage in productive ventures.
The funds have been invested in improving their workspaces and initiating value addition processes on agricultural produce such as bananas, sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, millet flour, cassava, beans, groundnuts, and others.
According to John Ronald Kyolaba, the chairperson of the group, the initiative was born out of a need to create sustainable income sources for PWDs, while also fulfilling government requirements for registration and support.
“The number of PWDs in our area was not enough to form a group of at least 30 people, which is the minimum required for registration. We therefore decided to include women and youth who were equally vulnerable and in need of empowerment,” Kyolaba explained.
The group initially engaged in savings and bakery activities. Encouraged by their success, they approached MSC with a request for a grant of Sh 85m to expand their operations. MSC responded with an initial disbursement of Sh 20m to help the group organize and put necessary structures in place.
“We used the funds to renovate and equip our working premises, and the balance went into starting small-scale value addition. We now produce items like crisps, bread, doughnuts, cookies, hard corn, cooking oil, and vegetable powder,” Kyolaba said.
He added that the support has greatly improved the livelihoods of members, many of whom were previously dependent on handouts and charity.
“Today, our members can live decently. They no longer have to beg. They earn a living from the skills they’ve acquired and the products they make. This is a big step towards restoring dignity for PWDs,” Kyolaba emphasized.
Despite these achievements, the group still faces a major challenge of limited market access. Most of their products are not yet certified by the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), making it difficult for them to penetrate mainstream markets such as supermarkets and export channels.
“We are working on certification so that we can expand our reach and attract bigger clients. We thank MSC not just for the financial support, but also for training us in business management, record keeping, and financial literacy,” he said.
Bashir Ntambi, a beneficiary, was employed by the group as a trainer to teach bakery skills to PWDs.
“I was unemployed for a long time. When this group received funding, they hired me as a bakery trainer. Since then, my life has changed. I have built a house and I am now able to support my family,” Ntambi said.