Mwesige Wilson building a new house

Wilson’s kilt has become a reminder to me of why Villages Connected’s work is so important. For centuries, western societies have had the ability to communicate their knowledge, potential, beliefs and stories to a global audience but only now do Africans have the opportunity to showcase their potential & knowledge globally thanks to technological breakthroughs that allow Africans to access the internet via cell networks.

With these advances in technology, Villages Connected Fort Portal is not only able to show the opportunities within their community but also, the change investments within opportunistic Africans and their businesses creates. In fact, for all investments or contributions received, Villages Connected creates a success story showing exactly where money has gone and what impact it has on the lives of the recipients such as Wilson.

Wilson is a grade ten student who owns a livestock farm. He was introduced to us by Camp Uganda, an organization that empowers youth to save endangered chimpanzees. Haida Bolton, founder of Camp Uganda, first met Wilson in 2009 when he attended Camp Uganda with his school’s wildlife club. Haida learned that he was orphaned at the age of four and was raised by his grandfather. His grandfather was able to raise enough funds to send him to school when he was 11 years old. When Haida met Wilson he was 17 and one of the brightest students in his grade seven class. He longed to be a doctor so he could prevent other children from losing their parents to unnecessary diseases. However, Wilson could not afford to go to high school.

Fortunately, a group of Canadian people pooled their funds together to help Wilson attend one of the best and oldest high schools in Fort Portal, Nyakasura Secondary. Nyakasura is a private school, started in the early 1900’s by a Scotsman and the reason for Wilson’s impressive dress code.

To sustain himself and his grandfather, Wilson started a poultry and pig farm but while away at school all the pigs contracted a disease and died. Now burdened with using savings to buy new pigs and to replace an aging farmhouse, Wilson contacted Haida for financial support. Haida jumped on it and raised the funds to invest in a new house for Wilson.

To see the change this investment has created, watch the video and to help create another success story through investment, click here

Wilson wearing his kilt

Doreen - a Villages Connected microentrepreneur

One of the most striking things about someone’s first glimpse of Africa is colour.  There are majestic landscapes, vibrant markets and best of all, colourful personalities.  In the middle of this however, one finds something beautifully African: textile traditions that defy the colour spectrum.

Whether referred to as kitinge, batengi or pagne, cotton wax fabrics with their wild and vibrant colors are both popular and spectacular.  With varying degrees of quality in weaving and printing and even greater differences in style and design, a good connoisseur of these cloths will pick just the right bolt to turn into fashionable garments as distinct as the cultures themselves.

And that is the market in which Doreen is breaking into with her new business.  Identified by Villages Connected Fort Portal media co-op members as a micro-enterprise with promise, Doreen is seeking a 1 million Ugandan shilling loan (about $450 Canadian) to expand her business and continue to support her family. To expand she will invest C$160 to purchase a greater variety of kitenge. The other C$290 will be used to diversify and add shoes to her product line – this is on request from many of her customers.

A former nurse, Doreen’s business has already positively changed her life – and with a greater investment into the enterprise, she is confident she can make an even greater difference for herself, her children and her community. She aims to also provide future employment to others by using her business skills and revenue to create other income generating projects in her community.

With great confidence in Doreen’s ability to deliver on her business aspirations, Villages Connected Fort Portal has already issued the first phase of the loan. While she is putting this part of the loan to work for her business, we are looking for an additional 600,000 Ugandan shilligs (about C$290) from investors to assist her in meeting her full expansion.

To support Doreen or microentrepreneurs like her, watch the video and turn your dollars into an investment by clicking here.

“Tell me and I forget.

Teach me and I remember.

Involve me and I learn.”

–Benjamin Franklin

One of the fundamental values held by Villages Connected is that through participatory means – that is, by truly working together – we can achieve our goals of demonstrating potential through humanity.  This of course requires concerted effort, quite a bit of vision and a willingness to get involved.

Moureen: Villages Connected Fort Portal media co-op member and new intern!

