Teacher on Two Wheels

Betty, 55, sits in front of the hut she paid for with money earned as an IC bracelet maker in Awer IDP Camp

***Below is an interview transcript I just posted on IC’s website.  Enjoy!***

Invisible Children’s Bracelet Campaign used to employ people living in IDP camps in northern Uganda to make bracelets.  When the Bracelet Campaign ended in May, IC dovetailed the program’s phase out with the start of a new microfinance program called the Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA).  Because bracelet makers were trained in saving techniques, it seemed only logical to use them as anchors for savings groups in northern Uganda under VSLA.

Ex-bracelet makers are presently helping their fellow villagers save money in 20 different savings groups.  With 20 people in each group, VSLA is a powerful program affecting 400 Ugandan households, enabling group members to take loans from communal group savings funds that they themselves generate.  I recently sat down to speak with Betty, an ex-bracelet maker and current leader of one VSLA group in Awer, Uganda.   Below is a transcript of part of our interview.

Andrew:  What were you doing before you started making bracelets with Invisible Children?

Betty: I was selling fish before.  I would also dig sometimes, but the rebels made it impossible to dig easily.  When they came to this area, we wouldn’t be able to dig.  When they left, we would go back to the gardens.

A: How long were you a bracelet maker?

B: Two years.

A: That’s a long time.  How was the job?  Did you enjoy making bracelets?

B: If I compare it to selling fish, it was easy to earn money.  It was easier than struggling to sell fish.

A: Were you able to save a lot of money while making bracelets?

B: I saved 600,000 shillings [$300 US] in cash before the bracelet program was phased out.  I spent 400,000 shillings [$200 US] on a dairy cow, and 100,000 shillings [$50 US] on building a new hut.  The cow is now pregnant.  When it gives birth, if the calf is male, I will mate it with the mother.

A:  Is that safe?  Forcing the calf to mate with its mother—is that…OK?

B: Ha!  Of course.  Animals are not like us humans!  Laughing.

A: When the Bracelet Campaign ended, were you nervous about the phase out?

B: When they were phasing out the bracelet makers, the process was gradual, so I wasn’t nervous.  I talked with other group members about things.  And Comfort [IC staff member who helped with the Bracelet Campaign and now works with VSLA] kept talking to us and telling us what to do.  When the bracelet making finally ended, we knew what we had to do to  start our businesses.

A: Let’s jump ahead to the present.  You’re in a VSLA group now, practicing the savings skills you learned as a bracelet maker.  And you’re also your group’s leader.  What is it like being the leader of the group?

B: I feel good being the leader.  It’s good to be the leader of this group, too, because we have many new members who are excited.  Everyone is excited about the group, really.

A:  How has the saving been going?

B: It’s good. We have saved 270,000 shillings [$135 US] in the past 11 weeks.  I have only taken one loan so far—20,000 shillings [$10 US].  I took the loan to buy fish that I wanted to sell in the market in Awer IDP Camp.  I lost my grandson that week, however, and spent some of the money on his funeral expenses.

A: How long do you think you’ll be in the group?  Will you save for a few cycles and leave once you’ve saved enough to make a big purchase or start a small business?

B: This group is something Invisible Children has brought for us to last.  I’m going to stay with it until I die.  I’ll be in the group for life!  Laughing.

A: What is the general feeling in the group about VSLA?  What do group members think about VSLA, now that 11 weeks of saving have passed?

B: We are going to stay with it.  As long as it continues to support us, we will stay with it.

A: Before you mentioned that rebels used to pass through this area.  What is your opinion about Kony and the future of the LRA?  Do you think he’ll ever come back to Uganda?

B: Absolutely Kony is gone.  Absolutely.  One of my sons came home from the bush—12 years he was in the bush—and he said it’s all done.  Kony has no man power.  Rebels are escaping day and night.  Unless he recruits many more people, Kony will not come back to this area.