Lydia Watiti Peace

Business Plan: Lydia is using her loan to add more inventory to her vegetable and spices shop.

About Lydia: Lydia dropped out of school when she was 14 because her family could no longer afford her school fees. She started working as a maid until she was married in 2010.
Her husband works as a pastor at a new church in their village, but does not yet make enough money to support their growing family. She started her shop in hopes of supporting both their daughter and his church.

Lydia dreams of one day running a salon. She enjoys working with women and has completed a beauty course. If her shop does well, she will use her increased savings to one day achieve this dream. She also plans to train other women in her community in hair braiding and styling so that they may be employed.

She hopes to also be able to provide for the orphaned children in her village.

Rosemary Katara Nakawungu

Business Plan: Rosemary is using her loan to buy materials, including leather and used tires, to make shoes for her shop.

About Rosemary: Rosemary never attended school as her family could not afford it. She took a shoe making class offered by a local non-profit organization when she was young and has been making and selling shoes for the past 30 years.

Rosemary’s husband was murdered while her children were still young. On top of this heartache, her brothers in law took the house she owned with her husband, leaving her and her children homeless. With the income she made from selling shoes, she was able to rent a small home and provide for her children. She has, however, never managed to save enough money to purchase another home.

With her increased income, Rosemary plans to purchase metal to rebuild her shop. She currently works and sells shoes from a dilapidated wooden shop, making her vulnerable to bad weather and an easy target for thieves.

Buzenia Nyirabagabbe

Business Plan: Buzenia is using her loan to buy more inventory for her beverage shop. Currently, the demand she faces far outweighs her supply.

About Buzenia: Buzenia dropped out of school at 14 when her father passed away. She married a few years later, but left her husband when he started taking her money and not providing for their children. As a single mother, she began selling tomatoes. Once she was able to save enough money, she bought a refrigerator and started selling cold sodas and juices.

She hopes to one day earn enough money in her business to be able to finally build a home of her own.

Grace Ilemu

Business Plan: Grace is using her loan to buy more chickens for her poultry business.

About Grace: Grace dropped out of school when she was 14 years old because her family could no longer afford to pay her school fees. She started working at a government-sponsored farm and was married soon after.

In 2003, tragedy struck when her husband suddenly passed away. Not only was she left as a single mother, she was responsible for covering the debts he left behind. She worked overtime on the farm and pulled her children out of school until the debts were settled.

Using the skills she learned on the farm, she started planting her own coffee seedlings behind her home. While this has served her well, a stomach ailment has begun to make it very difficult for her to do field labor. She is now relying on her poultry business – something she worked in when she was younger and experienced some success with. This new business will allow her much more rest, as well as helping to keep her children in school.

Kato Margaret

Business Plan: Margaret is using her loan to purchase more merchandise to sell at her clothing business.

About Margaret: Margaret was unable to attend school as she was orphaned at a young age. She worked as a maid when she was a child, and then moved on to retail. After working in a clothing shop for two years, she was able to save enough money to start her own business selling clothes door-to-door.

She hopes to expand her business with the goal of opening a permanent shop as moving from home to home with a heavy bag is exhausting work for her. She also plans to eventually buy wholesale so that she can increase her profit margin.

Margaret plans to use her additional income to keep her children in school. As a child, she always dreamed of becoming a doctor, but was unable to pursue that dream because no one could afford her school fees. She wants her children to be able to pursue their passions and have opportunities that were never given to her.

Kukiriza Maggie

Business Plan: Maggie is using her loan to add more inventory to her grocery shop.

About Maggie: Maggie dropped out of school when she was 14 because her family could no longer afford her school fees. She then worked as a maid for 5 years and was able to both provide for herself and save some money. She used her savings to open a shop in her village.

She plans to use her increased income from her shop to begin tailoring. She owns a sewing machine and has attended tailoring courses, but unfortunately cannot afford to buy fabric to make dresses.

As she becomes more skilled and established as a tailor, she plans to start a tailoring course for women in her village to provide them with the skills needed to earn incomes for themselves.

Mable Nakisanda

Business Plan: Mable is using her loan to invest in her shoe retail business.

About Mable: Mable lost both of her parents to AIDS when she was 13 years old. She was able, however, to put herself through school by selling shoes on the side of the road. This business was put to the side, however, when she married and became pregnant.