It also takes people like Moureen Kanyunyuzi to accept the challenge of stepping out of her classroom at Mountains of the Moon University and stepping up in her role as microfinance committee chair with Villages Connected Fort Portal media co-op by turning this experience into a two-month long field placement.

Beginning at the end of this term, Moureen will embark full-time with Villages Connected as an intern working on enhancing and expanding the microfinance products delivered by the Fort Portal media co-op.  Moureen is a second year student in the BSc. Banking and Development Finance, has already completed another internship with a microfinance institution in Fort Portal, and just last year, was a key onsite-coordinator for Villages Connected during the initial set up of the co-op.

“My career aspirations are to eventually design management systems for financial institutions. Immediately after my graduation, I would like to work in a financial institution dealing with the unbanked population – to find out why some people don’t receive financial services and find a way to reduce that number.”

Moureen explains that Mountains of the Moon University approved the internship with Villages Connected because it work is relevant to her field of study, and, most especially with plans to develop savings products for members, it is a great opportunity for her to expand on her research.

Moureen and other media co-op members working on product development

“For my studies, my goal in this placement is to enhance my knowledge of the relationship between saving product designs and women’s savings behaviour. This will help to design products that suit the women’s savings behaviour in rural areas.”  She adds, “It will help me to translate the theoretical concepts attained in school into the practical.”

With the media co-op’s microfinance loans moving forward and more microentrepreneurs demonstrating interest in working with Villages Connected, Moureen’s work and research is a timely fit.

Congratulations Moureen!  Villages Connected is glad be learning together with you.

One of our goals is to create media that matters – media that is at once positive, compelling and authentic; media that shares our values as interconnected humans. The missing piece in the story of powerful media has been the voices of people who must now live with the representation decided upon by others. It is time to let those voices tell the story.

Last week, members of the Villages Connected Fort Portal media co-op in Uganda came together to watch the Kony 2012 video and then turned the cameras on themselves to capture their discussion to share this with the world.

No frills, no hype, no hidden agenda. What you get is their reactions and personal opinions – their voices finally heard as the world turns their eyes upon their country. There is a clear message about the current situation in the country, the present focus and the desire for a more prosperous future.

This is media that matters.

So, if the Kony 2012 campaign is a success, and somehow Kony is captured or killed, will it then be mission accomplished for the millions that participated in the campaign? Will they celebrate? After all, the evildoer is gone and now everyone can live happily ever after.

Wrong!

The hunt for Kony diverts the attention from the real problem in Africa: inequality.

The root cause is that poor villagers are vulnerable economically and man and nature can so easily exploit their weaknesses. Many of these villagers cannot even afford mosquito nets to protect themselves from malaria – which has killed many more people than Kony has. But this fact is one that we somehow accept more easily.

The real enemy is the world turning a blind eye to the importance of investing in Africa as a way to turn inequality on its head.  Supporting businesses that build strong economies give the power to the people to protect themselves socially and economically from “Konys” and malaria-mosquitoes.

We want to see a different outcome, but we too often fail to bear witness to the potential of opportunities in Africa.

Ugandan kids, full of life, in school and ready to show us the potential of Africa.

Too many times, Western organizations go to Africa to find problems.  People start organizations to address these problems, then sensationalize them to spread the word to millions of people to raise funds. What is the result:  a million negative messages about Africa being war-torn, emaciated, helpless etc.

Elsewhere in the world opportunities attract investors. The worlds economic system is driven by investors – if these investors don’t have confidence that a business exists in a stable environment and can flourish, guess what, they won’t invest. Media and aid organizations feed us endless messages about the problems of Africa – not a picture to attract investors for sure. However, this is not the reality for most of Africa – and definitely not in Uganda where Kony and his cronies actually left years ago.

Opportunities are there and waiting for investors.

While we don’t see the messages, there are countless everyday people seizing opportunities, starting businesses, developing new techniques, giving rise to new products.  We may not hear about people working hard to show they have products to sell, but they are many!

This message just isn’t communicated because everyday people don’t have millions of dollars to launch marketing campaigns.

