The Champion of Neyendeire Development Initiatives and also former ED KCCA Dorothy Kisaka (right) addressing women during a meeting at Buweera village in Buwenge town council in Jinja district on Monday. Looking on is Margaret Nkalanguke (middle) the captain of Jinja rural and Milly Gabula (left) the treasurer of Neyendeire Development Initiatives and Captain of Iganga District. (Photos by Donald Kiirya)

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Former Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Executive Director, Dorothy Kisaka, has urged women in Busoga to save and establish profit-making businesses, which she said will guarantee their security and secure their future.

She gave the advice while meeting a cross-section of women under the Neyendeire Development Initiatives (NDI) group at Buweera village in Buwenge town council, Jinja district, on Monday (November 03).

Kisaka, whom many describe as the champion of NDI, delivered a rallying cry that rang clear across the community, especially women who attended the meeting.  

“Every woman, every homestead must have a savings box. Over 2,000 homes in Busoga already do. Save before you spend, invest in your children, and turn your kitchen into a classroom of wealth,” Kisaka said with applause heard in the background.

Flanked by district captains/chairpersons wearing bright Neyendeire T-shirts, Kisaka outlined the project’s four pillars, which include: A home that fears the Lord, health first, daily savings, and strategic thinking.

“This is not a hand-out, it is a hand-up. Approach your LC1, join your village cluster, and borrow against your own discipline. Loans start at 500,000 shillings and grow with every repaid cycle,” she stated.

She added that “Busoga will rise when its women refuse to be left behind. Find your Neyendeire captain tonight. Open your savings box tomorrow. By Christmas, let every homestead echo with the sound of coins building tomorrow’s university fees.”

One of the founding members of NDI, Milly Gabula, revealed that since 2015, the revolving fund has touched 50,000 people in the region.

"Women now run poultry units, mushroom sheds, and roadside vegetable stalls – all seeded by micro-loans and weekly peer training.

Every Thursday, they sit under a tree. They weigh their savings, share hygiene tips, and role-play how to say ‘no’ to a drunken fist. Domestic violence drops when a woman’s purse is heavier than her fear,” Gabula said, pointing to the shade overhead.

Women in a happy mood during their meeting with Dorothy Kisaka (not in picture) at Buweera village in Jinja district on Monday.

Regional Coordinator Malcolm Isaac Bulamu told the crowd this was the 10th district stop in a 12-district reawakening tour.

“Vote for leaders who will tar the road to your garden and pipe water to your kitchen. The next five years begin with a woman who can read a budget. The ballot is your second savings box,” he declared.

Hajati Hadijah Bajje, the vice Champion of Neyendeire Development Initiatives and also Captain in charge of Bugiri district, cautioned women against rumormongering and backbiting others, saying that these cause hatred among women groups.

She encouraged women to promote unity and teamwork in their various homesteads, which they are registered in as members.

Various women leaders testified that they benefited from the Parish Development Model (PDM) money of sh1m, adding that they were able to establish poultry, mushroom growing, and goat rearing projects, among others, which have transformed their lives and families.

The event climaxed with entertainment from members of various homesteads located in Jinja rural.