About Us

Who we are

Inspired Women Uganda was established in 2018 to mitigate the psychosocial and economic impact of poverty, disease and other bottlenecks on women and girls in Uganda. Through voluntary efforts of women and girls from Eastern Uganda particularly in Mbale as a research area.  An empowerment, advocacy and support project were started for disadvantaged women and girls affected by poverty, disease and gender disparity. The project initially sensitized women and their communities on the causes and effects of the poverty and its economic impact. The overriding aim was to inspire women to aspire for greatness and reduce their vulnerability, enhance their economic independence and improve their overall financial health and quality of lives sustainably.

As time passed by, Inspired Women Uganda (IWU) realized that poverty and disease among women and girls was inextricably linked to unemployment, gender, inadequate family and community support structures, harmful cultural beliefs and practices, peer and social pressure, inadequate skills and education, personal development skills, lack of timely and correct information and lack of access to sexual and reproductive health services that increase ones vulnerability to teenage and unplanned pregnancies . To effectively achieve its objectives IWU mobilized women and girls from schools and universities, local leaders, financial institutions and other partners for a holistic and integrated women and girls-based social development program that: (a) focuses on empowerment, (b) builds on and utilizes existing community strength and resources, (c) looks at the root causes of existing problems, poverty and disease included, and (d) promotes community participation and contribution while ensuring that on-going multi-dimensional approaches to current and emerging problems are innovated and effective organizational development undertaken.

IWU is currently running a number of projects that aims to provide comprehensive development of women and girls. These projects work with women groups after comprehensive training and mobilization.  Currently IWU has projects in Kampala, Kitgum, Mbale, Mubende, Masaka, Sironko, Manafa, Namisindwa, Bulambuli, Budaka, Tororo, Kampala, Wakiso, Gulu, Bushenyi, Kisoro, Kanungu, Rwampara and Ntungamo. The three components that IWU addresses include

What We Do

1.  Financial inclusion

We offer both affordable finance services and financial literacy trainings. Women that qualify for these are those dealing in businesses. These women are identified from their already established businesses and are mobilized in groups. Female borrowers are preferred, as they are perceived to be more disciplined in repaying their loans.  Also, from a development perspective, there is reason to prefer female clients over male clients, as women generally tend to invest their business profits in the household, thereby improving the living conditions of the family members of such household.

We utilize a group formation model as a “social collateral” for our financial products. These peer groups act as guarantors that encourage loan repayment hence helping with recovery.  We use the group meetings as an efficient distribution channel.  By doing so, they stimulate a sound, individual client assessment by group members themselves and the field officer, thereby reducing the risk of under- and over-financing of clients, preventing client dropout and default, and not penalizing good clients for poor repayment by other clients. It is the group members that decide how much to be taken by each of them. Our selection criteria emphasize that members must be willing to invest loans in their businesses, should be socially acceptable, physically and mentally fit and should have should select one member from one family. Plus, members must be in the same locality

This strategy seeks to increase access to, and use of, sustainable financial services Wealth, employment and inclusive growth

2. Capacity building.

This entails engaging women, girls, families, communities and community groups in acquiring and developing skills, positives attitudes, and practices. This increases their resilience, and ability to sustainably meet their needs. Core areas of intervention include mentorship, skills training and apprenticeship through financial and digital literacy trainings. It also involves working with women VLSA’s, girl’s student’s groups in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions, community advocacy focal persons, and with a range of partner organizations. We work with them to strengthen and promote access to basic services, and collective responsibility. In addition, community management committees are formed and prepared to take over ownership of some of the IWU activities, increase community ownership and sustainability of interventions.

3. Advocacy

This is about empowering and working with women and girls to prioritize their advocacy needs. We assist them overcome their helplessness & powerlessness mentality, to develop advocacy strategies, to demand for their rights, create networks and strategic alliances with others to increase their bargaining power at local and national level. The focus is on addressing access to equitable social and health services like SRHR, sexual and domestic violence, clean and safe water, food security, clean energy and community participation in developing, implementation and monitoring of policies that affect them.

4. Research and documentation.

This component entails carrying out baseline studies, action/operational research, documenting lessons learnt and best practices, as well as assessing program impact.

5. Organizational development

This involves strengthening and sustaining the organizational capacity to deliver quality services, build and strengthen social support structures & networks, promote learning, documentation and increase access to basic services by the women and girls. The focus is on staff training and development, developing system, infrastructure and policies aimed at increasing program efficiency and effectiveness