Empowering Women in Uganda

Put Your Money to Good Work

Sarah Lesar, Elizabeth Rodriguez, and Annette Ecila (far right) visit Beth’s hair salon.

Beth Tumuhairwe is a 53-year-old widow who owns a hair salon in Western Uganda. The income from the salon and the banana plantation allowed her to raise three children all by herself. When our team met Beth in 2023, she said that she started the salon because “business was in her nature”. She took a US$1,030 loan from Kigarama Farmers SACCO to buy supplies for her business. We asked Beth about the teenagers present in her salon (see photo). She laughed and explained that she was training young women to become hair stylists and how to use hair products safely: “They will have a chance to learn a good skill and make some money for themselves”. As it turns out, investing in microbusinesses not only helps the entrepreneurs, but has ripple effects on the entire community. Contact us to learn how your investment can help people like Beth.

Feature Story

Gender Equity Is Advanced by Our MFI Partner in Uganda

By Annette Ecila

Annette Ecila (center) visiting with Kigarama Farmers SACCO management.

My country, Uganda, is often referred to as the “Pearl of Africa” due to its remarkable natural beauty, diverse landscapes, and rich cultural heritage. It is also a country where people cannot easily get a job, so they are forced to go into business for themselves. Self-employment means that the demand for credit is quite high. That is why I was happy to become Envest’s East Africa Regional Representative and connect with Ugandan microfinance institutions. Our work has helped so many end-borrowers improve their lives and develop their communities. But nothing makes me happy more than to see Ugandan women and girls empowered and supported by local MFIs such as Kigarama Farmers SACCO. Read more

Investor Spotlight

John Giegel – a Valuable Mentor and Board Member

By Jon Bishop

I first met John Giegel in 2007 when he visited Envest’s table at a progressive fair in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Envest appealed to his sense of using market forces for social justice and economic empowerment. He asked all the right questions and offered excellent insights. The fit between John’s talents and Envest’s needs was obvious, and he joined the Envest board shortly thereafter. Read more

Sustainable Investing

At the end of June our team members from Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, and Wisconsin gathered in beautiful Chicago to attend US SIF’s Forum 2024, which we proudly sponsored. The conference attracted over 300 socially focused investment professionals from across the United States. It was a true privilege to share the microfinance impact with leaders in sustainable investing and how they can enhance ESG opportunities for our partners in 11 countries.

Growth Report

Envest’s assets have grown steadily over the years (see graphic above), even during the pandemic. A second fund, Envest Plus, was created in October 2023 to complement Envest Microfinance Fund when seven investors seeded the new fund with $1.5 million. Both funds are managed by Envest Microfinance Cooperative, and both are 97% deployed, which means that the vast majority of assets are invested with our 20+ MFI partners on four continents.