Sarah, a 65-year-old grandmother from Uganda, joined Halal VSLA (Village Savings and Loans Association) in 2018. Sarah takes care of eight grandchildren, who range in age from two to 16 years old. Six of them are in boarding school, while the other two are in day school.
Before joining the group, Sarah was vending onions for survival. She earned less than $1 a day. Her family struggled for survival and the older grandchildren were at risk of recruitment into trafficking. When a friend told her about the VSLA initiated by Hope for Justice, Sarah joined the group and began saving.
Sarah could not save consistently at the beginning due to her economic situation, but then she obtained a small loan from the group. For the first time, she was able to put a substantial amount of money into her business.
She grew her business into a vegetable stall with a variety of vegetables and cold drinks. She has bought a refrigerator using her savings, and began selling cold drinks – which increased her earnings.
Today, Sarah earns about $3 a day, enabling her to provide for the children in her care.
“I have gained so much from VSLA membership, thanks to Hope for Justice. I have increased incomes in my household, participated in positive parenting training and sessions about trafficking in persons. I now know how to protect my own grandchildren and support them along their path of growth.”
Sarah
The sky is the limit for Sarah: not only has she found ambition, she also has security to invest much more in her business. Now she can support her family’s basic needs – food, health, and school resources for her grandchildren.
