Nayamwenge Faisi, age 66, is a widow living in rural Kayoro, Uganda. She is the main provider for her family, which includes her daughter (also a widow) and grandchildren. There is no running water, no electricity, and no windows in their one room mud home with a metal roof. They share mattresses and woven mats on the dirt floor. Faisi is a peasant farmer; she and her family work to grow enough food to eat with some left over to sell. She received loans and business training and support through Give Us Wings Building Businesses for Family Sustainability program, and is involved in her group’s Village Savings and Loan program as well as the Business/Farmer’s Cooperative.
Along with her fellow members of the Salama Group, Faisi has begun to slowly increase her income and is sometimes able to provide the basic needs for her family. In 2017, Faisi and Jenifer, the youngest granddaughter in the family, were enrolled in the Family to Family Sponsorship program, thanks to a generous Give Us Wings donor. This means that Faisi regularly attends Parent Forums and workshops, meets with Give Us Wings staff, and Jenifer is now studying at the prestigious Mama Junior boarding school in Tororo, Uganda. The new school is an adjustment to Jenifer, but she continues to work hard and has shown improvement. Faisi is so proud of her.
