Fellows Blog

Stories from the field

Stories tagged with Uganda

Apr 4, 2022 UG Uganda

Raim's Kiva loan helped her purchase a clean cookstove to reduce her expenses and protect her family.

Pioneered in the 1970s, microfinance—the practice of making financial services available to underserved communities—is now used all over the world.

Whether you’re new to the concept or just looking for more information, here are ten things to know about what microfinance is and how it works.

1. Microfinance offers financial services to those who have been excluded from traditional... Continue Reading >>
Jun 6, 2016 UG Uganda
The first partner that I worked with as part of my Kiva Fellowship was a small group called YICE (Youth Initiative for Community Engagement). They are headquartered in the village of Kyakatebe (Pronounced Jak-a-te-be) within the sub-county of Nalutuntu within the district of Mubende, Uganda. This village is located about 2 hours west of the capital, Kampala. YICE is a small partner that provides loans to groups of 5 women who are mutually accountable for repayment. They require no collateral to guarantee the loan and they are flexible with repayments based on farming / market conditions. Many... Continue Reading >>
Apr 4, 2015 UG Uganda

In order to visit Collins and his hardware supply business, we had to travel one of Uganda’s famously poor roads, suitable for travel only by SUV.  Most don’t have that luxury and neither did we.  The dirt road stretched for twenty never ending kilometers of potholes, trenches and dust clouds that left silt on our shirts though...

Continue Reading >>
Jul 7, 2014 UG Uganda


As a dedication, this post is a bit of a departure from your regularly scheduled Kiva Fellows programming. For this I ask your forgiveness - I'm writing for a special reason, which you'll discover soon.
 
Given the amount of distressing news in the media lately, it can be easy to lose sight of all the kindness and compassion in the world. On a recent trip through western Uganda, I was reminded and inspired by numerous examples of humanity at its best.

Here are just a few:
 
As my colleague Sharon and I waited at the bus station in... Continue Reading >>
Jul 7, 2014 UG Uganda
My Kiva Fellowship recently led me on a 930km trip through Western Uganda, where I visited a variety of borrowers living in rural areas. Although the journey was long and full of dust, sweat and bumpy roads, there were also many laughs, delicious foods and wonderful people along the way.

The purpose of this adventure was to meet with eight borrowers scattered around the countryside so that I could listen to their stories and verify that the information posted on Kiva was accurate. I’m pleased to report that the trip was successful on all counts!

The most touching... Continue Reading >>
Jun 6, 2014 UG Uganda

Meet Agnes. Agnes is a huge fan of Kiva. She's currently repaying her 6th Kiva loan and enthusiastically states that it likely won't be her last.

An outspoken mother of four children, Agnes describes living with four children as "chaos" - but pride is evident on her face as she rattles off their achievements. Her eldest daughter recently finished a business degree, her second eldest is studying IT at university, and the two younger ones are currently excelling in high school.

Agnes lives in a suburb of Kampala where she used to be a member of a borrowing... Continue Reading >>
Nov 11, 2013 AL Albania, BR Brazil, CO Colombia, DE Germany, HT Haiti
As surprised as my family and friends were when I told them that I’m heading off to Kyrgyzstan, that’s about as surprised as my Kiva colleagues were when they found out that I’m also heading to Frankfurt, for a portion of my Kiva Fellowship.

At first pass, Germany doesn’t seem like a country that would fit with Kiva’s non-profit microfinance orientation and mission statement. Yet, in Frankfurt, one of the world’s prominent financial centres, an innovative start-up and recent Kiva Field Partner, Yunus Social Business (“YSB”), is pushing the envelope of social business investing,... Continue Reading >>
May 5, 2013 UG Uganda
The most compelling benefit of microfinance and the reason I was drawn to the Kiva fellowship is its potential to empower the most vulnerable people around the world, particularly women. It’s no secret that women have the greatest impact on their families and their well-being, especially when they have more control over household finances. Across most of the developing world, this is not the case but organizations that work to reach women in these countries are helping to change that. Solar Sister is one such organization based in Kampala, Uganda.  
 
Approximately... Continue Reading >>
Apr 4, 2013 UG Uganda
As a life-long foodie one of my burning questions before coming to Uganda was “what is the food like?” After two and half months in Kampala I’ve had my share of Ugandan food both in the city and in the village.
 
Most offices have subsidized lunches which can cost as little as 1,000 UGX ($0.40) but most are probably around 2,000 to 3,000 UGX ($0.80 to $1.20). A bargain either way! The typical meal is made up of at least 2 types of starch, a protein, and vegetable.

Sadly, I’ve discovered that seasoning or spice is non-existent in Ugandan... Continue Reading >>
Mar 3, 2013 UG Uganda
This past weekend I discovered what Kampalans do to escape the hustle & bustle of the city….they go to Jinja! Like any cosmopolitan city it's typical for its residents to fly the coop for the weekend to popular, more relaxing destinations. Many people visit family outside the city or go on trips with friends to surrounding areas. Traffic jams are a daily headache for anyone living or working in Kampala and it’s not uncommon to sit in them for hours at a time, but they are especially bad on Fridays as endless streams of cars and buses pour out of Kampala.
 ... Continue Reading >>

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