While Mable was in labor with their child, her husband packed up all of their belongings and ran away from their rented home. She was left with nothing but a small amount of savings, which she accumulated from her shoe selling business. She used all of her savings to buy a refrigerator, which she rents out monthly.

With her first Umama loan, she started selling shoes in her village.  Her business proved successful, allowing her to provide for herself and her daughter.  She is now continuing to invest in her shop, which will allow her to continue caring for her family.

Nalwooga Agnes

Business Plan: Agnes is using her loan to purchase more hair products for her salon.

About Agnes: Agnes dropped out of school when she was 12 years old because her family could not afford to pay her school fees. She learned hair braiding and weaving from a friend, which gave her the skills needed to be hired at a local salon. She saved money during her time there, and was finally able to open her own salon.

She looks forward to her increased income so that she can keep her children in school.

Prossy Kankeera

Business Plan: Prossy is using her loan to buy more food and supplies for her restaurant.

About Prossy: Prossy dropped out of school at the age of 9 because her family could not afford to pay her school fees. At 11 she began selling fish from a basket to support herself and her family.

She married when she was 17 and soon after started a small restaurant at her home. Once she saved enough money, she moved the restaurant to a more central location where she now has many customers. She is looking forward to using her loan to expand to meet this high demand.

Prossy is the sole income earner in her family as her husband has suffered from a severe form of epilepsy since 1997.

She will use her increased income to care for her family and ensure her children stay in school. She also dreams of one day owning a car.

Musinguzi Robinah

Business Plan: Robinah is using her loan to add more goods to her shop.

About Robinah: Robinah dropped out of school at 15 because her parents could not afford her school fees.  She then briefly attended a teaching school, but again dropped out as she was unable to pay the fees.  At 18 she began teaching part time at a local elementary school, saving money each week until she had enough to start her own grocery shop.

Her husband works as a local dry cleaner, but does not own enough to support their family.  Robinah’s shop allows her to fully provide for her family and educate her children.

She plans to one day turn her shop into a wholesale store – allowing her to not only continue providing for her family, but also create jobs for her husband and community.

Gertrude Kisige

Business Plan: Gertrude is using her loan to add more chickens to her poultry business.

About Gertrude: Gertrude was never able to attend school as her family could not afford it. She married young and is now widowed. She raised her children and grandchildren as a single mother – supporting them by working as a tailor and occasionally raising chickens.

She currently owns a cow and sells its milk to supplement her income.

She plans to use the proceeds from her poultry business to build homes to rent on her property. She suffers from osteoporosis, so it is difficult for her to hold a labor intensive job. She believes being a landlady will allow her to work more from home.

She also hopes to earn more income to care for her grandchildren and put them through school.

Nakazina Roy

Business Plan: Roy is using her loan to increase her stock of firewood, as well as add a charcoal stall to convert wood to charcoal.

About Roy: Roy dropped out of school at 15 because her parents could not afford her school fees.  She was married soon after and gave birth to 4 children.  Her husband currently serves in Somalia with the Ugandan police, so she must raise and support her children alone.  Soon after he relocated, she started a business selling firewood.

She plans to use her additional income to repair her home and continue educating her children.

Mutesa Zam

Business Plan: Zam is using her loan to buy more sugar for her juice business. She plans to be able to make more juice as well as a greater variety to meet demand.

About Zam: Zam was never able to attend school as her family could not afford it. She was married at 18 and widowed at the age of 40. She raised her children as a single mother, providing for them with her juice business, Savanna Fruit Juice.

Another tragedy struck when her eldest son and daughter-in-law lost their lives to AIDS, leaving her with 5 grandchildren. She struggles to provide for all of her children and grandchildren, and believes her loan will help her business to expand and bring in greater profits.

She is also eager to participate in the financial literacy and business development classes offered by umama.

Musenero Agnes

Business Plan: Agnes is using her loan to invest in her mushroom business.

About Agnes: Agnes excelled as a student in school. Her family was unable to afford her university fees, so she was granted a government scholarship to study education. Upon graduation, she began her career as a Physics and Mathematics teacher. She was married a few years later at the age of 26.

At $3 a day, however, her salary is not enough to cover her family’s living expenses and children’s school fees. For extra income, Agnes began growing mushrooms near her home.

With her first Umama loan, she attended a course to learn more efficient mushroom growing techniques.  She has already started earning more money using these techniques, allowing her to buy more land, grow more mushrooms, and sell to more customers.  She is now looking to gain big business customers in the city center.

