Invisible Children Uganda’s (ICU) Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA) provide community members with an opportunity to save money, earn interest, and take out loans to start up their own businesses. The 95 savings groups meet once a week, and those meetings are overseen by a community facilitator. Facilitators are also trained in teaching Functional Adult Literacy (FAL), helping bring basic literacy and numeracy skills to those group members who were not able to complete their education.

Recently, the ICU Livelihood team conducted a training for facilitators to equip them to teach letter writing, budgeting, arithmetic, income and expenditure, money making ideas and how to maintain VSLA solidarity through group work .

Charles Okot, a FAL facilitator, thought that the training was very practical and gave him skills and knowledge that he will share with his group. It gave him some insights into managing his own finances, as well. “I learned that it is essential to always differentiate basic needs and luxuries, this is necessary when it comes handling my personal savings,” he says.

Invisible Children works in Uganda to improve the quality of life of LRA-affected communities by providing access to quality education and improved livelihood.