Women's Income Generating Groups - “Together we are strong”

During war and genocide, women and girls often suffer disproportionately.  But the women and girls of Patongo are resourceful and resilient, and work together to improve their prospects. They know that income-generating activities are a route out of poverty and will increase their status and opportunities.

Patongo hosted tens of thousands of refugees and was regularly raided by the brutal Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) during a war that lasted for 22 bloody years.

Thousands were killed, millions were displaced, and the LRA abducted more than 50,000 children, forcing them to be soldiers, porters and sex slaves.

Almost everyone was forced to abandon their farms to live in dismal and squalid refugee camps, where they have been for more than 20 years. The war stopped only recently and while many international NGOs have been and continue to be active in Gulu to the west, Patongo was largely neglected, as it was deemed to be too dangerous.

During war and genocide, women and girls often suffer disproportionately. They are stigmatised when sexual violence is used as a weapon of war. Their problems are compounded because they have not had equal access to education and the training needed to get jobs.

Those raped by the LRA endure shame and humiliation. The prospect of marriage is remote because of their association with the LRA.

Their children bear a double burden of illegitimacy and LRA paternity, and face certain isolation and discrimination.

For some young women, poverty and a lack of land or livelihood leads to early marriage. Rape and gender-based sexual violence is endemic, with little stigma attached to perpetrators, nor effective recourse to justice for victims.

Widespread alcoholism amongst men leads to continuing high levels of violence towards women and girls, impacting HIV infection rates.

Despite these challenges, the women and girls of Patongo are resourceful and resilient, keen to work together to improve their prospects. They know that income-generating activities are not just a route out of poverty for women.

Women making money gain the respect of their communities, increasing the status of women and thus the opportunities available to them. They also value the support of other women in solving their problems together, and taking their destiny in their own hands.

Our women’s income-generating group, Ribbe Aye Teko (Women Are Strong Together), comprises 40 vulnerable women, some who are HIV positive, and some who are child mothers. They have received training in setting up and running a successful small business, including basic bookkeeping skills.

They have now formed a cooperative, and hire out oxen and ploughs to other farmers in Patongo. They also have a piece of land where they grow and sell vegetables. The profit is reinvested in their business, and eventually they intend to use some of it to educate and feed their children.