Kikondo, UG -Industrious KGK Family Applies Training to Address Challenges and Improve Lives – 30 Nov 2021

Marvin’s KGK family uses their training in Food Always In The Home (FAITH) vegtable gardening, sewing, construction, and business management to improve their living. They have a thriving clothing business which transports materials by motorcycle from trading centers to the village. The family has undergone many challenges and changes. Marvin’s mother passed away when he was a pre-teenager.

Working alongside his father in the FAITH garden mentored by Wamukisa for more than four years, Marvin learned the methods and value of maintaining a garden for nutrition as well as the lesson of hard and varied work to improve it. His father and brothers currently do not live in the village, but his aunt now lives in the family home compound, caring for her mother (Marvin’s grandmother), and sewing for income.

The family hopes to improve its income by investing more in sewing clothes and school uniforms that Auntie sells in Kikondo village and schools around Kikondo and Katende area. In 2019 Auntie KGK trained in tailoring and sewing, and in July of this year purchased a new sewing machine from the savings the family accumulated in the Zinabala VICOBA. She has started sewing clothes and school uniforms for children. She also repairs old clothes that are brought to her. At first she opened a kiosk to sell from, but with business reduced by the COVID lockdown, was unable to make a profit after rent. Now she sells and sews from her home and manages to save in the VICOBA almost half of the 7,000 Uganda shillings ($2.00) profit she makes daily

Marvin maintains the family FAITH garden and works in the very active construction business around the village, under the guidance of more experienced builders. He also runs small building job sites by himself. With the FAITH garden vegetables, construction and clothing income combined, the family will be able to eat well and save at the VICOBA for additional Christmas spending. At the beginning of 2022 they plan to use savings to purchase building tools for Marvin. When schools re-open fully in January and local children once again need uniforms and school sweaters, so the clothing business will increase. The family dreams of building a sewing shop on Grandmother KGK’s compound land, where they could expand without paying rent to a landlord.