Travel diaries: The spark of Uganda

BY JULIA ROBERTS

Last month, I returned home from Uganda feeling deeply fulfilled, inspired, and even more motivated.

It was my first time in Uganda — and my first visit to one of BRAC’s countries of operation since joining BRAC USA in April. 

In one whirlwind week, I had the opportunity to really dig deep. I saw BRAC in action at every level. I witnessed the great challenges families experiencing poverty face and the resolve and imagination they bring. I was left feeling hopeful by the successes our donors are powering and these families are achieving. 

Before traveling to Uganda and seeing BRAC’s programs in action, I had read the research. I knew our programs were effective. But in Uganda, I could see that research come to life in front of me. BRAC’s approaches are powerful and durable for women like Jessica.

Jessica is a refugee and single mother, who came to Uganda from South Sudan six years ago. When she arrived, she had nothing.  Today, she has goats, chickens, rabbits, a garden, a small shop at her house, and a market stall bringing her diverse, steady streams of income. She has built a home equipped with solar power. She is sending her children to school. And, her assets continue to multiply.

What really struck me about Jessica was her personal conviction. As a participant in BRAC’s Ultra-Poor Graduation program, she has taken full advantage of every opportunity that BRAC has offered her — and she ran with each of them. She has built incredible momentum for herself and models progress that women around her recognize, and are in turn emulating.

That momentum has powered her clear vision for her future. Jessica knows her next step is to take some of her goats as they multiply, and sell them to buy a cow — creating another new stream of income. With her personal vision, hard work, and the opportunities that BRAC has connected her to, she can make her goals a reality. 

I was blown away by Jessica’s conviction and success. There is something really powerful here, I thought. I see the power that BRAC has pioneered. It was a beautiful moment. 

Jessica is just like millions of women experiencing extreme poverty around the world. She is powerful, smart, savvy, and full of potential. She just needed the opportunity to realize that potential.

On my trip, I met dozens of other business owners, farmers, young women, children, and parents with just as much conviction and potential as Jessica.

In Mukono, a town about an hour outside the capital city of Kampala, I met participants from our ambitious AIM program that works to offer the tools for young women to power their prosperity. These young women have broken out of their shells, made friends, learned life skills, saved money, and started businesses.

Julia attends a meeting at an AIM youth empowerment club in Mukono, Uganda.

I visited BRAC’s bank headquarters in Kampala, and met with clients. Women from nearly every corner of the country now have access to financing to invest in their dreams: everything from businesses to their children’s school fees and futures. BRAC bank’s leaders completely live the values of a social business. I have worked with and visited many social enterprises, but never before have I experienced one with such intense commitment to its clients, their needs, and their choices.

In a country where 70% of crops are produced by smallholder farmers, I met farmers who are working with BRAC’s social enterprises to reach new markets for their crops and build thriving farm businesses.

Julia chats with BRAC staff members while visiting a rural region in Uganda.

In Arua, Uganda, where hundreds of thousands of refugees from South Sudan and Congo live, I visited a vibrant Humanitarian Play Lab. It was heartening to see children and parents from both refugee and host communities come together to build better futures for their children filled with learning and joy.

So often in global development, we have the tendency to make things too complex. Programs don’t have to be complex to be impactful. A simple approach, repeated consistently, works. It was a breath of fresh air to see the magic that BRAC brings to each program by supporting people on their journey out of poverty — people like Jessica — on their own terms.

I left Uganda feeling deeply inspired and even more resolute to talk with partners and donors about what we know, with evidence, to work. Seeing BRAC in action helps me articulate what I already knew in my heart: BRAC’s proven approaches spark hope and lasting change. 

I can’t wait to share that spark with our dedicated supporters and donors, and bring that spark to more people across the U.S. Every person who cares about ending extreme poverty should know BRAC and feel that same spark.

I am so excited to continue on this journey of supporting communities together, alongside you — BRAC’s  dedicated supporters and advocates.

Julia Roberts is CEO of BRAC USA.