Microcredit project
On Friday, 07.02.2020, shortly after lunchtime, the information event about the microcredit project will take place. We sit in the sunshine and pleasant warmth in the shade of the huge roof of the new multifunctional hall. The children are at the playground equipment or watching the soccer game of the youngsters, which takes place next to the hall. All footballers are equipped with jerseys and football shoes, which Uli collected in Germany and brought for „our“ youngsters and children.
So we have time and opportunity to be informed about the ongoing microcredit project.
The project manager Pauline provides detailed and very competent information to the German team, including Niklas, Uli and Thomas, who are also representatives of the association „Buch-Aktion e. V. – Helfen mit Bücherspenden“ (Book Campaign), which, among other things, financially supports this project and Pauline’s personnel costs.
In addition to the Ugandan team, there are well over 50 women present who have already received a microcredit and have thus already been able to benefit from the project. Several women speak out and say thank you or talk about how life in their families is noticeably improving and how they finally have a perspective!
As a first basis for the microcredit budget 1.000 € were planned for 2018. In 2019 the budget was increased by another 2,000 €. Of this, 500 € were earmarked for the purchase of 2 sewing machines. A new digital camera was purchased for documentation and in early 2020 a new, larger laptop was purchased for Pauline.
As a result, the microcredit project, which started in late spring 2018, is very successful.
More than 100 women have since received a microcredit, and more are in the starting blocks.
Many loans were paid back within a very short time and quite a few women would like to have a second or third loan to expand their small „startup“.
The microloans disbursed are used as follows – among others for:
- Production and sale of cornmeal
- Development of a small pig farm
- Cultivation of and trade in vegetables, e.g. bananas, pineapples, potatoes
- Brewing and selling beer
- Financing a training course
- Production and sale of charcoal
- Trade in milk and coffee beans
- Chicken breeding, goat breeding
With this result, our expectations were confirmed and in some cases even exceeded. Thomas give a short speech, which will be translated into English by Chris and into the local language by Pauline. For questions from the circle of women the same applies the other way round. This is integration in action!
Finally, Pauline is to be praised for her excellent mastery of the project and for her first-class training and support of the „micro-credit women“.
We are looking forward to continuing our very good cooperation with her!
Since our employees keep asking for a loan from the microcredit budget, we think together with Pauline about how we can help them. There must be another solution, after all, all employees have an income. We then agree to set up a separate budget for the employees, which must not be mixed up with the general microcredit budget. And Buch-Aktion will provide 500 € for this purpose for the time being.
Slowly the hall is filling up, the soccer game is over and the preparations for our farewell party begin. Unfortunately it is time to say goodbye again! But for the three from Buch-Aktion it is only a farewell for a while!
It is done! We have now also founded a non-profit organisation in Uganda. PAUTHO and Buch-Aktion will complement each other well in the future, so that we can help and support even more people in Mbale-District.