She plans on supporting her children through university with her business proceeds.

Namugga Madina

Business Plan: Madina is using her loan to buy more vegetables to sell in her shop.

About Madina: Madina’s parents were killed in the Ugandan Liberation War when she was 5 years old. She was rescued by a charitable organization, but was unable to attend school. She started working at the age of 11 selling fish door-to-door from a basket, which is how she was able to care for herself.

She saved enough money from her fish business to buy some chickens, which then enabled her to buy a cow and a goat. With the money she made from her livestock, she was able to open a vegetable shop in her village. She has been successfully running her business for over 20 years.

Madina was married at 17. Her husband sells matooke (plantains.)

She will use her increased income to ensure her children are able to attend school and university.

Hannah Sangalo

Business Plan: Hannah is using her loan to purchase and connect a tank to her water tap, allowing her to sell water to people traveling through Mukono.

About Hannah: Hannah was born one of 13 children. Her father passed away when she was young, and her family could not afford any school fees. Hannah was determined, however, to continue with her education. At a young age she started a cassava garden, allowing herself to pay her own way through high school and even university, where she earned a degree in Business Studies and Counseling. She is the first and only in her family to hold a university degree.

She currently works as a social worker, but is using her water business (which she started with a previous loan from Umama) to supplement her income. She is the sole income earner for her family. Her husband is a pastor who is in the process of starting a church in their village.

She hopes to one day start an organization to help children who have been victims of abuse in her village. She believes Umama can make this dream a reality.

Nanjala Christine

Business Plan: Christine is using her loan to purchase benches and educational materials in the school she started in 2007, Tina Infant School.

About Christine: Christine dropped out of school at 15 because her parents were unable to afford her school fees.  She was married soon afterwards and have birth to 3 children.  In 2005, tragedy struck when her husband passed away from throat cancer.

With her husband gone, she became the sole source of support for her children.  Noticing a lack of schools in the community, she started her own kindergarten school – allowing her to generate income for her family, educate her children, and provide a much needed service to the village.

Tina Infant School currently has 3 classes up to 3rd grade.  Christine dreams of one day increasing the capacity and level of the school to educate more children in her village.

Kibuuka Harriet

Business Plan: Harriet is using her loan to expand her business of selling plantains and cassava, which she has managed for 10 years. She is adding a larger selection of goods to her shop to match local demand.

About Harriet: Harriet was orphaned at a young age and cared for by her older brother. She was able to study until she was 16 years of age, but had to drop out because her family could no longer afford the school fees. Later on, she was able to join a vocational college and earned a certificate in education.

In addition to running her shop, she works as a kindergarten teacher at a local village school.

She plans to use her increased income to educate her children and dependents through university.

Eunice Ajambo

Business Plan: Eunice is using her loan to open a stationary store. The students at a nearby school must travel far to buy paper and books for their classes. She sees this as a wonderful opportunity to both help the students and start a small business.

About Eunice: Eunice graduated high school and attended the top rated University in Uganda, Makerere, until her father passed away during her freshman year. She was studying to become a teacher.

She is currently married and works as a kindergarten teacher at a local village school.

She hopes to use the money she earns from this shop to return to Makerere and complete her degree.

Mbona Rose

Business Plan: Rose is using her loan to expand her shop and add more merchandise to meet growing demand.

About Rose: Rose was orphaned at a young age. Her parents’ death meant not only that she was alone, but also unable to continue in school. She dropped out at age 16 and married soon after at 17. Her husband works as a plumber.

In addition to running her shop, she also raises chickens. She hopes to use the additional income from her shop to grow her chicken business and keep her children in school.

Mutyaaba Harriet

Business Plan: Harriet is using her loan to add more food products to her grocery store.

About Harriet: Harriet dropped out of school at 15 because her parents could not afford her school fees. She stayed home helping her mother with the family farm while also taking care of her younger siblings.

At 20, she was married and soon after opened her own grocery store to provide for her growing family.

She will use her loan to offer a greater variety of food in her grocery store.

Adeke Vivian

Business Plan: Vivian is using her loan to expand her charcoal shop and to add more equipment to her mobile saloon.

About Vivian: Vivian dropped out of school at 12 years of age after both her parents passed away, leaving her a total orphan. She moved from her village in northern Uganda to stay with her brother in Mukono.

