Women belonging to different women’s SACCOs and savings groups, as well as owners of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Masindi district have been trained on how to manage and grow then from one level to the next.
The one-day training was conducted by the All-in-One Women’s Association (ALOWA) at Kolping hotel in Masindi on Wednesday.
Godfrey Bahemuka, the Masindi district Community Development Officer (CDO), sensitized participants on the processes and procedures of forming SACCOs and savings groups, and on the roles of the elected leaders.
“As members, you should always know the vision, mission, and objectives of your groups and SACCOs. Most of you don’t know these things and yet they are key. That’s why many of your groups and SACCOs don’t last,” explained Bahemuka.
He also underscored the need for proper record keeping in all organizations involved in savings and credit, noting that this documentation is necessary for accountability.
The members were also taken through group conflict management and basic financial literacy.
Bahemuka also advised the leaders of different women groups to make use of the available government programs like the Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Program (UWEP) and Emyooga to get capital for their businesses.
Unite purposefully
Lilian Namirimu, the Executive Director, ALOWA urged women to unite with a purpose, and not only plan to come together when the government is planning to give out funds.
” As women, we need to work together and not in isolation. We shall achieve our targets if we are united,” Namirimu said, adding that unity would give them greater bargaining power in lobbying for their interests.
Namirimu said the association decided to extend this training to women because of the important role they play in promoting social and economic development.
Florence Achiro, the Chairperson, Women of Worth Catering Group, commended ALOWA for organizing the training.
“The knowledge we have acquired will enable us to improve on the management of our groups and businesses.”
Stella Alinaitwe from Masindi Central Market Vendors SACCO appealed for further training opportunities from other organizations.
“We really have inadequate knowledge on how to run these SACCOs. We need more training like this to equip us with the necessary information to grow our SACCOs and businesses.”
The meeting was attended by market vendors, produce dealers, and women leaders, among others.
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