The Rwot-tek Group of Beaders in Kitgum

Background, Purpose and Programs
The Rwot-tek group, with over 30 members, is located in the Kitgum area in northern Uganda, about 40 miles south of the Sudan border. Rwot-tek is a Luo word meaning “God is great”. This group was formed in December 2006 to help its members:

1. Generate more income and start small scale businesses
2. Raise their standard of living
3. Develop team spirit and unite the women members
4. Learn more socio-economic activities as a group

Rwot-tek Saturday group meeting under the tree. 

For Rwot-tek members, life is a daily struggle. The women struggle to provide daily food for themselves and their families. Beginning last year, some of the ladies travel to their original outlying ancestral villages to try and plant crops. But this is difficult. They are also faced with the challenges of paying rent on their huts which range from $6 to $20 per month depending on the number of huts they are renting. In the summer of 2008, the Kitgum town government decided to bulldoze more dirt roads in their encampment area and in the process demolished several of their huts. Of course, there was no compensation to the families involved.

The ladies hope that bead sales will grow substantially, so that their income from selling the beads will also grow. Because life is so fragile here, we pay the ladies for their beads ratably throughout the year, even though the sales are quite skewed to the months of September through December. If you would like to host a bead party, especially January through August, please contact us, as this helps provide more income to the Rwot-tek group throughout the year.

More than anything else, the ladies have hopes and dreams for their children. They are excited that they can go to school and hope they have money for the school fees, especially when their children begin secondary school. While the war was going on, school was interrupted for many children. Many young adults now in their 20s were unable to continue with their schooling because the schools were closed. Please visit our child sponsorship page to help keep these children in school.

Stories and photos from the grasslands of Kitgum and the north:
It is a different world in the north. There is no mail service here. There is no delivery service here. Contact with this group is via a monthly trip by someone from the Pittek group in Jinja, and via telephone and email. It is a world where everyone has a tale to tell about how the internal war with the LRA has affected their lives. It is a world where no one is sure whether the war has really ended or whether it is just a temporary peace which will not last. It is a world where in outlying areas you have to watch your step and beware of land mines. It is a world where you hope that the rains come at the right time so your meager plantings will grow. It is a world where you are not sure if it was better to live in an IDP camp or not. It is a world where you hope that your hut will not be burned down ever again. Experience this world through our photos and stories from the ladies.