When she was 18 her brother lost his job, so they arranged for her to be married as he could no longer care for her. Her husband works as a truck driver, but he doesn’t earn enough to support their family. Several years ago she took part of their savings to start a charcoal business, which has proved successful and helps her care for her children and dependents.

She is looking forward to expanding her charcoal shop and dreams of one day building a permanent salon.

Nakawuki Doreen

Business Plan: Doreen is using her loan to add more fruits and vegetables to her shop.

About Doreen: Doreen lost both of her parents at a young age. Her parents’ death meant not only that she was alone, but also unable to continue with her education. At age 14 she dropped out.

At 17, Doreen was married and gave birth to three children. Her husband, an aggressive and unhappy man, regularly beat her. After many years, she finally gathered the courage to leave him and start again.

Looking to support her children, she started a small food shop with only $7. It has now grown to sustain her family, including her new husband and their small child. She will continue to invest in her shop by purchasing a variety of goods to satisfy her growing customer base.

Nakasozi Juliet

Business Plan: Juliet is using her loan to add more supplies to her salon.

About Juliet: Juliet dropped out of school at 13 because her parents could not afford the fees. A few years later, she was given the opportunity to take a course on hair braiding, which she enjoyed and excelled in.

In 2007, she was married and soon after started her own mobile salon. She experienced some success with this, allowing her to provide for her children and dependents.

She plans to use her loan to add more hair products to her salon, allowing her to increase her profits and build a permanent structure for her business.

Nakanwagi Joyce

Business Plan: Joyce is using her loan to add more vegetables to her shop.

About Joyce: At a very young age Joyce contracted cerebral malaria, making it difficult for her to stay in school. At age 8 her parents pulled her out entirely.

Joyce recovered as a teenager, but was never sent back to school. Instead she began selling banana leaves, which are used for cooking, in the market. All the money she earned was used to support her parents at home.

At 18, she was married and had 5 children.

She is planning to expand her business in order to continue supporting her large family and keep her children in school.

Nasinza Betty

Business Plan: Betty is using her loan to add more charcoal to her shop.

About Betty: Betty dropped out of school as a teenager because her parents were unable to pay her school fees. A marriage was soon after arranged for her by her aunt. Before long, Betty was expecting her first child. However, because she was so young, she miscarried. A few years later, they tried again – successfully this time. She now has 4 children – all supported by her charcoal selling business.

She is expanding her business and plans to establish partnerships with hotels in the city to expand her customer base.

Nakidde Yacinta

Business Plan: Yacinta is using her loan to expand her business of selling yams and maize.

About Yacinta: Yacinta began school late and was older than the other children. She felt like a misfit because of her age, and her parents were unable to pay the fees, so she dropped out. When she was 10 years old, she began working in a restaurant. Ten years later, she used her savings to buy yams and maize to sell to businesses in town. With her business proceeds, she was able to purchase a plot of land in one of the villages to grow more yams and maize.

She delayed getting married because her first relationship experience was abusive. She finally met a good man and was married at 30. They have four children together.

She plans to use her profits to build a house and begin raising pigs to add to her business.

Birabwa Prossy

Business Plan: Prossy is using her loan to add more pigs to her piggery while also investing in better feed.

About Prossy: Prossy dropped out of school at 12 years of age. Her mother found her a job in a nearby poultry farm, which is where she worked until when she was 18. With her savings from this job, she started a piggery.

She was married at 19 and gave birth to 2 children. In 2010, her husband passed away, leaving her as the sole provider for the family. Later that same year, her sister died and left her with 3 additional dependents. She is determined to continue supporting all of these children, which drives her ambition in her business.

She is looking forward to adding more pigs to her farm to meet the demand of pork in the surrounding villages.

Waludde Prossy

Business Plan: Prossy is using her loan to stock more charcoal bags in her store.

About Prossy: Prossy dropped out of school at age 12 because her parents could no longer afford the fees. She was married at 19 and gave birth to three children. Her husband passed away in 2010, leaving her as the sole provider for her family.

She is looking forward to using her increased profits to buy enough food for her family and send her children to school.

Joyce Mugejja

Business Plan: Joyce is using her loan to buy food and water troughs for her chickens.

About Joyce: Joyce dropped out of school at age 15 because her parents were unable to afford her school fees. She was married a few years later and gave birth to 3 children.

In order to support her growing family, Joyce began raising chickens – selling them to families and small shops in her village. She recognizes the growing demand for chicken and plans to increase her stock five-fold to 500. She will use her profits to keep her children in school.