Instead, these everyday people seem to get food packages, donations to band-aid the real issues, and – now – millions of dollars spent on a marketing initiative to make a warlord famous.  Kony has killed 60 000 kids.  Economic equality is killing millions and will continue to do so unless we stand up and create a real victory over inequality.

We need to invest in the countless viable African businesses – big and small – so that everyday Africans can grow their local economies. They will then be able to protect themselves socially and economically and become less vulnerable to the Konys of the world.

With a successful Kony 2012 campaign, we may neutralize this “Kony”, but ten years from now there may be another “Kony”.

It really saddens me that millions of dollars will make a criminal famous, when millions of people in Uganda and a billion people in Africa can radically change their long-term economic well-being – and by default the negative perceptions of Africa – with a fraction of that money.

In our work at Villages Connected, we invest in businesses, share stories of the everyday opportunities.  Our work creates an environment that could lead to a prosperous future for at least 200 000 people in Fort Portal alone.  We make Fort Portal a little more famous in our own way.  Yet it’s the people, the businesses, the opportunities for investment that have center stage in making the real difference.

Imagine the possibilities if our approach was replicated elsewhere? .

No war, no negativity, no handouts, no band-aids, no space for the Konys of the world.   An end to the inequality.

What I know from my experience is this: investing in communities and bearing witness to the potential – this is the solution.

Villages Connected International is a registered non-profit that combines the tools of media, marketing and micro-finance to unlock the potential of global and local values-based partnerships. Check us out on www.villagesconnected.org

The video attached alternates between scenes from the restaurant and Prisca’s own presentation to the Villages Connected Fort Portal media co-op. Her presentation of the needs of the restaurant was done as part of an exercise in demonstrating business needs that the media co-op could meet with its microfinance fund – it is, in fact, one of the steps in the media-based loan application process. (Make no mistake: when she says “they” in that video she actually means herself!)

Maintaining and growing the Peace Restaurant is very close to her heart. It was Prisca, the second of four siblings, who inherited her mother’s restaurant when both her parents died within a few months of each other. What was a labor of love for her mother, is now hers to continue in the same tradition. The business revenues not directly reinvested in the restaurant are instead invested in her own education, in the support of her siblings and in employing others – mostly women – in her own community.

The Villages Connected investment made in the restaurant was focused on aesthetics and functionality – two elements that Prisca identified as necessary to increase the profitability of the business. Prisca wanted to give the restaurant a facelift so as to attract more customers in the taxi park and to make some repairs. The restaurant also needed additional equipment, such as pots, utensils, plates, etc, so they could operate more efficiently onsite and have the ability to handle outside catering.

Now that the investment into her business has been made, her words from her initial Villages Connected application almost a year ago resonate in a way that shows this young entrepreneur is only just beginning. On why it was important for her to take part in Villages Connected, Prisca wrote:

“It is going to help me put up my business through financial assistance, in that I do not sit back and look on after I have finished my degree, thus helping me to be a job creator rather than a job seeker.”

It isn’t hard to see the true value of this investment and the reach of its returns – for Prisca and the Peace Restaurant.

The media co-op started with a small micro-finance seed fund.  The co-op members, under the leadership of the micro-finance committee, worked together to identify small businesses that could benefit from a capital investment and whose owners shared the values of the co-op.  With the businesses identified, the co-op held a special ceremony gathering some 25 people where they celebrated issuing these first loans.

The ceremony was presided by Muzigiti Geoffrey Baluku, president of the Villages Connected Fort Portal media co-op, and the funds handed over to the recipients by Mugisa Herbert, Chairman LC3 South Division.

Villages Connected Media Co-op member and chair of the micro-finance committee, Kanyunyuzi Moureen , explained the LC3 chairman was asked to take this role in the ceremony to represent the local government and its support of Villages Connected and “in order to acknowledge the work we have started doing for the community of Fort-Portal.”

“The Loan recipients were very happy and highly motivated to pursue their desired dream goals. And they promise to work harder to help themselves and the community as a whole” added Moureen.  “It was a great achievement for me personally and Villages Connected Fort-Portal since it was the first time to issue loans from our seed fund.”

