Mercy Kalende
Mercy Kalende is one of the Program participants currently pursuing the Higher Education Access Program at Busitema University.
When the COVID 19 pandemic lockdown was announced in Uganda, I ventured into hygiene-related projects. I ran a campaign to help donate pads to girls in Eastern Uganda, unfortunately, the numbers were overwhelming and due to limited funds, we were not able to support all of the girls. I too ventured into Agriculture and managed to harvest a basin of beans.
Following the little savings, I was left with when schools closed due to the Corona Virus pandemic. I started the pancake-making business. I purchased 10kgs of cassava flour, a dozen packets of baking powder, a 10-litre jerrycan of cooking oil and a bucket for selling pancakes etc.
I started the business and it was doing well. I managed to purchase food for home. i.e. 100kgs of maize flour to accompany the beans that were already harvested at home for feeding of the family. The earnings from the business have helped in buying other household necessities like soap, sugar, and salt among others. I have also managed to save UGX.30,000/= every week which I hope to use to purchase young turkeys and also rent a small land where I can rear them.
The encouragement, knowledge and hope I have today are a result of the mentoring programs that I have benefited from FAWE Uganda. They have helped me a lot to start different income-generating activities, keep busy and deal with the stress resulting from failure to reopen schools; lack of money and the losses you make from running a business. I have also gained the motivation not to give up in life.
For instance, I started the oyster mushroom growing but stopped soon because I was in the village and there was no market. I made a huge loss because it was also a rainy season in which mushrooms grow on their own and people harvest them for free hence they could buy mine. The huge losses, left me in debt since I hadn’t even paid the owner of the small piece of land and house that I had rented to grow the mushrooms. I also had not fully paid for the spawns as I had expected to pay all the money after reaping from the business.
Consequently, I thought I would never recover from that loss but I thank God, because he lifted me up again. I received airtime from FAWE Uganda which I have used to watch YouTube videos “Do It Yourself (DIY) projects” where I have learnt a lot of hands on skills like crotchery and designing. It is also on YouTube that I learnt how to make delicious pancakes.
I have also continued to do research to learn and improve my skills including the Speak your mind contests. I also attended an online class called weLEARN school which helped me do a lot of self-discovery. So personally, the upkeep, airtime facilitation and currently online mentoring have helped me a lot in addition to running my different initiatives. I now serve as an example or a living testimony to my friends.