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Ouganda
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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