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 […]
Extending badly needed mental health services to rural areas
During the conflict in Northern Uganda, many health centers and schools, particularly in rural areas, were destroyed. Professional staff were displaced along with most of the rest of the population of Northern Uganda, and many found opportunities elsewhere and didn’t return. Today, the government of Uganda is still trying to rebuild medical and educational infrastructure. […]
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 […]
Ribe Ber Orubu group shows us that “Unity is Good”
Ribe Ber Orubu- “Unity is Good”- group joined THRIVEGulu in 2016. Three-quarters of the group are some of the most vulnerable women in Gulu, who are illiterate and struggle to take care of their families on about $3 a day. Almost all the women in this group rely on selling small goods in the market […]