‘A woman's thing': Otuna John and the Village Savings and Loans Association

Otuna John lives in Aminit Village, Kolir County, Uganda. A 42 year old with a family of six and a wife, he struggled to make ends meet until he decided to join Amnit Parish's Apolona Angor Village Savings and Loans Association. Some of his friends had labelled the scheme ‘a woman's thing', but John was ready to give it a go.

After saving for just eight weeks, he qualified for a loan of 150,000 Ugandan Shillings (£46), which he used to buy a bicycle. He could never have dreamed of buying one until then. With his new means of transport he decided to expand his tomato business by selling in the nearby weekly markets of Sironko District, an area where tomato demand was particularly high. In this way he was quickly able to pay back the loan. "On a good day I make 50,000 Ugandan Shillings (£16)", says John. His bicycle is known around the village as the Build Africa Baja (‘Baja' meaning taxi) because some villagers have also used it to travel to the health centre eight kilometres away in cases of emergency. John doesn't charge for the use if the bicycle; it is his way of putting something back into the community.

Having seen the benefits of being in a Village Savings and Loans Association, John advised his wife to join a group as well. In the meantime he will support her with the proceeds from the tomato business. With the prospect of their combined capital growing, the future looks very bright for John and his wife. In fact John hopes to achieve a lot more from his continued participation with the scheme by starting a cattle business in the near future.

His family can now buy sugar, a real luxury item for rural Ugandans. But he is especially proud of his ability to pay the school fees for two of his children as they begin secondary school this year.

John's status in the village has been greatly enhanced. One thing is for sure: none of his friends are calling the savings group ‘a woman's thing' any more.