Kaberamaido, Uganda: A Shs980,000 investment received through the Parish Development Model (PDM) has transformed the life of Amuge Immaculate, a resident of Ararak A Village in Kaberamaido Town Council, who has increased her income from Shs200,000 per harvest season to an average of Shs1.2 million every month.
The remarkable transformation was highlighted during a beneficiary monitoring exercise conducted by Timothy Okodan, the Muzzukulu Teso Sub-Regional Coordinator for the Office of the National Chairman (ONC), as part of ongoing assessments of government wealth creation programmes.
Before joining the Parish Development Model, Amuge depended largely on subsistence farming for survival. Despite months of hard work in the gardens, she earned only about Shs200,000 after each harvest, income that was often insufficient to meet the basic needs of her family.
Determined to improve her livelihood, she invested the Shs980,000 obtained from her Parish SACCO into poultry farming, a venture that has since transformed her household’s economic fortunes.
Today, Amuge earns approximately Shs1.2 million every month from the sale of chickens, representing a six-fold increase in income compared to what she previously earned from seasonal farming.
The improved earnings have brought significant changes to her family’s welfare.
She says her household now enjoys better food security, with regular meals available throughout the year. The increased income has also enabled her to access healthcare services whenever the need arises and ensure that school fees for her children are paid on time.
In addition to meeting daily household needs, Amuge has reinvested part of her profits into acquiring four goats, expanding her sources of income and strengthening her family’s financial security.
“PDM has given me dignity and independence. I can now provide for my children without waiting for a harvest season,” Amuge said during the monitoring visit.
Despite her success, the poultry farmer acknowledges that challenges remain.
Like many rural entrepreneurs, she continues to contend with poultry diseases, fluctuating market opportunities and limited business management skills. However, she remains optimistic that continued hard work and support from government programmes will enable her enterprise to grow further.
Officials from the Office of the National Chairman say stories such as Amuge’s demonstrate the intended impact of the Parish Development Model, which seeks to move households from subsistence production into the money economy through affordable capital and enterprise development.
Timothy Okodan noted that beneficiary monitoring remains important in ensuring that funds are utilised productively and that success stories are documented to inspire other community members to embrace wealth creation initiatives.
Amuge’s journey from struggling subsistence farmer to successful poultry entrepreneur is increasingly becoming a model of how small amounts of capital, when invested wisely, can transform livelihoods and create sustainable sources of income in rural communities.
As the government continues to roll out the Parish Development Model across the country, beneficiaries like Amuge are providing evidence of the programme’s potential to reduce poverty, improve household incomes, and promote grassroots economic transformation.
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