Sustainable Impact

Ishasha Community Uplift Group (ICUG), which started in 2007, is formed by subsistence farmers in the southern edge of Queen Elizabeth National Park (Kazinga/Bukorwe Villages).  They face challenges of crop and livestock raiding from wild animals (elephants and lions), finding alternative sources of income, access to clean water and long distances to water sources, children out-of-school due to lack of scholastics and access to relevant financial services. Solutions that they knew of, such as digging trenches and raring bees at the borderline to avert wildlife, deterred the wild animals from raiding.  Agartha, is the group leader, a passionate member of the community who is keen to see her community members develop, even as she does.

In 2010, FGT helped to link the group to tourists that pass through WFU and in 2012 the group started the ‘Agartha’s taste of Uganda tours’, an experience during which tourists are taken through the Mukiga homestead and culture including preparing a meal and enjoying it. The income generated from this activity is then shared by the group members. This provided an alternative income for members.

In 2015, FGT supported the group with its first training in Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA) for 60 members. This addressed their immediate financial service needs of saving and accessing credit on user-friendly terms. Agartha realized that members of the group were doing better than the rest of the community having joined this group, their children could now go to school as they could afford uniforms and scholastic, something that deterred most children from going to school, since primary education is universal and free, their children were looking better fed and the families were beginning to acquire basic assets from their accumulated savings.  The community could also see a difference and showed interest to join this group.  Agartha and members of this first group resolved to help the community form a second and more groups, and shared their knowledge of managing the savings group, enabling an additional 240 members to access savings and loan services over the years.

Meanwhile, from ‘Agartha’s taste of Uganda tours’ part of the income generated through tourist fees and donations was used to buy goats targeted at helping members diversify income through goat raring, a thought that came from this first group, they extended this to the entire community as a solution to addressing challenges of alternative incomes, as well as to persuade wildlife poachers to move away from poaching as a livelihood. This would be gradually rolled-out to over 300 households, a household is given 3 goats and they will return one kid to the group, so as to ensure continued supply of goats to new households. From the initial stock of 69 goats, a total of 260 kids have now been given out, with a total of 400 goats in the community. This has enabled families to own livestock and has led to a reform of 50 poachers, who have formed a group, with the intention to help positively influence other poachers.

As the groups meet weekly for their savings and loans activities, they also discuss challenges they face such as water access, out-of-school children, this helps them jointly find solutions.  Having been enlightened by FGT on environment and wildlife conservation, Agartha also uses these meetings to sensitize the members on issues such as plastic litter, the importance of preserving wildlife and educating children on its value.  Uplift group contributes to wildlife and environmental conservation by sensitizing pupils in nearby primary schools on the importance of wildlife, plastic recycling, tree planting and kitchen gardens. They actively role-modeled plastic recycling by constructing their meeting shelter with recycled plastic.

With access to water being a major challenge in this village, the group started a cost sharing water tank purchase project where they buy a 2,000 liters capacity tank per household for members, so far 38 members have accessed the tanks. The group contributes $55 and the member tops-up the balance for the cost of a water tank, its ordered and delivered to the household. This enables them harvest water during rainy season, to better cope during the dry season.  From the group’s analysis, 4 of the remotest villages are most vulnerable and will not afford to raise such contribution towards water tanks, so they planned to purchase 4 water tanks for them and have identified the land for it. In 2023, the group installed one water tank in the more distant village.   

In 2019, the group had started a poultry project which failed due to poor business knowledge and management.  Members felt that a training in business skills would improve their chances of success and asked FGT to support.  So FGT provided a basic business skills training in 2024, to 232 members to enable them start and improve their income generating activities.  “We were struggling with our businesses and some of us were even afraid to start businesses, the Business skills development training made it easy to understand for both the literate and the illiterate, we are now confident” Agartha Ampurira).  They are optimistic that their businesses will do much better and more members are now confident to start income generating activities.

Short-term impact: Members of the groups have gained positive changes at household level including, owning solar lights, building permanent houses, improved schooling and more children going to school, purchase of wheelbarrows and bicycles for transporting produce to the market, improved access to clean water, access to friendly financial services through VSLAs, farming equipment, sewing machine, and 2 members have built houses for rentals. “We are grateful to FGT for the support that they have extended to the community of Ishasha which has birthed 5 savings groups each with 60 members now and these groups have facilitated improved household livelihoods”. ICUG leaders.

Sustained impact: These groups have become custodians of vulnerable community members and the service of public good for their community, this is more sustainable than any form of aid or donation.  This way, they can identify their problems, generate solutions and own the process of addressing them, any external support is then, really support whether through ideas or funds. 

The forming of a group of reformed poachers, who aim to help win other poachers off poaching and find alternative income sources, is a great achievement and will contribute to wildlife conservation for the future generation.

Published April 2025 by Rew Kataru AO&E