A Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA) group in Uganda is saving for health to purchase a motorcycle ambulance

  • A VSLA group in Uganda is saving for health to purchase a motorcycle ambulance

Rukoora Women and Men FAL (Functional Adult Literacy) is among the Village Savings and Loans Association groups that were trained in financial education and savings for health Enabel. The group is located in Bweramule Sub-County, Bugando parish, Ngeenge village in Ntoroko district.  The nearest health facility, Bweramule Health Center III, is 7 km away. Community members can only access the facility using ‘boda-boda’, the only reliable transport means that can navigate the swampy and poor road terrain in an area that is also prone to frequent floods.

The group which comprises of 27 members (10 males and 16 females) started saving for health on 25th September, and by December 2023 they had saved a total of UGX 936,000 (223€) in their savings for health account. The group chairperson, Mugume Steven said that they plan to save up to UGX10,000,000 (2,380€) and acquire a motorcycle ambulance to facilitate easy access to the health facility by the group members and the rest of the community. “group members who are saving for health will use the ambulance for free, meanwhile the rest of the community will be charged a small fee”, said Steven. The fee will help generate income for the group but also help to cater for the costs of maintenance.

To have this plan achieved quickly, the group engaged in income-generating activities such as outside catering services, and hiring out equipment like tents and chairs that they acquired from the group's previous general savings’ profits.

Karungi Everet, a member of Rukoora Women and Men Functional Adult Literacy Village Savings and Loans Association group had saved UGX 20,000 (5€) in her savings for health account. In the previous month, she borrowed up to UGX 60,000 Uganda shillings (14€) to get medication for herself and her child. By December 2023, Everet fully paid back the amount she borrowed from the group. “The distance to our nearest health facility and the nature of the roads is challenging. In situations where a community member does not get timely support to access the facilities, some cases of illness can become fatal. I was lucky that the group savings helped me to quickly access treatment”, added Everet.

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