Women’s Economic Empowerment
From survival to self-reliance
Building sustainable livelihoods for families affected by disability.
Be the seed that nurtures a mother’s economic growth and builds a brighter future for her family.
Our approach
We address the root causes of inequality by creating awareness, fostering dignity, and building capabilities. Through strategic partnerships and resource mobilization, we enable women and girls to lead their own empowerment journey.
Guided by the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 5 (Gender Equality), Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and Goal 10 (Reduced Inequalities), we help women with disabilities, mothers of children with disabilities and vulnerable widows achieve financial independence. In special cases, we also support single fathers caring for children with disabilities.
Caring for a child with a disability should not mean living without income or hope. On 1 October 2026, we launched our Income-Generating Activities (IGA) program after assessing 100 women with local leaders in Kakunyu and Mende sub-counties, Wakiso. 5 mothers are now running small businesses funded by private donors, and others are on the waiting list.
How it works
Start-up capital in kind
Instead of giving cash, we buy the stock and equipment each woman needs to start her own local business.
Financial literacy
Training in pricing, profit, record-keeping, and keeping business money separate from household money.
Savings training
Setting realistic goals, saving when income allows, and reinvesting profits in new stock, with follow-up visits and mentoring.
NSSF Smartlife Flexi
Each woman saves from UGX 20,000 upwards each week by mobile money. Savings are locked for the first 12 months, building a safety net for her family.
Weekly community follow-up
Our team visits each participant in her community every week to check on her business, help solve problems, and keep her on track.
Women’s groups
Participants meet regularly to share experiences, support one another, and build trust.
Meet some of our first beneficiaries.
Mama Jennifer, Mama Kato, and Agnes are the first three mothers in our IGA program. Ruth joined through our Widow Empowerment Project.
Success story: Mama Jennifer
Mama Jennifer is a widow raising her daughter, who has cerebral palsy, on her own. Today she runs a stocked charcoal and fresh produce stall close to home.
Before
After losing her husband, Mama Jennifer became her daughter’s only carer. She needed work that would let her stay near her daughter during the day, but she had no capital to start a business. The kiosk she could use stood empty.
The support
Our team built a display stand and helped her buy her first stock of charcoal. She joined the financial literacy and savings training, saves with NSSF Smartlife Flexi, and receives weekly follow-up visits in her community.
After
Mama Jennifer now runs her own stall, selling fresh produce alongside charcoal. Her daughter stays by her side as she works, and every week she sets aside savings through NSSF Smart Life, building a more secure future for her family.
Success story: Agnes
Agnes is a single mother whose son has spina bifida. Her once-empty kiosk is now a stocked shop selling household goods nearby. Agnes also runs a small poultry farm…
Before
Agnes’s son uses a wheelchair and needs regular medical care, so she could not take a job far from home. Her small kiosk sat empty, its shelves bare, with nothing to sell. With no income, her family struggled to put food on the table.
The support
We bought her start-up stock, including soap, sugar, rice, drinks, and other household goods, and delivered it to her kiosk. She joined the financial literacy and savings training and receives weekly follow-up visits from our team.
After
Agnes now runs a fully stocked shop with steady sales, and her son stays close by while she works, so she never has to choose between earning and caring for him. She also saves regularly through NSSF Smart Life, and her family no longer worries about having food on the table.
Before
After
Success story: Mama Kato
Mama Kato is a widow raising her son, who has cerebral palsy, on her own, including other children. She now runs a home-based business selling charcoal and fresh foods, which lets her stay by her son’s side while she earns a living.
Before
Mama Kato’s son needs help to sit, move, and eat, so she could never work away from home. Without an income, she struggled to provide for him on her own.
The support
Our team helped her buy her first stock of charcoal and delivered it to her home. She joined the financial literacy and savings training and receives weekly follow-up visits from our team.
After
Mama Kato now runs her own business from home, selling charcoal and fresh foods. She earns a steady income while staying by her son’s side, giving him the daily care he needs. She also saves every week through NSSF Smart Life, building a secure future for her son.
Success story: Ruth Nalukwago
Ruth is a widow raising four children on her own, one of whom has sickle cell disease. Through our Economic Empowerment Project, her small produce business has grown into a steady source of income.
Before
After her husband died, Ruth was left to care for her four children alone. Her small business could not cover rent, school fees, food, and her child’s medical costs, and the financial and emotional strain was heavy.
The support
We began with a needs assessment of her household, her business skills, and her children’s health and schooling needs. We then provided business capital to strengthen her existing business, along with mentorship, financial planning, and weekly follow-up visits.
After
Ruth’s business has grown steadily. She now pays her children’s school fees, covers her child’s medical care, and pays her rent on time. She has also saved enough to buy a plot of land. Ruth is no longer struggling alone.
Before
The support
After
Sustainability and climate resilience
Our approach is built to last beyond the first stock and help families withstand shocks such as droughts, floods, and rising food prices. It also supports Goal 13 (Climate Action).
Businesses that grow themselves
Women reinvest profits in new stock, so each business keeps running without further grants.
A safety net for hard times
Savings locked in NSSF Smartlife Flexi give families a buffer when a poor harvest, illness, or extreme weather cuts income.
Local, everyday goods
Charcoal, fresh produce, and household goods sell year-round in the community, so income does not depend on one season or one market.
Close to home
Running a business at or near home cuts travel time and cost, and lets mothers care for their children while they work.
Stronger together
Women’s groups and weekly follow-up visits mean no one faces a setback alone, and problems are solved early.
Skills that stay
Financial literacy and savings habits remain with each woman and her family long after our direct support ends.
From Smart Life to VSLAs: The Next Step
Our beneficiaries have already shown what saving can do. Through NSSF Smart Life, they save every week and build long-term security for their families. Ruth has even saved enough to buy a plot of land.
Now we are expanding to Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs). This does not replace Smart Life. It adds what Smart Life alone cannot give:
Loans to grow
Smart Life savings are for the future. A VSLA lets mothers borrow small amounts to buy more stock or expand their businesses today, without touching their long-term savings.
Help in emergencies
When a child falls sick, the VSLA emergency fund gives quick support, so a mother with a sick child does not have to give up her savings or her business.
A support network
Smart Life is not saved alone. A VSLA brings vulnerable mothers together every week to share advice, encourage one another, and face challenges as a group.
Reaching more women
VSLAs are run by the community, so they can grow to include more marginalized mothers from our waiting list over time.
Together, Smart Life and VSLAs give each mother a complete safety net: savings for the future, money to grow today and a community that stands with her.
Help Another Family Thrive
Generous individual sponsors made our first IGA businesses possible. Their gifts helped mothers like Mama Jennifer, Agnes, Mama Kato and Ruth build businesses that feed their families, pay school fees and save for the future.
We have identified more than 100 mothers raising children with disabilities who are ready to start their own businesses. Each one is waiting for the same chance Mama Jennifer, Agnes, Mama Kato, and Ruth received. Be part of the next success story.
Together, We Empower Change in Local Communities
Your donation brings hope, dignity, and opportunities to marginalised families raising children with disabilities, helping them build a more inclusive and sustainable future.