President Museveni has challenged women in the Church of Uganda Mothers’ Union to embrace wealth creation and economic empowerment if they are to lift their families out of poverty.
Mr Museveni said faith alone cannot shield families from the effects of poverty, urging women to combine their spiritual responsibilities with productive economic activities.
“When a woman is empowered economically, the entire household changes. If the mother is financially stable, children go to school, proper nutrition is provided, hygiene improves and domestic conflicts arising from poverty are reduced,” he said.
The President made the remarks in a message delivered by Lands, Housing and Urban Development Minister Judith Nabakooba at the Mothers’ Union national exhibition at Mengo Senior Secondary School in Kampala yesterday.
He urged families to invest in commercial agriculture, industries, services and information and communication technology (ICT), which he described as key avenues for creating wealth and jobs.
Mr Museveni said government has invested in roads, electricity, schools and hospitals to provide an enabling environment for households to improve their livelihoods.
But he cautioned that such infrastructure would have little impact on household incomes if families failed to use the opportunities it creates.
“A good tarmac road will enable you to transport your product easily to the marketplace. Therefore, every family must take advantage of the existing infrastructure and the wealth funds to generate family wealth and jobs,” he said.
He commended the Mothers’ Union for combining its spiritual work with practical initiatives such as the exhibition and community health camp.
Mr Museveni urged the women to become agents of socio-economic transformation in their communities while continuing to promote Christian values.
“Continue to lead by example, anchor your families on biblical values and fully embrace wealth creation to eliminate poverty from our communities by pairing deep Christian faith with financial discipline and hard work,” he said.
Ms Nabakooba, who represented the President, encouraged the women to take advantage of government programmes aimed at improving household incomes.
She cited the Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme (UWEP) and the Parish Development Model (PDM), saying the initiatives provide opportunities for women to expand their economic activities.
“There are a number of programmes towards women improvement but also improving our socio-economic transformation. We have programmes like UWEP, the Women Entrepreneurship Programme, and now we have PDM, which we are implementing at parish level,” she said.
Ms Nabakooba also congratulated the Mothers’ Union on marking 119 years in Uganda and 150 years of its ministry globally.
She commended the organisation for combining faith, family upbringing and skills development, saying its work complements government efforts to improve household incomes.
Mothers’ Union Provincial President Grace Murengezi said the organisation was also using skills development and entrepreneurship to economically empower its members.
She said members acquire various skills and produce items that are exhibited and sold to generate income.
Ms Murengezi also revealed that the organisation is fundraising to construct a boys’ hostel where young men will be accommodated and mentored.
President Museveni contributed Shs10 million towards the project.
“We want to have our boys who will be staying in our hostel to nurture them so that they can fulfil their potential when they grow,” she said.
Ms Murengezi said the project would help address challenges facing the boy child and nurture responsible adults.
Bishop Jackson Baalwa, the Assistant Bishop of the Archdiocese of Kampala, said the Church of Uganda was ready to work with government on programmes targeting vulnerable people.
The exhibition brought together Mothers’ Union members from different dioceses to showcase their skills and products and raise funds for the boys’ hostel.
Ms Murengezi said the Mothers’ Union has more than four million members in 84 countries and is committed to strengthening families, supporting vulnerable people and promoting community development.
