Aceng Jannette is a 36-year-old mother of 3 children, she lives in Kigumba, Kiryandongo, Uganda. She used to work in the night shift in a timber producing company which took a physical toll on her. She shifted to working at a restaurant for a daily income of Ugandan Shilling 1,000 (USD 0.27). She met her husband while working there and left the job once she became pregnant. They faced extreme poverty, went without food for days and their children often fell sick due to malnutrition and poor living conditions.
Jannette and her husband got introduced to BRAC Uganda when the team held a meeting in the community to help the most impoverished people through the UPG programme. Groups of people from the community went through rigorous training on managing livelihood assets, improved agriculture practices and group savings. After the training, they received a monthly stipend of Ugandan Shilling 60,000 (USD 16.18).
Jannette saved Ugandan Shilling 50,000 (USD 13.5) every month to manage her finances better and take care of the family expenses. BRAC team also provided her with potato vines, a pig, and a goat to help her start her own agriculture business. This was only the beginning of the turning point in her life.
Jannette and her husband are now proud owners of 6 businesses, including a restaurant and a unisex salon. They have also invested in 3 boda bodas (motorcycles). “I am grateful to BRAC Uganda for helping us become self-sufficient,” she says. “I dream of securing an insurance policy for my three children, and building a brick house for my family.”
