| Case study questions: |
| Which programme(s) have you benefitted from? | I have directly as a household head benefited from this savings and loaning association that is using one of the ever best mechanism of saving that has never been realized in the communities. I have moved as a teacher in that when I save I can still borrow some money from the group and repay later without any inconveniences like other financial institutions that I had been using. This method is extra ordinary for us the teachers who have been joined to these savings and loaning groups. |
| (What challenges, difficulties or hardships did you face?) | Before I joined this IGL group of savings and loaning, life was really too hard for me in that most of my children who are aged dropped out of school because I could not afford all the required financial needs to settle out their school demands. For example one of my daughters got married at an early age of just finishing primary school and even two of my boys dropped off the school because I could not afford school fees using my little salary as a primary teacher. Even feeding and dressing these children was difficult I could always force them during holidays to do some casual labour in order to look for the clothing’s and feeding at home. I have been in and out of loans from the different Banking and money lending institutions looking for the ways of handling these challenging situations on my children. |
| How has your life changed with the involvement in the water user committee | When the Organization called VAD drilled for us the borehole at the School it was first of all a change in my community before other things could come in since we used to collect water from very far but now we have safe and clean water to be consumed at our homes and in a shorter distance. VAD further supported the establishment of two Water User Committees for the school and for the community. The two WUC formed into IGLs which were supported with a loan provision of Ugx 8,000,000 to boost with our income generating projects but also save for the water source maintenance. I personally borrowed a loan of two hundred thousand Ugandan shillings (Ugx 200,000) that I used for starting some vegetable business of cabbage, tomatoes, carrots and onions that I buy always from different weekly markets then sell to retailers like those at Odiding trading centre, Orumai and Kapelebyong town council, so I also supply to them and at the same time do my teaching job so I have to balance the two activities which have really improved my living standard. Life has changed drastically in that I can now afford at least three times daily meals, sent my two boys school dropouts to do hands on courses like motor mechanics and metal works fabrication and welding. While for the girl though she got married she was suffering I could not just look on to her but brought her back to carry on with tailoring course at VAD supported Vocational Centre which she has managed to complete only waiting for the graduation any time. All these have created a significant change in my household due to the loan and savings made and repaid well. |
| What physical improvements have you seen? | There is total body change as in weight gain in my family members an example is me myself I weighed last week and I had put on some three kilograms that shows that I can now feed well and have got some piece of mind in me not the stress I used to have looking for how to manage the out grown number of children. Secondly, I brought back this daughter of mine when she had emaciated and people even started discussing that she was a positive living yet it was just an issue of poor feeding and poor body management from where she had got married. But now she has changed and good looking. This alone signifies a lot of physical change that you can also see for yourself in me and my family members. |
| What other improvements have you seen? (Confidence, wellbeing etc.) | I have some knowledge on how to save whatever little income that comes my way without any doubts in that even before the savings day I have already money waiting to be saved at the group level and this alone shows some change in me and that of my household. |
| What was your household income before and after your involvement with the organization | Initially before joining the group my daily income could not be traced because sometimes I would have one thousand shillings (Ugx 1,000), some days lack even a coin for the family. But now I can proudly say that I can have at least some four thousand shillings (Ugx 4,000) daily after delivering my supplies to the clients. |
| In your own words, is there anything else you would like to say about the effect this programme has had on you, your family or your community? | In my own words I can attest that I have been one of the most lucky gentle man on planet because I thought it was the end of my life managing this greater house demands with the little salary that I earn. I knew that most of the young children of mine would not complete their studies since my earnings cannot meet the daily demands but at least now I have a lot of hope that they will now get to finish their studies even if I am transferred from this school I will not uproot my savings until the lord takes me to his final resting place in heaven. I would like to thank VAD and the Funders/Sponsors for the wonderful change that we are realizing right away in our schools, households and at community level. |
| What further impact would you like to see in your community to tackle the issues of poverty? | I wish this savings and loaning group would in the future grow up into a recognized SACCO or COOPERATIVE such that many members could benefit just like the way I have benefited. I am happy to say that my hope has been restored and this would have done a lot of tremendous impacts to the lives of the locals and the teachers at this school. |
