It all started in early 2023, when Ayodo Agnes Mary, in a group of other 21 older women from Adoku village Serere district, came to WAGRAU office with a simple request: “We want to work too.” These were women who had lived long, hard lives many without land, income or recognition, BUT they had not lost hope.
They had seen other groups benefit from WAGRAU’s Economic Empowerment Program and wanted to be included.
The Test of Commitment
Since the start of the farming season had passed, WAGRAU asked them to start small: begin saving collectively from day labor, which they heeded to. WAGRAU provides guidance, oversight and acts as an interest free bank for groups.
By July, only six women remained — six who chose sacrifice over handouts, and Ayodo was one of them. They were given a chance to prove themselves, and they did.
From Seeds to Success
WAGRAU hired 1.5 acres for the group in the second season which starts in the month of August. Using seeds provided by WAGRAU, they collectively planted and cultivated SimSim. After harvest, Ayodo used her share of the earnings to buy a female piglet and rent a piece of land. Participants are required to save some, and reinvest some, with guidance, oversight and encouragement.
By March 2024, she had grown and sold more SimSim, earning UGX 524,000. She used this to reinvest in her farming and saved UGX 300,000.
Later in 2024, her millet harvest brought in UGX 324,000, and her savings kept on growing. Around the same time, her Pig gave birth to six piglets, which she sold for UGX 360,000.
No gain without sweat
By early 2025, Ayodo had saved a total of UGX 860,000, and proudly bought a cow—a milestone she never thought possible. Her pig is pregnant again, and she plans to raise and sell the next litter at an even better price.
Her next target
Motivated by her successes, Ayodo continues to participate in her Economic Empowerment group with WAGRAU (WAGRAU currently has 8) and investing in her projects.
As more money keeps trickling in, her next target is to buy a second cow which she hopes will multiply.
Her Ultimate dream
Ayodo dreams of owning her own land. She said ‘’with two cows and continued farming, I can buy land of my own by the end of 2025. Not just for me, but for the good of my children’s future.”
She believes that the land will increase her production and therefore have the ability to engage in commercial economic activities in agriculture and settlement.
Why Land Matters
In Uganda, despite having policy and legal protections in place, cultural norms and gender inequalities disenfranchise women like Ayodo and her children from having a right to family land.
As she says: “I failed in marriage, and as such, my children and I lost any opportunity to ever own family land.”
In rural Uganda—and across Africa—land is everything. It’s food, security, inheritance, identity.
The Impact of Empowerment
Ayodo Joyce Mary is more than a beneficiary — she is proof that even a small opportunity, when met with dedication, can grow into a powerful transformation.
Through WAGRAU’s Economic Empowerment Program, she has gone from struggling to save a few thousand shillings, to raising livestock, planting for profit, and charting a path to land ownership.
Her story reminds us that when women are trusted, included, and supported—they don’t just survive. They thrive.
Written by: Oluka Sylvia