53-year-old woman in Kashari, Mbarara District, has emerged as a model of climate-smart entrepreneurship, after using a Shs 1.5 million loan from the Emyooga program to build a 50,000-litre rainwater harvesting tank that now supplies clean water to her poultry farm and surrounding households.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lilian Kiconco, a former banana vendor, used the funds borrowed from the Kashari South Market Vendors SACCO under the Presidential Initiative on Job and Wealth Creation (Emyooga) to turn chronic water scarcity in her community into a sustainable business opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis tank has changed everything. It\u2019s my bank, my business, and my blessing,\u201d Kiconco said. \u201cI serve my poultry farm and sell surplus water to neighbors at an affordable rate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her innovation, rooted in both economic empowerment and climate adaptation, is being celebrated nationally. On the same day Kiconco\u2019s project was highlighted, SACCO leaders from the Teso, Acholi, and Lango subregions toured Mbarara to benchmark its high-performing Emyooga groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Robson Ogwal, chairperson of Kole South Produce Dealers SACCO, called Kiconco\u2019s work a \u201creal example of community empowerment\u201d that blends financial discipline, climate awareness, and entrepreneurship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The visiting leaders also studied Kinoni and Rwanyamahembe SACCOs\u2014local financial institutions that have grown into rural credit hubs. These SACCOs have embraced Green Finance<\/em>, supporting ventures like rainwater harvesting, solar energy, and sustainable agriculture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe fund projects that address both economic and environmental challenges,\u201d said Kinoni SACCO General Manager Merab Katushabe. \u201cWe\u2019re banking on the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Retansio Muganzi, General Manager of Rwanyamahembe SACCO, said their model now includes environmental impact as a key factor in loan approvals. \u201cIf your project helps the environment, you move up the queue,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n SACCO representatives from northern Uganda described the experience as transformative. \u201cWe\u2019ve been focused on profit, but here they think in terms of sustainability and legacy,\u201d said Joseph Ocen, a delegate from Lango.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Launched in 2019, the Emyooga initiative was designed to boost household incomes and job creation through sector-specific SACCOs. While the program has faced challenges elsewhere, Mbarara is being held up as a model of innovation and success\u2014particularly in climate mitigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kiconco says she now plans to expand into vegetable farming using drip irrigation. \u201cWith a little help, a little water, and a lot of heart, anyone can rise,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As Uganda grapples with climate change and unemployment, the Mbarara model offers a promising roadmap for grassroots-driven development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 53-year-old woman in Kashari, Mbarara District, has emerged as a model of climate-smart entrepreneurship, after using a Shs 1.5 million loan from the Emyooga program to build a 50,000-litre rainwater harvesting tank that now supplies clean water to her poultry farm and surrounding households. Lilian Kiconco, a former banana vendor, used the funds borrowed from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2270,"featured_media":39736,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_paywall_metabox":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[101],"tags":[7507,31,8263,119],"class_list":["post-39735","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-emyooga-sacco","tag-featured","tag-mbarara","tag-uganda-news"],"yoast_head":"\n
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