Like many women in her community in eastern Uganda, Jessica depended on what her husband earned as a farmer to care for her family. And like other farming families, Jessica’s was struggling to meet their basic needs.

“In the past, we women survived as receivers only from our husbands and not as breadwinners for our family, and crop farming has become difficult due to climate change,” Jessica shares. “We completely depended on our husbands to struggle to provide everything for us and our children.”

Then, through World Renew and local partner Pentecostal Assemblies of God North Teso, Jessica had the opportunity to attend a training session on starting a small business using staple food crops. Jessica and the other participants learned about roasting, frying, and baking products that use soya beans and salted peanuts. They learned how to make nut paste out of peanuts and daddies (a sweet fried flour treat) and about frying cassava and potato chips. The women also learned how to market and sell their products at the local trading center, at community schools, retail shops, and the town council. Jessica soon became the leader of ten women who set out to start a small business using their newfound knowledge.

In early May 2023, Jessica participated in an exchange visit to a training center in another community. She came back with additional skills and knowledge on baking bagiya (steamed dumplings) made from soya beans and learned how to make donuts, chapati, and daddies using processed flour from orange flesh sweet potatoes, cassava flour, and other staples like green grams, cowpeas, millet, and sorghum. “We now supply our products to retail shops in Willa, Obalanga, and Kuju sub counties,” says Jessica. Another group member shares, “In Amuria, we supply God’s Wish supermarket, Ore supermarket, Save More supermarket, and eight other retail shops.”

Initially, the group was making profits of UGX 50,000 to UGX 70,000 per week ($13 to $18 USD). With persistence and hard work, the group members have increased production and extended their market base. They are now making profits averaging UGX 300,000 ($81 USD) per week.

“We also agreed to start a piggery project and bought four piglets at UGX 65,000 ($17 USD) per piglet. And we have decided as a group to start our own goat project—we plan to purchase a goat for each group member by saving UGX 20,000 ($5 USD) from our profits each week,” shares Jessica.