In Summary: A visiting volunteer from the Netherlands has praised the determination of women in Kamuli to improve their livelihoods through handmade crafts and entrepreneurship, calling for financial literacy, skills development, access to markets and funding to strengthen their economic independence.
Kamuli, Uganda — A volunteer from the Netherlands has praised the determination of women in Kamuli District to improve their livelihoods through entrepreneurship, calling for increased investment in financial literacy, skills development and access to markets to strengthen their economic independence.
Petrus Johannes Van Den Berg, a volunteer with International Building Order (IBO) Netherlands, made the remarks during a field visit to Nabwigulu Women Group, where he interacted with members and assessed their income-generating activities.
Van Den Berg is visiting Uganda through Becky’s Child Foundation, a Kamuli-based non-governmental organisation supporting vulnerable communities, women and children.
He said IBO Netherlands is an international voluntary organisation that works with local NGOs to improve people’s living conditions while promoting international friendship, cooperation and understanding. He commended the women for their determination to earn a living through honest work, support their families and educate their children, saying they needed targeted support to expand their enterprises.
“We have received warm African welcome, interacted and been impressed with the determination of the women to earn a living through hard, honest work and support their families and ensure their children go to school. What they need is just a small push, financially, financial literacy, promotion of entrepreneurship and market availability so that they are not exploited,” Van Den Berg said.
He particularly praised the quality of locally made crafts, including footwear produced by the women’s group, saying the products demonstrated skills and potential that could be developed into sustainable businesses.
Van Den Berg called for mobilisation, skills training and financial support to enable the women to acquire additional materials, improve product quality and increase production volumes. He also emphasised the importance of market access, accountability, business planning and record-keeping, saying these would help the groups manage their enterprises more effectively.
“These hardworking women have a future and will grow step by step through small guidance and push but also there is urgent need for computer literacy adoption, exposure and book/records keeping literacy,” he added.
Becky’s Child Foundation Executive Director Rebecca Alitwala Mubezi, in a speech delivered by board chairperson Monica Innhesiko, urged women to embrace economic empowerment as a pathway to independence, stronger participation in decision-making and family stability.
She encouraged women to compete for opportunities, assert themselves in leadership and explore spaces traditionally dominated by men, while also taking advantage of government programmes designed to improve household incomes.
“We want communities where both men and women have equal access to improved opportunities, empowered economically for self-reliance and sustainability,” she said.
Kamuli Assistant Chief Administrative Officer in charge of NGO operations, Moses Woira, challenged women, young people and elderly persons to organise themselves into associations so they could benefit from government poverty alleviation and economic empowerment initiatives.
He encouraged communities to use partnerships with organisations such as Becky’s Child Foundation to acquire financial literacy and management skills that would enable them to participate effectively in programmes including the Parish Development Model (PDM), Emyooga and GROW.
“When you have Organizations that are pro-people like Becky’s Child Foundation, use the connections to get financial literacy, management to fit and tap into government program like PDM, Emyooga, Grow etc. to empower ourselves, improve social welfare and stabilize families,” he urged.
Woira also called on Becky’s Child Foundation to strengthen interventions addressing harmful gender norms, promote women’s leadership and support girls and young women to enrol in school, continue their education and complete it in a safe environment.
He further emphasised the importance of promoting rights awareness, engaging the media to amplify gender-responsive advocacy and supporting efforts to address child marriage and teenage pregnancy.
“It is encouraging to hear that Becky’s Child Foundation is using every available structure to ensure that Girls and Young Women’s perspectives are included in gender responsive laws, policies, practices and social norms. It is sharing positive messages with communities about gender equality and inclusion to live better, safer and healthier and is promoting/ empowering vulnerable communities, Girls and Young Women,” Woira said.
The visit highlighted the importance of combining community-based initiatives, practical business skills and access to markets to strengthen women’s livelihoods and improve the welfare of families.
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