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Is it bananas? Busoga Trust's Approach to Eradicating Poverty in Rural Uganda

Busoga Trust’s mission is to eradicate poverty in the rural areas of the country through effective, quality, and timely service delivery; to achieve this, a multi-sectorial approach has been adopted in the different projects which Busoga Trust is handling in the various communities all over Uganda addressing social, economic, environmental, and health aspects.


Through these programs, many communities including schools have been greatly impacted in various fields. Many communities now have access to safe, clean water which has improved the health of these communities by causing a reduction in water-borne diseases and infections, pupils in schools have not only been trained in basic menstrual hygiene management but also on how to manage puberty/adolescence; this has significantly increased the enrolment in schools and caused a great reduction in school drop-outs and early marriages.


On the economic aspect, fruit tree planting and other food crops have been supplied in communities as a way of tackling the food insecurity which is prevailing in communities as a way of boosting their standards of living through income generation. By doing so, these communities are able to contribute to the operation and maintenance (O&M) of their water sources thereby boosting the Payment by Results Program (PBR) which is Busoga Trust’s flagship water source maintenance program. As these fruit trees provide food and income, they also conserve the environment as they grow canopies which provide shade to the soil and also boost Biodiversity.


Below is a testimony from one of the communities that have benefited from these programs.

Meet Hassan Tulyanabo, 48 years of age from Kidago Village, Nambale sub-county in Iganga District:


“I am so grateful for how Busoga Trust has changed not only my life but also our community at large; when Busoga Trust repaired our Borehole they asked us to contribute user fees towards the operation and maintenance (O&M) of our borehole which I felt like a burden due to the large family that I had to take care of, but then they supplied me with 108 Banana Suckers which I planted and increased my income generation and I was able to happily pay the user fees, pay school fees for my children and also get food for my family,”
“Thank you Busoga Trust for bringing us safe water and the banana suckers which have improved our livelihoods."




Written by Moses Waibi and Winnie Namukose

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