Jane becomes her family’s main provider
Jane has improved her business and her family’s life since joining THRIVEGulu’s Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) program. Before joining the VSLA, Jane had never participated in any community groups, had not followed a regular savings plan, and never had an opportunity to generate her own income. Jane is married, a mother of three […]
Grace saves to support her family
“I used to work in my restaurant from 8:00am to 9:00pm every day, but no matter how many hours I worked I could not earn enough to provide for my four children and my deceased brother’s five children,” Grace, 34, says. Two years ago, her close friend helped her join Akwo Kwene VSLA group. Since […]
Kevin’s business story
Kevin has been a member of Winye Ber group since 2014, after seeing the benefits of savings from her friends who were in the group. “Before I joined the group, I used to keep my money in a cash box under my bed, because I didn’t know about group savings,” says Kevin. She has three […]
Ashley and Hella on their experience volunteering with THRIVE in Gulu!
In preparation for researching and writing our masters thesis, we contacted THRIVEGulu in hopes of spending a few weeks with them, volunteering and learning about the post-conflict environment in northern Uganda. From the moment we arrived in Gulu, we were met with positivity and support. The staff and the community in Gulu welcomed us with […]
Olive moves to Gulu Main Market!
Olive joined her Village Savings and Loan (VSLA) group in 2011, after hearing about the positive experiences of other members in the group. Later she was elected chairperson of her group. She started saving her money every week. She also decided to borrow a loan of 500,000 UGX (about $150) from the group, which she […]
Harriet’s pharmacy
“I was once employed to do menial jobs to enable me to take good care of our children’s needs, particularly their education, health and feeding,” says Harriet. “Sine THRIVEGulu introduced us to Village Savings Loans Association (VSLA), we no longer have to worry about being rejected by the bank to borrow loans, since we’re able […]
Planning for a bright future
Mothers work so hard to make the future for their children bright. One of our group members, Vicky is an inspirational example of this, as a strong mother and leader in her household and her community. 49-year-old Vicky lives in “Orubu” with her family. She has six children (5 girls and a boy). She never […]
A new chapter for Innocent
16-year-old Innocent lives with her mother Nyeka in Ajan village, in rural Northern Uganda. For the last few years, Innocent has suffered from epilepsy which nearly killed her one day on her way back home from school. She fell in a drainage ditch during the episode, but her friend helped save her. Before that, her […]
A cow for Alice
Four years ago, 50-year-old Alice joined the VSLA group down the road from her village just outside Gulu in Orubu, Layibi. All these years, Alice had kept her plan for her savings to herself. Neither her friends or fellow group members knew her plan. She only let her husband in on the reason for her […]
