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New Branch Launched in Lamwo

In 2021 Seed Effect received a grant from the Excellence in Giving Kingdom Giving Fund to help launch three new branches in the three remaining refugee settlements in northern Uganda over the next two years. Read below for more details about the most recent Seed Effect launch!

Access to Christ-centered economic empowerment is now more important for refugees than ever before. As economic conditions worsen, the demand for Seed Effect’s program continues to dramatically increase.

In the Annual Report, we stated our goal of launching two new branches in 2022, and we are thrilled to announce that because of your faithful and generous support, we have reached that goal!

In Q1 2022, we launched the Rhino Branch and in Q3 2022, we launched Lamwo Branch!

People living in poverty are capable

We believe with the right tools, the opportunity to work, and the support of Christ-centered community, people living in material poverty can and want to provide for their family with dignity.

Seed Effect member, Okeny Pius, fled Lobone in South Sudan after some of his family members and relatives were killed when the war broke out in 2017. He eventually made his way to Palabek Refugee Settlement Camp, Lamwo District in Uganda where he now lives with his wife and six children.

“I knew fleeing to Uganda would be an opportunity to have a better life, but to my surprise, things were tough adjusting to this new place because the culture, norms and environment are all different. One thing that encouraged me was the food ration and food availability, until last year when the food ration started dropping and life started getting tougher and more difficult for me and my family. I could only afford a meal a day, yet there was a lot of things pressing my family in terms of basic needs.

When I joined a Seed Effect Savings and Loan group, I started learning from the group on how to save and now I have developed a savings culture which I used to not have. After four weeks of savings in the group, I borrowed some money from the group which I used for buying onion seed variety and I planted the onions. Early this month I harvested the onions and was able to sell some and save some onions for the next planting season.

When you borrow from the group you are expected to pay back with interest, so I used the money from the sale of the onions for paying back the loan.” 

Restored relationships bring transformation

We believe broken relationships are the root of poverty and so, introducing people to Jesus is essential for true transformation and restoration.

Abolo Mary has found a safe place within her new Seed Effect Savings and Loan Group community:

“I joined Kisa Ber group because they have honest members. I used to have a challenge of saving money in my house, and sometimes I would use the money in un-planned ways. Now I can save my money in the group safely, which I can use in the future.

 

My life has changed after joining the Kisa Ber Savings and Loan Group. My relationship with fellow group members has improved greatly through sharing the word of God in the Bible study. I encourage other people who have not joined the group to also join the group.”

Senior Field Officer, Erick Okwera, shared,

“This work is programmed by the Lord. The demand for the service is immense and it is so exciting to see the community self-mobilize themselves to save their money. The savings and loan groups are being appreciated by the local people and leadership.”

Thank you for your commitment to see the world’s most insecure and hard to reach communities stabilized through economic empowerment and the hope of Jesus Christ!

Join The Movement

Together we can bring hope and opportunity to the hard places and empower more refugees and those living in material poverty to know Jesus and provide for their families with dignity.

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Jan 8, 2023

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