Apac Microloan
Project Proposal
Apac, Uganda
Project Background
Pastor Butch Dodzweit has been serving a group of internally displaced people (IDP) in an area of
Northern Uganda known as Apac for over 12 years. Some of the people he is helping include former
child soldiers from the Lord’s Resistance Army, child-led households and thousands of widows and
orphaned children hard hit by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. This remote rural area is home to an incredible
group of women (many of whom are AIDS widows) who are surviving on little to no support.
Beginning in 2009 Bright Hope has partnered with Eagle’s Nest Ministries to develop a micro-loan and
job skills training program to give the people in Apac hope for the future. This program is designed as a
strategic intervention to reduce household poverty and stimulate socio- economic development for
these families.
Project Update
Currently, micro-loan beneficiaries are engaged in different agro-based economic activities like growing
simsim, groundnuts, maize, sunflowers, vegetables, onions, soybeans, tomatoes and cabbages. These
crops are grown for both home consumption and commercial purposes. Some beneficiaries are engaged
in preparing porridge to sell to those in need of food, while others buy fish from lakeshores and sell to
local communities to provide them with a balance diet. The youth are also busy making and burning
bricks to sell to people so that they can build
permanent houses. This has enabled
microfinance Beneficiaries to be able to feed
their families, afford treatment for health care,
and build permanent residential houses. It has
also allowed them to cost-share in community
projects like maintaining community roads,
Boreholes, health centers and schools that levy
minimum fees. Micro-loan recipients have also
demonstrated an increase in giving to their local
church. This increase has enabled the church to
help more people who are poor in their area and
express the love of Jesus. Church members are
now busy building permanent churches using
locally generated resources that are stimulated
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by the Microfinance program. Churches are expressing support for one another during these endeavors.
Elderly people and widows are being ministered to and a
revival is taking place within the church.
The Micro-loan project is reducing poverty and improving
the standard of living of the beneficiaries. The plan for 2012
is to continue to strengthen the foundations for
sustainability of the Micro-finance project.
Lives Impacted
There are currently 100 loan beneficiaries in this program.
The average Ugandan home includes seven people enabling
700 people to be significantly impacted by the micro-loan
program. When the head of the household receives a micro loan
to start a business it impacts everyone under the roof. With more income mothers are able to provide
adequate nutrition for their growing children. The strain to pay for education disappears and families
can begin to save.
Project Budget
The project budget is for $27,400 which will cover training for the beneficiaries, new loans, logistical
support, and administrative costs to run the program.
BUDGET FOR MICROFINANCE ACTIVITIES 2012
ACTIVITIES
Total
TRAININGS
3 Training Workshops for Beneficiaries
Contact persons & Church Leaders Meeting
2,740
1,370
Follow up Site Visits
685
Stationery & consumables
548
MICROFINANCE
new loan Disbursements ($73 per loan)
7,343
AIDS ORPHAN EDUCATION
Aids Orphan Education Support
2,877
LOGISTICS
Motorcycle
2,466
Computer
1,644
Fuel
329
ADMINISTRATIVE COST
Reporting expenses
1,480
Local Project Management
5,918
TOTAL
27,400
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Budget Narrative:
Trainings:
Increased training for beneficiaries and church leaders as well as receive consulting from those
with technical skills on Agri-business, value addition to agricultural products and business skills.
Identifying and developing some role model farmers from within the beneficiaries of the microfinance project so that their skills, talents and approach can be replicated within the current
loan recipients as well as for future recipients.
Acquiring proper veterinary and agricultural extension
services, provided by professionals, in order to maximize
productivity for the beneficiaries.
Microfinance:
Establishing viable marketing channels for agricultural
products need to be established, secured and leveraged in
order to maximize profits and increase household income.
Having availability to increase loan amounts provided to
beneficiaries in order to expand their productivity and
business potential.
Aids Orphan Education
Supplementing beneficiaries’ efforts in educating their
children and those left behind through tuition assistance
and school supplies.
Administration / Logistics:
Providing logistic support for implementing the project including the purchase of a motorcycle
for field visits, training, and a computer and printer for managing and documenting the
program.
Next Steps:
By providing $274 a family can receive a microloan and support the education of their families. This
program provides assistance in building a sustainable future for their families.
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