Report from BHW Uganda Partnership Facilitator Following Visit in June

Key person: Anna Ocen

I met with Anna in Jinja on 12th June. This visit to Uganda was quite short so we did not go to Mbale this year but were able to have a productive discussion about both the micro-loan programme and the bakery while meeting in Jinja. I will endeavor to capture the key points of our discussion. 

Recent Events

Loan Programme

The programme is continuing well but has its challenges. There are 48 people in the programme at present.

11 of the 48 ladies are now directly looked after by Sarah Muzaki who is proving to be a real asset. She is responsible for them, collects their money for repayments and brings it to Anna or Simon. They have a lot of confidence in her and the beneficiaries there are repaying. These beneficiaries are largely on the eastern side of Mbale. Sarah has the biggest loan of the group at 1.2m UGX (US$325). 

Bakery

The biggest challenge Anna has is with the group of women who are involved with the bakery. There have been some health related issues and also issues because of jealousy within the group. Marriam is still unwell and currently owes 300,000 UGX (US$80). We understand when someone like Marriam is so unwell they are happy that some grace is extended to the repayments. There is one other sick woman (Florence) who is elderly. She has been a stalwart of the programme but has been bedridden for nearly two years now and still owes 300,000 UGX (US$80). Camida has also had major family struggles (having lost her husband, children and mother) and Betty has lost two children. However, she is continuing to pay and only owes 50,000 UGX. There are a number of other key people in the bakery who are also currently not repaying their loans for various reasons. 

We are unsure what to do with the bakery project as it seems to be causing more trouble than it was intended to solve. After last year’s meeting there was an expectation, which was recorded in our report, that rather than expanding it to a large commercial scale bakery we would send money for three important pieces of equipment (a bread prover, a slicer and a commercial mixer). These would be by way of a smaller financial advance to the Mbale loan programme than initially proposed and then with no further support to the bakery. However, until the current repayment issues are resolved we are hesitant to send money to assist with bakery equipment. 

Personal Stories

Sarah Muzaki, who we have previously profiled, seems to be doing an exceptional job. She is a very talented woman who has a qualification in business administration. Apart from having the biggest loan in the programme (1.2m UGX) she is now responsible for 11 loan beneficiaries in eastern Mbale city. Anna trusts her to collect the money and she brings it regularly and it is all accounted for. This is wonderful in this culture and bodes well for the future of the programme. Sarah is also industrious herself, growing crops and trading, so she is doing well. 

Partnership's Influence within the Community

The fact that there are 48 beneficiaries in the programme and most are repaying says it best. What is encouraging is that the beneficiaries in the eastern part of the city are actually very poor and are doing encouragingly well.

Also, Anna is seriously looking at assisting a group to start in Soroti. This city is half way between Mbale and Lira and Anna travels through it several times each month. She has people lined up to  be part of this group and met with them recently when she was well enough. This is likely to start as a table loan programme and, if successful, would be worth considering for a boost. 

Prayer and Praise Points

1) That so many of the loan beneficiaries are doing well and improving their livelihoods. This makes an incredible difference in people’s lives and we have seen this for ourselves when we have visited. 

2) For resolution of the issues with the women associated with the proposed bakery project. They have previously been really faithful and real stalwarts in the loan programme so it is sad to hear what has been happening. 

3) For Anna’s health. She is finding her asthma increasingly difficult to manage. This coincides with the first rainy/cool season each year and she ends up being incapacitated for periods of time. Please pray for her.

Comments

We do not want the programme to have a financial boost this year and Anna agrees with this as there are issues which need to be resolved. We will consider funding the three pieces of equipment for the bakery which we think will assist some of the other issues to settle down.    

Part of the budget for this programme (US$1,800) enables Anna to cover some of her costs relating to both loan programmes. This part of the funding is to continue.  

Anna has not been doing well with her health. She is chronically asthmatic. She is not able to access the quality of medications we have available and so we take her a year’s supply of medication for this (both Ventolin as a reliever and Seretide as a preventer). However we have found that she tends to over use her medication and has usually run out about two months before we arrive, which unfortunately coincides with the rainy season.