Mukaaka Milia holding her home together.
For more than two decades, Mukaaka Milia, 53, worked alongside her husband to build a stable home for their family. Together, they raised five children each of whom has completed school, with the youngest now at university. It was a future they planned carefully, through hard work and shared responsibility.
Then illness changed everything.
Milia’s husband now suffers from severe back pain that limits his ability to work. As his health declined, the responsibility for sustaining the household and their livelihoods shifted almost entirely onto Milia. Today, she manages their coffee farm, poultry business, and household finances, while also caring for four grandchildren, two girls and two boys under the age of seven.
Seven years ago, Milia joined a Nyaka-supported Mukaaka (grandmothers’) savings group. Through the program, she received financial literacy training and access to affordable, low-interest loans tools that have become essential in navigating her family’s changing circumstances.
Over the past five years, Milia has accessed loans totaling UGX 5,000,000, which she has used strategically to pay farm workers, invest in poultry, and run small income-generating projects. These investments ensure that her coffee is harvested on time and that her household maintains multiple income streams, even when her own strength is stretched thin.
The impact of this support reaches far beyond business.
Milia uses her profits to provide nutritious food for her grandchildren, pay medical bills for her husband and the children, and keep the household stable during difficult periods. She also operates a grocery shop, an enterprise she hopes to expand as part of her long-term plan to strengthen the family’s financial security.
“We have been trained on how to manage our money and take care of our homes better,” Milia explains. “Because of this, I can plan, invest, and support my family even when times are hard.”
Milia believes that with increased loan limits, grandmothers like her could do even more. She notes that many members of her group have the experience and discipline to manage larger capital responsibly.
“Some of us can handle loans of up to UGX 10 million,” she says. “With more capital, we can expand our businesses, employ more workers, and grow faster.”
Looking ahead, Milia hopes to expand her coffee and poultry businesses, hire additional workers during harvest seasons, and acquire equipment that can ease the physical strain on her husband’s back. Most importantly, she wants to ensure that her grandchildren grow up healthy, educated, and secure despite the challenges their family has faced.
Milia story reflects the strength at the heart of Nyaka’s Grandmothers Program: when grandmothers are equipped with skills, affordable finance, and community support, they become the stabilizing force for entire families especially in moments of crisis.
