Jessica lives in a rural community in Uganda. Like many women in her area, she once relied on what her husband earned as a farmer to care for her family.
“In the past, we women survived only as receivers from our husbands and not as breadwinners for our family, and crop farming has become difficult due to climate change,” shares Jessica. “We completely depended on our husbands to struggle to provide everything for us and our children.”
Through World Renew and its local partner, Pentecostal Assemblies of God North Teso, Jessica had the opportunity to attend training on how to start a small business using staple food crops. Alongside other participants, she learned how to roast, fry, and bake products using soya beans and salted peanuts. They also learned to make peanut paste, daddies (a sweet fried flour treat), and fried cassava and potato chips.
In addition, the women gained skills in marketing and selling their products through local trading centres, community schools, retail shops, and town councils.
Jessica soon emerged as a leader, guiding a group of ten women as they put their new knowledge into practice and launched a small business together.
In early May 2023, Jessica took part in an exchange visit to a training centre in another community. There, she gained additional skills in baking bagiya (steamed dumplings) made from soya beans and learned to prepare doughnuts, chapati, and daddies using processed flour from orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, cassava, and other staples such as green grams, cowpeas, millet, and sorghum.
“We now supply our products to retail shops in Willa, Obalanga, and Kuju sub-counties,” says Jessica. “In Amuria, we supply God’s Wish Supermarket, Ore Supermarket, Save More Supermarket, and eight other retail shops,” adds one group member.
At first, the group earned profits of UGX 50,000 to UGX 70,000 per week (approx. $20–28 CAD / $15–21 USD). With persistence and hard work, however, they increased production and expanded their market reach. Today, they earn an average weekly profit of UGX 300,000 (around $120 CAD / $90 USD).
Their success has also inspired new initiatives.
“We agreed to start a piggery project and bought four piglets at UGX 65,000 per piglet,” shares Jessica. “We have also decided as a group to begin a goat project—we plan to purchase a goat for each group member by saving UGX 20,000 from our profits each week.”
Through support that provided training and access to equipment for processing fruit and staple crops, women like Jessica Nini are building confidence, strengthening their skills, and creating new sources of income. Their efforts are not only improving their families’ well-being but also contributing to more resilient and vibrant communities.
