LIRA – Lira City mayor Sam Atul has commended the beneficiaries of Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme [UWEP] in the city for paying back most of the money in the financial year 2022/2023.
Atul made the pronouncement during a council meeting that was held last week on August 17, 2023, at Lira City Council Hall.
He said of Shs 89 million disbursed to the women in the city under UWEP in the financial year 2022/2023, Shs 84mln has been recovered.
“The best-performing groups in our social intervention are the women, and we have not lost any money. The total disbursement under UWEP in the financial year 2022/2023 was Shs 89mln and we recovered Shs 84mln which is in Bank of Uganda. This is very good,” the mayor said.
UWEP started in the then Lira Municipal Council in 2015/2016 benefiting 10 women groups. But now the programme has a cumulative number of 86 women groups.
Cumulatively, the five-year programme disbursements to the beneficiaries in Lira City is Shs 810mln.
Tom Richard Okello, the Lira City community development officer said the rate of recovery by the UWEP beneficiaries is very promising, the reason, he said, the government is still funding the programme.
“Because the target groups of women complied almost 100 percent, the government has never stopped funding the programme since 2015/2016,” Okello said.
He added that the UWEP funds have improved the livelihoods of the beneficiaries and many of them have become financially independent as they carry on with their respective businesses.
He however added that some of the beneficiaries have faced some challenges including lack of basic skills in running businesses, and diversion of the money to meet family needs.
When asked, many of the UWEP beneficiaries in Lira City confirmed that they have paid back most of the money borrowed and hope to get more to grow their businesses.
Grace Aguti, the chairperson of Obanga Women Group in Junior Quarters B in Lira City West division said they paid back all the money borrowed from UWEP.
Aguti said most of the group members are able to pay school fees as well as medical bills.
“We can pay for our children’s school fees and also medical bills when we are sick,” Aguti said.
Anyes Auma, the chairperson of Mon Dwong Itic Women’s Producer Society is hopeful that they will be added more money to support their business since they paid back all the money within two years.
“We were first given Shs 4.6mln, and then got Shs 8.6mln. We paid back all the money in April 2023. We got the loans in April 2021 and I am hopeful that we will be given more money because I was told our group is the best performing,” Auma said.
Some of the groups in Lira City that have benefited from the UWEP funding include Ayago Community Development Association which trades in produce, Okonyere Women Group, Bar-onger Women’s’ Tailoring Group, Kakoge B Women’s Group, Mon Onote Women Group, Adyera Konya Women Group, Te-Tugu Bedijo Women Saving and Cooperative, among others.
UWEP, running under the Gender ministry, is an initiative of the Government of Uganda aimed at improving access to financial services for women and equipping them with skills for enterprise growth, value addition, and marketing of their products and services.
https://thecooperator.news/uwep-boosts-livelihoods-of-women-in-lira-district/
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