Uritah is a 60-year-old widow with six grown children, and four grandchildren who live with her. Before joining Rooted Wisdom, she supported herself by managing a few local pigs and chickens. Her children would send her small sums of money when they could, though it was never sufficient to meet all of the family’s needs. Uritah worked in her garden every day to provide her family with something to eat, and sold the little that was left over to try to buy soap and other basic necessities. Uritah always felt that she had a lot of potential but lacked the knowledge and training necessary to grow her business and better support her family.
Then, Uritah joined Rooted Wisdom in 2015 and received one piglet through a program that aims to increase parents’ income to facilitate paying for their children’s school fees. Seeing Uritah’s diligence and commitment through this project, Rooted Wisdom gave her a second project with three additional piglets a year later. Since then, her pig business has grown to nearly 100 pigs. Selling these pigs for income, Uritah has earned over $1,709! She was able to pay for her daughter’s surgery and medications, finance and construct the pigsty and chicken house, and pay her grandchildren’s school fees, all while still saving money for the future. Rooted Wisdom partnered again with Uritah in 2017, providing her with the seeds of poultry and mango tree businesses. Although she received just 10 chickens initially, Uritah used a local hatching method learned through an Rooted Wisdom workshop and has expanded her business to 45 chickens (and expects her first mango harvest in December!). Uritah went on to join Rooted Wisdom’s Community Development Associations (CDA) program in 2018, learning improved agricultural methods such as crop production, livestock and business planning, and management, and was able to increase her crops using a method of intercropping she learned in the program.
I can’t even explain how these projects helped me, but what I can say is that everything I own in my life is because of Rooted Wisdom projects and the donors that came alongside me. These days I hardly worry about my grandkids' school fees and I even installed solar lights in my house! Before, sometimes we would eat in the dark at night because we had no money to buy lamps or candles. My dream is to buy my own piece of land where I can construct a house, continue to expand my businesses, and plant a banana plantation. I’m so thankful for all services and programs that Rooted Wisdom and its supporters have provided. They have given me a second chance at life. Who would have done all this for me but Rooted Wisdom?”
When COVID-19 devastated her family, along with so many others, Uritah was forced to sell all of her chickens. However, she recently received a business startup kit from Rooted Wisdom’s Women’s Enterprise Training Program and has put that towards purchasing 100 new chickens to rebuild her business.
70% of our female graduates have launched a new business or expanded a current business within 6-9 months of completing the program