Microfinance Committee Chair Moureen assisting loan recipient Joy in filling out her loan agreement

The loans were issued for a restaurant, an event decorator/planner business, a liquor store/lounge, a dairy and a community garden and agricultural training organization.  The six loans totaled $2,000 CAD.  The terms and interest rates were set by the members and agreed to by the recipients who – more than 4 months in – have achieved a 100% repayment rate.

“This comes at a time when it’s increasingly becoming difficult to access credit especially during these difficult times of high inflation rates in our country Uganda.  Therefore, this is a big opportunity for us […] to invest in our [local] businesses so that as our businesses grow, [so] we will be able to showcase our potential and that of our community.” — Muzigiti Geoffrey Baluku President-VC-Fort Portal

Micro-loan recipient Moreen receiving the funds to make her dairy business grow

Take the picture below from co-op member Jamiah.

@Jamiah / Villages Connected

“The picture was under the theme “The strength of our community”.  It is showing matooke and a bike. That picture was taken in Kabundaire at the roadside where matooke sellers gather. 

As the culture dictates, the staple food for the Batooro is Matooke. [In matooke trade] the major people involved are the middlemen who use their bicycles to [bring] the matooke to [the market and] their final consumers.  Also the reason for taking the roadside matooke sellers is because of reduced taxes collected from them as compared to the sellers in the main Market.

The picture is important because it shows food items we have in the region.  It informs the visitors that when you come [to Fort Portal], you will leave knowing the taste of our staple food: matooke.”

—

co-op member Jamiah

To better understand the strength of this photo – because it’s not just a pretty food photo and a description to take lightly – you must know who the photographer is.  Jamiah recently graduated from university with a degree in horticulture management and entrepreneurship.  He is also a farmer.

Matooke is not just a staple food in Uganda, but one of the recognized national dishes.  The Batooro peoples of Uganda inhabit the Kabarole and Kasese districts where Fort Portal is located.  Traditionally, the Batooro economy was based on agricultural and pastoral activities.  One of the main crops produced is the matooke – a green banana or plantain – which is usually boiled or mashed and then steamed and served on a banana leaf.  Alongside millet, sorghum and peas, it is an important part of the local economy and everyday diet.

How important is matooke to the average Ugandan?  Per capita, Ugandans consume 172 kg per year.  That’s 18% of their caloric intake – making them the largest consumers AND producers in the world.  And with the market for matooke being mostly local, the carbon footprint (or bicycle print as it were) is an environmentalist’s dream.  No need for a buy local campaign.

June 25, 2010: VC-Fort Portal co-op members received their certificates for completion

Dear Supporters:

First and foremost I want to thank you for your generous support on behalf of Villages Connected International and our whole team in Fort Portal, Uganda.  Your support made it possible to set-up and equip a Villages Connected media co-operative in Fort Portal as well as to provide the co-operative with a $2000 micro-finance fund. Thanks to your support this unknown African community is now able to show the world that opportunity is plentiful, that Africa is a great investment and ready to create value-based partnerships globally.

Even though we were not in the limelight the last six months we have been very busy. I want to take the time to give you a quick update of what we have been doing and what you can look forward to see from us in the coming months.

Our Canadian team left Fort Portal in July. While Caroline and Greg went back to Cameroon to finish their contract with CUSO-VSO, Ernie and I returned to Canada. We arrived in Canada with more than a hundred hours of footage, hundreds of pictures and a strong commitment to our first media co-op in Fort Portal.

In Uganda, Villages Connected Fort Portal and its 21 members took the reigns and with our support, worked out the organizational kinks to make this idea we had a reality. See, we took over equipment, did some training and communicated our vision, but at the end of the day VC Fort Portal belongs to its members and only they can make it fit like a glove. And wow, did they make it fit.

