Empowering fishermen via village savings

A woman sorts fish at a landing site. With village savings groups, fisherfolk can be empowered to improve livelihoods. PHOTO BY AMOS NGWOMOYA 

Behind Kyaterekere trading centre in Kibaale District is a mountain covered with rocks but at its bottom, there is a part of Lake Albert. Alongside it, more than 2,000 people live there.
These are fishermen operating from the landing sites of Ndaiga, Kamina, Kabukanga and Kitebere; all in Ndaiga Sub-county.
This community also has several tribes including Batuku, Batooro, Bakiga, Bakonzo, and Alur.

Challenges
At Kamina landing site, women and children are sorting fish that has just been caught by the men. It is from this that they earn a living.
But there are many problems that make life hard for the residents. These challenges include are unclean water, few heath centres and schools plus poor soils and roads.
A case in point, there is only one government primary school (Kabukanga) and one health centre II in the whole Sub-county.
Some of the fishermen still use illegal fishing methods, something that affects their business because they end up catching young fish, which fetch lower prices. The common type of fish caught is Tilapia.

Bafaaki Sunday Ateenyi, a fisherman who has lived here for five years, says that most of them use locally made nets despite government’s warning against it.
“This is the only way we could survive because we don’t have money to buy standard nets that are recommended for use. We call upon government to help people like us since this is the only way we earn a living. If there are projects that would supplement our income, then our lives would improve,” he says.
It is against this background that Kibaale District local government requested World Vision to extend their programmes to the sub-county.

Intervention
Last year, the organisation donated Shs17m to 20 Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA) to help people living around the landing sites have improved standards of living.
Libbuma Bagonza Muhindo, the World Vision Programmes Cordinator, Kibaale, says the focus is on improving fishing methods, sanitation and promoting unity.
“This place is hardly reached. For instance the climate is not favourable for the residents to grow crops. Giving them starting capital will enable them get more money through their loan groups,” he says.

At Kamina, fishermen have since formed a loans saving group called Kamina Tweimukye Vilage Savings and Loans Association.
It is composed of 18 men and 12 women with a vision of increasing household and self-reliance income.
The group secretary, Ibrahim Mutahunga, said that they have collected Shs17m through loans to the members. He says that each member agreed to buy a share at Shs 20,000 and save Shs 2000 per day.

“Through our savings, we have been able to buy three boats, which we use while fishing and we plan to buy a canoe that will work as an ambulance to take expectant mothers to Ntoroko Hospital. We have also bought a half-acre of land on which we have planted pine, which we expect to sell and venture into cage fishing,” he explained about the achievements and future plans.
With more support, the members of the saving group like the others in the sub-county are optimistic about the future. They feel empowered to make decisions that make their lives better and guarantee their livelihoods.

angwomoya@ug.nationmedia.com