Past Partner
2016 - 2022
LUWODEA
Kamuli, Uganda

LUWODEA (Lubengoa Women’s Development Association) was founded in 2003 to improve economic opportunities for HIV positive women in the rural Kamuli District of Uganda.
Project Overview
Food Security and Empowerment (FSE): Goals of the FSE project were to improve access to food and nutrition for rural women living with HIV/AIDS, empower women with leadership skills, promote entrepreneurship skills among the rural women through selling of surplus harvest, and to promote teamwork among the beneficiaries to encourage knowledge the and skill sharing. 32 women selected as extension workers and trained in modern farming methods. Each of these women then served as a trainer for an additional 10 women, sharing their knowledge and skills. Women created savings groups to access loans to purchase supplies and marketed produce collectively to obtain better prices. In the second phase of the project a demonstration farm was purchased, serving as an educational hub for organic farming for surrounding schools and community groups.
Menstrual Hygiene: The Menstrual Hygiene Project aimed to reduce the stigma surrounding menstruation and improve school attendance for girls. As part of the initiative, LUWODEA purchased sewing machines and trained 60 women in their use, empowering them to create sustainable menstrual products, ultimately producing over 100 pads per month. These Nzuri Days pads were sold or given to female students for free. The project also included reproductive health workshops in schools, followed by radio programs that disseminated crucial menstrual health information during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Soap Making Enterprise: In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, LUWODEA pivoted to address the needs of their community and organized micro trainings for 25 women in the manufacturing of bar and liquid soap. The soap making enterprise provided an alternative sustainable income to the women beneficiaries who were unable to work in pad production during Uganda’s prolonged lockdown period.