By: Boy Fidel Leon
A nation’s strength is measured by the resilience of its people, and in Uganda, there are few more resilient than the 36,000 widows of the Teso sub-region.
This fact was honoured at the highest level as President Yoweri Museveni and First Lady Maama Janet Museveni hosted the Teso Widows Development Initiative at their Irenga home.
Their new pledge of support is more than aid; it is a declaration of faith in these women as vital pillars of their communities. It is an investment in deep roots, ensuring they have every reason to stand firm against any wind.
The group, which President Museveni serves as Patron, aims to secure better livelihoods for widows while expanding access to education and skills for their children. On August 20, 2025, its members travelled to Ntungamo to present a memorandum requesting government backing to establish a technical institute for disadvantaged young people.
“Many of our children cannot afford an education, and we believe the technical institute will equip all the disadvantaged with essential skills,” said the initiative’s secretary, Ms. Pauline Akello, while presenting the request signed by Director Ms. Akurut Beatrice Omese.
The widows also expressed heartfelt gratitude for the President’s continued support.
“You have changed our name from the mothers of problems to mothers of blessings,” they told him.
Welcoming the proposal, President Museveni committed Shs 600 million to establish the technical institute, funding that will cover books, laboratory instruments, salaries, and running costs for its first two years.
“This is a very good effort,” he said, underscoring the importance of practical training for communities to break cycles of poverty.
To further strengthen the initiative, he advised members to create a Savings and Credit Cooperative (SACCO) to provide soft loans for widows and their families. He pledged an additional Shs 100 million to the SACCO and promised to provide both a pickup truck for the initiative and a bus for the institute to ease transport challenges.
The First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Maama Janet Museveni, lauded the widows for their resilience and encouraged them to build long-term sustainability.
She urged women to unite in savings and draw lessons from a group of Bangladeshi women who, despite being semi-literate and resource-constrained, created one of the world’s largest banks.
“It is my desire to see women’s organisations come together to save and establish a bank in the future that will ensure self-reliance rather than dependence,” she said.
Highlighting the dangers of borrowing without discipline, she cautioned:
“The problem we have is that we don’t know how to save, and we often borrow to spend.”
She advised members to consistently set aside a portion of their earnings each week or month, so their savings could eventually grow into investments that support larger projects.
The Teso Widows Development Initiative has become a rallying point for women determined to turn hardship into opportunity. With government backing, their vision of a technical institute now looks closer to reality.
The combination of financial support, practical advice, and inspiration from the President and First Lady is seen as a major boost for the widows’ long-term empowerment.