Namayanja Shamim

Business Plan: Shamim is using her loan to add a greater variety of fruit to her shop.

About Shamim: Shamim dropped out of school at 15 because her parents were unable to afford her school fees. She began selling cold drinks in the market as a teenager, eventually saving enough to open her own fruit stand.

She was married at 22 to a welder.

Nakakawa Harriet

Business Plan: Harriet is using her loan to expand her retail shop.

About Harriet: Harriet dropped out of school just prior to graduating because her parents could no longer afford her fees. She dreamed of opening a retail shop, but unfortunately didn’t have the capital to get it started. Instead, she used part of her family’s land to lay and sell bricks. She was eventually able to save enough money doing this to open her shop.

She is looking forward to using her increased profits to continue supporting her family and sending her children to school.

Namwanje Aidah

Business Plan: Aidah is using her loan to add more merchandise to her shop.

About Aidah: Both of Aidah’s parents passed away when she was 12 years old. Unable to continue in school, she lived with relatives until she was married off at 18. She opened a shop soon after.

Aidah hopes to save enough money with her shop to open a salon one day.

Nabagereka Margaret

Business Plan: Margaret is using her loan to add more plantains (matooke) to her shop.

About Margaret: Margaret dropped out of school at 13 because her parents were unable to afford her school fees. She was married at 18 and had 5 children with her husband. In 2003, tragedy struck when he passed away unexpectedly from an unknown and undiagnosed illness.

After the death of her husband, she used what little savings she had to start her matooke business. Matooke, however, is seasonal. She hopes to one day open a retail shop to supplement her income in the off season.

Nalwada Ruth

Business Plan: Ruth is using her loan to add more food to her grocery shop.

About Ruth: Both of Ruth’s parents died when she was very young, leaving her a total orphan who never attended school. She lived with relatives until she turned 18, when she was married off to a man in her village.

Soon after she was married, she opened a shop selling different food items – specializing in fish and sugar cane. She is experiencing a growing demand for these products, so she is looking forward to increasing her profits and meeting demand with her loan.

Nalima Babra

Business Plan: Babra is using her loan to add more charcoal bags to her store to meet growing demand.

About Babra: Babra dropped out of school at 15 because her parents could not afford her school fees. She was soon after married to a soldier, having one child with him. He was an aggressive man, however, beating her and her child regularly. She finally worked up the courage to leave him. Several years later she married another man and gave birth to 6 children; however they later separated because he was an alcoholic who spent his money at the bar instead of on his family.

She expects her charcoal store will easily expand and earn more income for her family – allowing her to care for her children and send them to good schools.

Kodya Joyce

Business Plan: Joyce is using her loan to buy more food and supplies for her restaurant.

About Joyce: Joyce never attended school as her parents could not afford the fees. She was married at a young age and gave birth to one child. Tragedy struck soon after when both Joyce and her husband were diagnosed with HIV. He passed away a year later, leaving her to care for their baby while also fighting the disease.

She started a restaurant in her village to support her small family. She hopes to expand her restaurant to meet the growing demand from her customers. Her additional profits will go to her HIV medication as well as schooling for her child and dependents.

Nakibuule Robinah

Business Plan: Robinah is using her loan to add more drinks to her shop.

About Robinah: Robinah dropped out of school in age 12 because her parents could not afford her school fees. She began selling soda in the local market to supplement her family’s income and help put food on the table.

At 18 she was married and together they have 5 children. Her husband does not provide or care for their family, so Robinah relies solely on her shop to feed and educate her children.

Nansubuga Aisha

Business Plan: Aisha is using her loan to purchase more supplies for her salon.

About Aisha: Aisha dropped out of school at age 10 because her parents could not afford her school fees. At 19 she married a truck driver, and together they have five children.

She started her salon to ensure her family would have enough money to educate and care for their children.

Namubiru Agnes

Business Plan: Agnes is using her loan to add supplies to her restaurant.

About Agnes: Both of Agnes’ parents passed away when she was 15, leaving her a total orphan. She could not afford her own school fees, so she dropped out. Shortly after, she began working at a nursery and selling clothes in the market. Neither proved very successful, so she decided to follow her passion for cooking and open a restaurant.

She has been running her restaurant for 5 years now, allowing her to feed and educate her children. She plans to use the increased profits from her loan to build a more permanent structure for her restaurant, which will in turn attract more customers.