Ritah Arinitwe Redemptor, a resident of Ntara Town Cell, Ntara Trading Centre in Kitagwenda District and a teacher, is one of the proud beneficiaries of the Emyooga program.
Arinitwe explains that her involvement in the program has significantly improved her economic status.
She shares that as a private teacher, her salary was modest but when the Emyooga program was introduced, she seized the opportunity to venture into other businesses such as wine production and crafting .
These ventures have significantly boosted her income and transformed her life.
During a knowledge exchange visit between Emyooga Sacco leaders from Greater Masaka and Tooro, Arinitwe, the chairperson of Kitagwenda Women Entrepreneur Emyooga Sacco, urged professionals to diversify their income and participate in government programs like Emyooga to enhance economic stability and growth.
"I'm in private sector, even my colleague is a nurse but I want to urge my fellow professionals out there not to undermine government programs. These programs actually are for us to benefit."
She stated that by joining Emyooga, professionals not only contribute their expertise to the program but also benefit from it.
"First of all, we will bring our expertise in these programs and we will promote them. Then we will also benefit from them and as we benefit, our communities will also benefit. Don't just undermine this program, these programs came for us," Arinitwe noted.
She revealed that their Sacco initially received shs30 million, which was effectively distributed among the various associations under the Kitagwenda Women Entrepreneurs Emyooga Sacco.
She emphasized that they didn’t just stop at disbursing the funds but also actively monitored each association to ensure proper recovery of the money.
Arinitwe noted that the Sacco later received an additional shs20 million from the Microfinance Support Centre, which enabled them to grow both in membership and production capacity.
Irene Ninsiima, a midwife by profession and member of the Kitagwenda Women Entrepreneurs Emyooga Sacco, is a testament to the success of the program.
She explained that after struggling to find a job after graduation and facing challenges with her drug shop, joining Emyooga opened her eyes to new opportunities.
Today, she is one of the largest producers and suppliers of liquid soap in the district.
"Before Emyooga program, I was looking for jobs, I tried with Kamwenge districts and I did not get, I tried with Rubirizi district and Ibanda and I did not get. Then I opened a small drug shop and I believe it was also one way of enteprenuership, but when i joined Emyooga program, I understood that only a drug shop would not lead me to entrepreneurship."
Ninsiima added that she is now deeply involved in liquid soap production, earning overshs3 million per month.
She noted that she is the largest producer and supplier of liquid soap in her sub-county.
"Before Emyooga, I was only having a drug shop but now people in Mayoro Sub-county come looking for me, looking for connections since I'm the head of enteprenuership in the Sub-county. I added honey in my drug shop and it is makes a lot of money for me. I have also managed to build our own house and now we are not renting," she said
Ninsiima praised the Microfinance Support Center for the opportunity and revealed that she plans to open a children's hospital in the near future.
Jane Francis Kagayi, the RDC of Ssembabule, urged professionals, especially university graduates, not to wait for government jobs but to take advantage of available government programs to innovate and create their own employment opportunities.
"I want to call upon our children who come out of university that it's not a government responsibility to ensure that you are employed, but we need to know that you have to be more creative, join other ventures and then practice your professionalism within others."
Kagayi noted that relying solely on one's formal education and primary job could limit economic potential in today's dynamic world.
“We, as professionals, need to think beyond our academic qualifications. While education gives us a solid foundation, embracing other ventures, like the Emyooga initiative, can significantly boost our income and help build financial resilience,” she said.
Kagayi praised the Microfinance Support Center for organizing the exchange visits and promised to share the lessons she learned in Kitagwenda with the people of Ssembabule.
She also encouraged the visiting Emyooga Saccos from Greater Masaka to diversify their ventures, advising them not to rely solely on their formal education but to explore other business opportunities.
The leaders from Greater Masaka are on an exposure visit to Tooro to learn from its high-performing Saccos, which have demonstrated remarkable success in managing funds, extending credit, and encouraging a savings culture among their members.