Beneficiaries: 66 caregivers from two Compassion centres
Completion date: August 2023
Country: Uganda
Executive summary
Just a few kilometres north of the border town of Busia in eastern Uganda are the small villages of Buteba and Hamuli, where the Buteba Child Development Centre and the Habuleke Child Development Centre are partnering with Compassion to serve children and their families in need of holistic care.
The pandemic has struck a devastating blow to families in these communities, and they are struggling to recover. Throughout 2020 and 2021, widespread business closures and travel restrictions implemented to limit the spread of COVID-19 wiped out many caregivers’ businesses and left them without a means to support themselves. Now, they have to rebuild from the bottom up—but after over two years of barely scraping by, any savings they might have had are long gone.
Our church partners in Buteba and Hamuli conducted a survey with caregivers and concluded that there is an imminent need to support families as they move to recover their livelihoods. While many caregivers have tried to restart their businesses, they just don’t have the capital they need to purchase enough stock to make a profit or pay rent for a commercial space. With emergency relief programs coming to an end, these families need a stable source of income as soon as possible. Throughout the pandemic, Compassion has focused its efforts on providing children and their families with the essential supplies they needed to survive. However, these life-saving measures were a temporary solution. During this new phase of recovery, it is vital that children’s caregivers are empowered to rebuild their livelihoods to provide sustainable income.
This intervention will equip 66 caregivers from Buteba and Hamuli with training and capital to build and grow their businesses so they can make a profit and become self-sustaining. Caregivers will receive entrepreneurial training in effective business management by local financial institutions. Funding to diversity or expand their businesses will be rewarded according to the need. With business plans, training and capital to invest in their livelihoods, caregivers will be better able to provide for their families in the long-term. As they learn to tackle challenges head-on, take ownership for their decisions and work towards becoming economically self-sufficient, they will inspire their children and others around them to do the same.
Summary
Background
As Compassion’s COVID-19 disaster response shifts from providing emergency relief towards rehabilitation and recovery initiatives, it is critical that we equip caregivers to rebuild their shattered livelihoods so they can support their families for the long-term. In Buteba and Hamuli, villages in eastern Uganda, our church partners have identified economic recovery as a pressing need. Most caregivers lost their means of earning an income during pandemic lockdowns. Their savings are long gone, having been used to provide basic survival necessities for their families. To restart their businesses, caregivers need to purchase stock and materials. Some who run restaurants, shops and service-based businesses like tailoring or hairdressing need financial support to reopen their commercial spaces.
Helping caregivers get back on their feet is an important step forward, but our partners want to do more. They want to equip caregivers with the skills and resources they need to expand and diversify their businesses, so they can secure a stable income and significantly improve the quality of life for their families. As part of ensuring the sustainability of this initiative, churches are already planning to provide business and financial management training for caregivers before any support funds are distributed.
The need
In Buteba and Hamuli villages in Uganda, many families lost their source of income during the pandemic. Even as communities begin to emerge from restrictions and return to some semblance of normal, rebuilding a business requires resources that most of these children’s caregivers just don’t have.
With your support, we can help 66 caregivers—25 in Buteba and 41 in Hamuli–restart their small businesses by providing financial support to purchase stock items, materials and any other resources they need to begin earning income again. Caregivers are operating a variety of enterprises including market stalls, retail stores, restaurants, salons and more, and their exact needs vary accordingly. Funds will therefore be distributed to each caregiver according to the nature of their business and what they need to start running full-time operations again. Churches will also partner with local professionals to provide caregivers with business training courses, where they will learn how to manage their finances wisely and build profitable businesses that can stand the test of time.
What your gift will do
Your gift will help 66 caregivers restart their small businesses, including:
- 25 business owners in Buteba:
- 1 clothing business
- 4 fruit and vegetable vendors
- 1 restaurant
- 6 retail shops
- 2 snack vendors
- 10 market stalls
- 1 tailoring business
- 41 business owners in Hamuli:
- 1 animal dealer
- 1 handbag maker
- 10 clothing dealers
- 7 fish dealers
- 6 pig keepers
- 2 poultry keepers
- 10 retail shops
- 1 hairdressing salon
- 3 vegetable vendors
- Business training for 66 caregivers
Logistics
- Local contribution: US$1,350.00
- Handling of funds: Compassion Uganda will distribute funds to the two churches, who will be responsible for transferring it to caregivers after they have completed the business training. Churches will report back to Compassion Uganda on the distribution of the funding, ensuring that this intervention remains within budget
- Monitoring and follow-up: Church staff and leaders will check in regularly with caregivers to see how the businesses are doing and make sure they are using the funds wisely.