How Solidarity group loan temporarily cured grandmother’s chronic housing woes

Milestone: Nasanga points at her temporary house she built using a loan she borrowed from the grandmothers solidarity group. All photos by Muwulya Moses

Nasanga with her two grandchildren. She is happily notes that they are no longer sleeping in cold which would make them sick.

A resident of Bogoro village,the grandmother of two, built a two-roomed temporary house on her 30x 100 feet plot which bought way back when she was still energetic to do casual work.

She is happy  with this development after living in coldness for months.

But while she  is so glad, the grandmother is extra indebted for Kitovu Mobile. She says it has been the organisation’s initiative that she was able to build her house.

“It’s from the solidarity group I belong to which gave me got a loan to buy construction materials,even when my savings where far below the loan I took,” She shares,adding:” they felt pity for me and give her me that much,which contradicts with the group lending rules “

Grandmothers having their weekly savings. The saving initiative has helped many get where to get petty loans to solve their pressing problems.

This, she says, indeed put meaning to the name of their group, “Obukadde obwagalana” literary translated as  Grannies loving, supporting each other.

With Nasanga bought poles,a few old iron sheets as well as paying for labor.

She is has since paid this money back using proceeds from farming.

She says the high breed seeds that were given to them by Kitovu Mobile, didn’t only save her from buying farm in puts but also saw her get big harvests.

Achiever.

Nassang is happy for this journey; because she was badly treated by the landlord who had given a free house but on conditions that she worked in his garden.

It was all good when she was still able to work, but later she failed after her son fell sick.

“I spent all the time on him which forced the landlord to evacuate me from his house

What haunts her up to this time,is the disrespect her landlord for her faith. This was after she was forced to look after pigs if she was to keep staying in the house.

With no option, she painfully did this for a while until when she couldn’t do it any longer.

” That is when I decided to leave the house and come put up a tent on my plot,” she says.

But she says,it was extra cold which worried  her that her children might  fall sick.

The pitiable scene saw kind fellow residents advise her to put up a temporary mud house but she had no money.

Until when the group bailed her out.

Challenge is now latrine.
Nasanga is now left with one challenge, latrine.

She says health officials have already cautioned her to have it.

She already dug a five feet hole but constrained by funds to finish it.