In all smiles, Angela Piranock welcomed the AVSI Foundation team and set up a round-chair-seating arrangement under a tree shade adjacent to her grass thatched hut smeared in a silver-like mineral. Other huts belonging to her mother and brother surround her house, symbolising their family's togetherness.
Angela is a 35-year-old mother of one daughter residing in Rwengabi Village, Kikuube District in Western Uganda, with ten household members including her mother and seven of her four brothers’ children.
“With less support, all the responsibilities lie on my shoulders, especially with providing basic needs for a ten-member household. I sacrificed my intimate relationship to take care of my brothers’ children and sick mother with a medical condition of hernia,” declares Angela.
Initially, her household encountered numerous difficulties ranging from inadequate access to basic needs, especially food and school fees. She also lacked sufficient land, which resulted in her renting an acre of land at a cost of UGX 300,000 (78 Euros) per planting season in order to cultivate beans and maize. The accumulated profits were allocated to household expenses such as access to energy, health care, food, school fees, clothing. Additionally, she used to run two other small businesses—selling fish and roasted groundnuts—which raked in an average of UGX 70,000 (18 Euros) per week.
In order to obtain energy such as light for her household, Angela spent roughly UGX 1,800 per week on paraffin for the kerosene lantern, torch batteries, and wax candles. “We used poor lighting options that eventually endangered us; for instance, the wax candle once burnt a child at home. It also became costly with time; consequently, we slept in darkness leading to dreadful incidences, including a snake attack and sick patients receiving less attention,” states Angela.
In terms of cooking technologies, Angela’s household utilises a traditional charcoal stove, an energy-saving stove, and a traditionally moulded fireplace for cooking with firewood. She spends approximately UGX 5,000 (1 Euro) a week on firewood, and the energy-saving stove consumes UGX 1,500 worth of charcoal weekly.
“I have the traditional charcoal stove which I purchased for UGX 10,000 (3 Euros) and the energy-saving stove which cost 13,000 (3 Euros), but is more efficient in fuel and time,” confirms Angela.
In July 2023, she enrolled in the Sustainable Market Inclusive Livelihood pathways to Self-Reliance (SMILES) project, where she engaged in sessions such as coaching, financial literacy, pest management and other good agronomic practices. In addition, her household received a phone, UGX 825,000 (217 Euros) in business cash grant, and UGX 117,000 (31 Euros) monthly cash stipend for food for eight months from which she set aside UGX 80,000 (21 Euros) for savings and for food, and the remaining amount for household expenses and to support her small businesses of selling roasted groundnuts and fish. She also used a substantial amount to purchase three bundles of firewood and six basins of charcoal which she utilised for cooking for a period of six weeks.
“In order to diversify my businesses, I utilised UGX 400,000 (104 Euros) of my business cash grant for growing beans and maize. I also added UGX 200,000 (52 Euros) to my roasted groundnuts trade, UGX 100,000 to my fish selling, and set aside UGX 100,000 (26 Euros) for saving,” explains Angela.
Angela recently harvested three and a half hundred-kilogram bags of beans and twelve hundred-kilogram bags of maize from her farming endeavours, which she used both domestically and commercially—earning her UGX 1,230,000 (320 Euros) in one crop season of four months. Her weekly savings have grown to UGX 140,000 (36 Euros).
In August 2024, she purchased a solar system, that contained three light bulbs, a radio, and charging ports, from Bright Life Uganda—one of the private sector actors under the SMILES project. She made an initial deposit of UGX 20,000 (5 Euros) from the proceeds of her farming business. She also paid UGX 14,700 (4 Euros) for a month-long pay-as-you-go plan and continues to pay UGX 3,700 per week, for a total of UGX 314,000 (82 Euros).
"After a coaching session, I noticed I was spending a lot of money on other lighting solutions. To save more and facilitate my children's learning, especially with homework, I decided to invest in solar lights," says Angela.
She is a treasurer in her project group; therefore, the solar light supports her phone charging, provides security, and also allows her to listen to the radio in order to receive news and weather forecasts. She intends to expand her businesses in order to purchase an upgraded solar system that will be able to power a television for her children’s entertainment and charge phones for neighbours for an additional income. Angela also plans to complete her house construction, acquire presentable chairs for the home, and eventually acquire an energy-saving stove that runs on firewood.
About the SMILES project
The Sustainable Market Inclusive Livelihood Pathways to Self-Reliance (SMILES) project is a five-year (November, 2022 – October, 2027) initiative funded by the IKEA Foundation. The project works with 14,000 households (extremely poor refugee and host community) comprising 70,000 individuals in Kyaka II and Kyangwali Refugee Settlements in Western Uganda with the aim of supporting them to become resilient.
The project delivers a graduation model integrated with a Market System Development approach targeting women and youth and their household members. Key sectors include livelihoods, agriculture, food security, protection, energy and environment. The project is implemented by AVSI Foundation in partnership with UNHCR and the Office of the Prime Minister and in a consortium with Innovations for Poverty Action, Renewable Energy, Powering Agriculture and Rural Livelihoods Enhancement (REPARLE), Makerere University Kampala, and DAI Global LLC.
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