Ojok Boso, his wife and child enjoy a new home made possible through a microfinance program in Uganda.
TBM helps Ugandan villagers save for better life
How do you build a new life? For Ojok Bosco, the same way you build a house – one step at a time.
Living in a remote Northern Ugandan village, the farmer dreamed of a better life for his family, including his six children. He worked hard each day to provide but was living in a thatched hut that leaked when it rained and bugs crawled into.
His life – like many in his village – began to change when TBM Water Impact arrived. The ministry brought the community together for a weekly Bible study, transforming lives spiritually. They worked together, and TBM drilled a water well that eradicated the bacterial diseases the village had long struggled with. Then the ministry partnered with Seed Effect to start a community-based microfinance effort that opened doors for people economically.
Suddenly Bosco had a path to a better home. He took out a small loan and purchased concrete and bricks, laying them himself one at a time. It wasn’t easy. He did a little each day before or after working the fields, but he could see a safe, secure place for him and his family.
“I am very happy for those who help us and those who tell us about saving,” Bosco said, smiling broadly in his new home. “I would like it if God should open maybe the door for them so that they should continue teaching us, opening our mind. And God also open their way so that they should get something that they can continue to help another people also.”
Bosco has repaid the loan, including a small amount of interest, empowering the village savings group to give loans to other people. Like a savings and loan in the United States, the village people’s money is being invested in their neighbors’ lives.
“This community is a prime example of what TBM is doing in Uganda,” said Mitch Chapman, TBM Water Impact director. “We’ve established a Bible study that’s sharing God’s Word. We’ve drilled a well that’s made them healthier and stronger than ever before. And we’re opening up economic possibilities through community-based microfinance efforts. This is a picture of what it means to transform a community with the Gospel."