Working with Women, Children and Their Communities
When Outreach Uganda first begins work with community groups, we require that the interested women (or men) form themselves into a CBO (community-based organization) grou. This is the Ugandan equivalent of a localized nonprofit organization. This allows the group to develop its leadership and to become responsible for the group’s activities and development.
Outreach Uganda provides marketing for each beader group’s craft products so that the group begins to have a regular source of income both for the individual beaders within the group and for the group itself. We place bead orders every two to six weeks depending on the season of the year. The group’s paper beaded jewelry items are their most popular craft products. In addition, they make many beautiful cloth items out of African batik and kitenge material. Please support our women by shopping in our online store. Or you could host a bead party for your friends! The more beads we sell, the more groups and the more ladies we can help!
Focus on Sustainability and Income-Generation
Outreach Uganda’s mission is to help empower our women’s groups and their communities to improve all aspects of their lives so that they can overcome poverty. Sustainable income-generation projects are a key focus of these efforts.
We encourage women who make fair trade crafts to save money from their craft sales. They can use these monies to provide funds for emergencies. Equally important, they can use their savings to start individual businesses that they can do all year long. Micro-credit loans from their group’s internal revolving loan fund provide additional help. These loans can help a group member to start or expand her business.
Empowerment Work with Community Groups in Rural Northern Uganda
In rural northern Uganda, income-generation activities focus on the raising of cash crops both individually, and with groups of women. We also work with groups of men. In the village where our third women’s group is located, we work with the entire community.
In addition, we partner with the community on expanding its parent supported primary and nursery school, and on helping its local health center. This clinic serves the entire parish of five villages, almost 6000 people. Even the men are becoming involved through forming their own men’s CBO group. The group targets cash crop and organic farming. Soon, it hopes to begin beekeeping.