A Pillar of Her Community

Living in poverty in Uganda, Teddy’s life changed through the support of Holt donors. Today, she has a thriving farm and sewing business — creating a brighter future for her grandchildren and helping other women in her community.

On a warm, dusty day in rural Uganda, a woman sings while sitting at her sewing table.

She taps the foot pedal of her sewing machine along with the rhythm of the song.

This is Teddy — a mother of seven and grandmother of five.

She wears a cascading dress with puff sleeves, a dress of her own design. As she sings and hums, her grandchildren laugh and play outside.

But life wasn’t always like this.

Support for Women in Uganda

Five years ago, Teddy’s husband passed away.

In the midst of grief, she also held the weight of providing for her family alone. Teddy was a subsistence farmer, growing what food she could to feed her large family. But there wasn’t enough to meet all the needs of her household.

With a few of her children still living at home and the responsibility of caring for some of her grandchildren, Teddy had a lot of mouths to feed. And with no income, paying for school supplies, medical care or other necessities was out of reach.

That’s when Teddy learned about a local caregiver group through Holt Uganda. The group surrounded her with support, providing a network of other parents and caregivers in her community. She attended parenting workshops and learned about nutrition, health and caregiving.

Then, Teddy joined a financial literacy class. These trainings, made possible through gifts from Holt donors, help women and single mothers living in poverty to provide for their families. Due to gender disparities and limited access to education, many women in rural communities of Uganda, like Teddy, have little formal education and need help building the skills needed to start a business on their own.

But through the generosity of Holt donors, women are empowered to provide for their families. Some women start gardens to sell produce at the market, keep chickens that provide eggs or even start a sewing business. Remarkably, Teddy has done all three.

Economic Empowerment in Uganda

Through her financial literacy class, Teddy learned about budgeting, saving and starting microbusinesses. As a single mother and caregiver for her grandchildren, Teddy had her hands full. But she was determined to provide for her family regardless of the barriers to overcome.  

To achieve her goals, she joined a savings group with other women in her community. Women save together in these groups, lend to one another and learn how to manage money without relying on high‑interest loans.

“These savings groups provide an opportunity to invest in and grow their small businesses,” says Malia Robello, Holt’s senior program manager for Uganda. “They also provide a safety net for when crisis or unexpected expenses hit. If a crop fails because of drought or an illness affects the family, they’re able to take a small loan from the group to weather that storm.”

Joining a savings group provided Teddy the opportunity to invest in something powerful: a sewing machine.

She already had the tailoring skills. But without support, she couldn’t afford to start a business of her own, like many women in Holt’s programs. Through her group, Teddy borrowed 500,000 Ugandan shillings — about $130 — to buy a sewing machine and supplies.

Operating from her own home, Teddy started sewing. Customers from the community approached her, impressed by her tailoring skills. And in no time at all, her business took off.

Using a foot-pedal sewing machine, Teddy created clothing for men, women and children. She sews in a variety of styles, and women in the village say she makes the best dresses in the community.

She has even started sewing uniforms for the local schools!

“My small sewing business now provides clothing for my grandchildren,” Teddy says, “and I can raise income and save in my group.”

From Sewing Machines to a Garden

With the profits from her sewing business, Teddy decided to expand her backyard garden for an additional source of food and income. She paid off the sewing machine loan she took from her savings group and invested in growing fruits and vegetables.

Soon, Teddy’s garden turned into a small-scale farm! What started with a few crops became a flourishing harvest of spinach, cabbage, nakati, dodo, peas, corn, potatoes, cassava, yams and fruits. She also grows coffee as a cash crop.

She even dries corn and toasts it over a fire to make popcorn for her grandchildren as a snack to take to school.

“My gardens are a source of food, income and pride, providing fresh produce that sustains my family and neighbors,” Teddy says.

“My gardens are a source of food, income and pride, providing fresh produce that sustains my family and neighbors.”

Teddy desires to help lift not only her family, but her community out of poverty. Through the support of Holt donors and her own hard work, she is already doing just that.

Growing a robust garden has helped Teddy keep nutritious food on the table for her family. And with her fruitful harvests, Teddy dries seeds from her crops and shares them with her neighbors so they can grow gardens as well.

From Chickens to a Whole Farm

With a flourishing sewing business and a small-scale farm, Teddy had transformed her family’s future.

But she wasn’t finished dreaming.

With the support of her savings group and the income from her other endeavors, Teddy purchased a flock of chickens.

Chickens are an incredible asset for families Holt serves in Uganda. Soon, Teddy’s family not only had fresh vegetables and fruit, but also nourishing eggs to eat and sell. The fertilizer from the chickens also helped her crops grow.

Within one year, Teddy sold 100 chickens. The next year, she doubled her flock!

Teddy then purchased a goat — another life-changing asset, and a popular Gift of Hope, for families in Holt’s programs. Now, she can provide milk and dairy products for her family to eat and sell. Someday she hopes to expand to 2,000 chickens.

In just four years, Teddy has grown a backyard garden into a robust farm with many crops and animals. And with her successful sewing business, Teddy has even bigger dreams.

Lifting Families from Poverty in Uganda

As she sits at her sewing table, Teddy can hear her grandchildren laugh and play in the yard. Four of her five grandchildren live at home with her, along with her youngest son and daughter.

Her grandchildren are all in school — from third grade to preschool — and her daughter is finishing up her last year of secondary school. Her family is no longer struggling to make ends meet, and education is no longer at risk.

Each day, Teddy walks her grandchildren and daughter to school with a sense of peace. She can rest knowing her children’s and grandchildren’s futures are protected. Through the support of Holt donors, Teddy received the tools she needed to provide for her family and make her dreams come true.

Teddy wants other families to experience the same freedom from poverty that she has. She has big dreams to make a difference in her community.

Teddy has already taught women in her village to sew. She has inspired mothers to step out and learn new skills. Now, she hopes to build a tailoring school for women in her community.

Once struggling to provide for her own family, Teddy now dreams of helping other women build brighter futures through tailoring. With her tenacity, resilience and heart for others, she truly has become a pillar of her community.

“I am no longer struggling,” Teddy shares. “I am growing and improving every year, and my children and grandchildren are closer to me. … I am grateful to God for giving me the strength and joy.”

You can help mothers like Teddy provide for their families. Give a Gift of Hope of chickens, a garden or a sewing machine to help a mother lift her family out of poverty.