Help us give more women and children the chance to realize their potential this holiday season by making a donation to our Giving Tuesday campaign. Every dollar will go directly to the field and give people like Auma Santa a chance to create better lives for themselves and their communities.
Auma Santa is a Ugandan national living in the Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement in Uganda.
Auma previously worked as a farmer, the only option for her to earn a living and support her children. Barely able to scrape by, she saw the posters advertising free tailoring classes offered by RMF at the refugee camp and decided to take a chance and apply.
Following her acceptance Auma completed the training with flying colors and was selected to participate in the Tailoring Shop Program, which subsidizes the start-up costs of a small tailoring business by supplying equipment, materials and additional small business training to refugee and IDP graduates of the Panyadoli Vocational Training Institute (PVTI) Tailoring Program.
Now Auma operates an over-locking machine that runs on a generator (there is no electricity in her shop) sewing ladies’ skirts and repairing clothing both in the refugee camp and in the neighboring town. She started her business alone and now has one other employee with five students in training.
Auma has recently doubled her profit and is making substantially more than she did as a farmer, though there are still challenges. Machine parts and fuel are very expensive, with both consuming a lot of her profits, and her rent has been increased. Auma would like to expand her business and offer hair dressing by taking additional courses available through RMF.
This is just a one of the stories we have helped co-create; lived by the newly empowered people we have been able to help. Make a donation and pledge to share our vision. Happy holidays!
excerpt from a report by Naku Charles Lwanga and Jonathan White
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