When a woman earns her own income, everything changes. Her health decisions, her voice in the home, her children’s futures. We give women the tools to build that income themselves.
On the Lake Victoria islands, many women have no independent income of their own. They depend entirely on their husbands or male relatives for household needs, school fees, and healthcare costs. This dependence shapes every decision they make, including decisions about their own health and the health of their children. Without economic agency, women have little voice in the home and even less influence in their communities.
Economic empowerment and health outcomes are deeply connected. A woman who controls her own income is more likely to seek healthcare early, more likely to ensure her children are immunised, and more likely to invest in her family’s future. Addressing poverty is not separate from our health mission. It is central to it.
RAHI’s livelihoods program equips women with practical skills in entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and income generating activities tailored to the specific opportunities available on the islands. We do not deliver generic business training. We work with women to identify what is viable in their context, whether that is fish trading, agriculture, tailoring, retail, or another enterprise entirely.
Beyond skills, we build networks. Women who go through the program form bonds of support and collaboration that continue long after the sessions end. Many go on to employ neighbours, mentor others, and take active roles in household decision making and community leadership.
Your support funds the training sessions, materials, and follow-up that help women on the islands build sustainable businesses and truly independent lives.
