When Karungi discovered that she was expecting her third child, she knew she wanted things to be different this time. In her previous two pregnancies, she gave birth at home with the help of a traditional birth attendant. While both deliveries were successful, she understood the risks that birth complications could be life-threatening, and newborns were vulnerable to infections due to inadequate medical care, especially in the hands of unprofessional birth attendants.  

But like many mothers in her community, the cost of transportation to a health facility and medical expenses seemed overwhelming.  

This worry, however, changed in September 2023, when the Kyotuha Village Savings and Loans Association introduced a new initiative: saving for health, after the group received capacity-building training on financial education and saving for health by Enabel trained Village Health Team members, under the Social Protection and Decent Work Project.  

The programme encouraged members to set aside money specifically for medical needs, including maternity care. Roset saw an opportunity to take control of her pregnancy journey and immediately joined the initiative, determined to ensure a safer delivery.  

With discipline and commitment, Roset consistently saved, and by the time of her baby’s arrival, she had accumulated 111,000 UGX in her health account. When the moment came, she borrowed an additional 200,000 UGX from the group to cover transportation to the health facility and purchase essential supplies for her newborn. “I felt secure knowing that I had the funds to reach the hospital and receive proper maternity services,” said Roset.  

Roset operates a small retail business for household items, and has already paid off more than half of her interest-free health savings loan to the group and plans to clear the balance 2 months later. Her goal is to maintain access to financial support for any future health needs, both for herself and her family.  

Inspired by Roset’s experience, other expectant mothers, Basemera Teddy and Kajumba Joselyne, have also embraced saving for health. Seeing the benefits from Roset’s experience strengthened their commitment to plan for their deliveries. Both women balance agricultural work with selling fish and other retail produce at the local market to generate income to ensure that they can consistently contribute to their weekly health savings.  

Together, Teddy and Joselyne saved 370,000 UGX, with each having 240,000 UGX and 130,000 UGX, respectively. Depending on their weekly earnings, they set aside small amounts for their health savings at Kyotuha Village Savings and Loans Association. Teddy contributes at least 2,000 UGX per week, while Joselyne saves 1,000 UGX; both mothers have plans to increase their savings during harvest season when they expect to earn more from selling crop produce.

For these women, saving for health is more than just financial planning, but a commitment to their well-being. They are taking charge of their personal and family health through embracing saving for health.

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