Socio-Economic Empowerment

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Socio-Economic Empowerment (SEE) Program

Building resilient livelihoods, restoring dignity, and driving inclusive growth for persons with disabilities, youth, out-of-school girls, and low-income households across Northern Uganda

Three components, one pathway

Programme Design

SEE addresses systemic poverty, exclusion, and vulnerability by integrating financial inclusion, skills development, and asset-based interventions into one mutually reinforcing model, built around persons with disabilities, youth, out-of-school girls, and low-income households

COMPONENT 01

 

Village Savings & Loans Associations

 
“Save Together. Rise Together.”

A community-driven financial inclusion model enabling vulnerable populations to build savings, access credit, and invest in income-generating activities.

  • 8 groups for PWDs and caregivers across Otwal, Aleka, and Barr, each with UGX 2,000,000 annual seed capital
  • 17+ groups of 25 members each for out-of-school girls across Kiryandongo, Oyam, Kole, and Lira
  • Linked to government programmes: PDM, UWEP, and YLP
COMPONENT 02

 

Skilling & Enterprise Development

 
“Skills to Survive. Skills to Thrive.”

Equips vulnerable youth, especially teenage mothers and out-of-school girls, with market-relevant, income-generating skills and pathways to entrepreneurship.

  • 16 groups (~45 members each) trained in exercise book making across six sub-counties
  • 171 youth trained in craft shoe-making, plus crocheting, jewelry, and handbag production
  • 27 girls graduated from tailoring; 30 more currently enrolled
COMPONENT 03

 

Piggery & Goat Livelihood Project

 
“Pass It On. Build It Forward.”

An asset-transfer and livelihood resilience initiative for households of persons with disabilities, particularly those who have received mobility aids.

  • 47 pairs of piglets distributed to PWD households
  • 16 goats provided to PWD households
  • Revolving model: offspring are passed on to the next household
VSLA groups formed and strengthened
0
Financial Inclusion, Built for Inclusion

 

Two groups, one goal: household resilience

CFI’s VSLA model runs through two distinct participant categories, each designed around the barriers that group actually faces.

Persons with Disabilities (PWD) groups

  • 8 groups across Otwal, Aleka, and Barr sub-counties

  • Membership includes PWDs and their caregivers, for household-level resilience

  • Annual seed capital of UGX 2,000,000 per group, plus financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and governance training

Out-of-school girls’ groups

  • 17+ groups of 25 members across Kiryandongo, Oyam, Kole, and Lira
  • Behavior change, life skills, and self-esteem sessions alongside savings kits
  • Formal registration at sub-county level for legitimacy and access to opportunities

Programme Data

VSLA reach at a glance

Across Oyam, Omoro, and Lira District, CFI has supported the formation and strengthening of 58 VSLA groups, bringing together over 1,945 members to save, access loans, build livelihoods, and strengthen household resilience.

Total VSLA members
0
VSLA groups formed and
0
Districts covered
0

Systems Strengthening

Linking informal groups to formal systems

CFI actively links VSLA groups to government social protection and livelihood programmes, bridging informal savings groups into formal financial and government structures.

Parish Development Model

Connects VSLA groups to Uganda's flagship parish-level poverty eradication and wealth creation programme.

Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme

Provides women-led VSLA groups access to enterprise financing and business development support.

Youth Livelihood Programme

Links youth-inclusive groups to government-funded livelihood and skills investment opportunities.

An integrated pathway out of poverty

Financial inclusion builds capital. Skills development builds capacity. Asset transfer builds productive resources. Together, the three components move participants along one continuous pathway.

Financial Inclusion

VSLAs build savings and access to capital.

Skills Development

Skilling builds market-ready capacity.

Asset Transfer

Piggery & goats build productive household resources.

SEE is one of CFI programmes working across Northern Uganda

See how it connects to our other programs in education, health, and livelihoods work, or review  our impact since 2017.