Hardworking crew: VC-Fort Portal co-op members at the entrance of their office

They have restructured the leadership and management teams to reflect commitment, talent and interest. Geoffrey Muzigiti, Micro-Finance Lecturer at a local university was elected President. He is supported by directors Margaret Kemigisa (Award winning Social Entrepreneur) Vice-President and Annet Kugonza (Teacher) as secretary. To oversee day-to-day operations in media and micro-finance they have elected a five member Management Committee: Goldino (Chairman), Gilbert (Vice Chair), Mourreen (Micro-finance) Prisca (Secretary) and Lawrence (Media). In need of office space, but with limited resources as a start-up, the team met with Local Member of Parliament, Alex Ruhunda for advice and support. He was so impressed with the group and their mission through Villages Connected, that he offered to provide them with paid office space for six months.

With committed leadership, an office and a paid part time office manager, Villages Connected Fort Portal has achieved the following highlights:

-        Issued its first micro-loans to six businesses in Fort Portal with a 100 percent of monthly installments paid back

-        Grew its membership base to more than 50

-        Has set-up its first media training class with ten new members.

-        Approved and documented 5 new businesses, with footage being edited and to be distributed for funding in the coming weeks.

Our Canadian team and I have been working behind the scenes editing footage, supporting VC Fort Portal and structuring Villages Connected International, now fully registered and incorporated.

Structurally everything in place, both here in Canada and in Uganda, we are exited to declare 2012 the year of Villages Connected. In the next coming weeks we will re-launch our blog and distribute Fort Portal business opportunity videos that will provide you with exciting investment opportunities. Furthermore, in February, we will distribute the world’s first participatory ad created for Tigh-Na-Mara Resort Spa & Conference Centre in partnership with VC Fort Portal.

From every angle: VC-Fort Portal co-op members capturing MP Alex Ruhunda special event

Villages Connected International and Villages Connected Fort Portal will also hit the road in February to start sharing the stories of Africans ready, committed and capable of creating mutually beneficial economic partnerships with you. Please let us know if you belong to a service group, have a group of socially conscious friends or are part of a socially responsible business that wants to discover an Africa full of opportunity.

Thanks very much for being a part of this exciting journey on route to realize our vision of a global village where humanity, prosperity and economic growth are interconnected.

With respect,

de Villiers

Or at least that is what has consumed the last few weeks.

Each of the co-op members had been tasked with a video or photo essay assignment as part of their training:  to document a business idea that could be funded by the co-op through its microfinance fund.  The members were to use their new interview skills, learn about the business and use the media they create as a sort of visual loan application.

By the time the group convened, there were 17 businesses proposed for Villages Connected loans, and many more in the works.

co-member Geoffrey proposed helping a retail shop grow using the first round of microfinance loans

co-member Prisca proposed her restaurant for the first round of microfinance loans

Like everything we’ve done here, the process of evaluation was developed by our co-op members.  It was simple and flexible, yet structured.

First, each of the media co-op members presented their video or photo essay to the group.  Then the group members, acting as first evaluators of the loan application, asked the presenters some truly tough questions.  They wanted to be sure that the business ideas were viable and, therefore, that their microfinance fund would be well used.

From there, the group voted for their 3 choices for the first round – the businesses they thought would be good candidates for the microloans. This brought the number down to 13 applications.

A core group of members attended an additional training session to learn more about how to do business assessments and how to make preliminary financial analysis of the businesses.  Armed with an extensive questionnaire, members worked in pairs, visiting the business owners, and took charge of the assessment process. In the end, they were able to figure out that some of the application, while very interesting, were not good candidates for the first round of lending. Others, they decided, would make excellent clients.

co-op member Lawrence interviews one of the applicants for a microfinance loan

The biggest difficulty?  The size of the microloan fund.

The original plan, and what we at Villages Connected had aimed for, was to provide loans to 10 businesses as a starting point.  The 10 would demonstrate just how powerful combining media and microfinance could be.  However, our fundraising efforts fell short of what was needed.  So only 4 businesses will be able to gain access to the microfinance fund in round 1.

The group will decide which four start things rolling.

Once they do, these four businesses will not only have passionate Villages Connected media co-operative members running them.  They will also have the support of their equally dynamic fellow media co-op members.  Together they will help the businesses take flight and monitor its progress using the cameras in their hands.