Beauty for Ashes Uganda

Beauty for Ashes Uganda is a registered NGO (non-governmental organization) in Uganda and is in process of becoming a 501c3 in the US (still waiting on IRS approval :-) We were co-founded by Brandi McElheny (American) and Akwango Anne Grace Elotu (Ugandan), though neither were planning on starting an organization. They tease that it is less organization and more An Act of Love Gone Awry! Read more about how we got started HERE.

Beauty for Ashes Uganda works with 1,000 mamas across 30 villages in the Teso Region of Northern Uganda. We desire to bring long-term sustainable change in a way that brings dignity and recognizes the value of each and every woman in our program.

The goal for Beauty for Ashes Uganda is to empower women (especially single mamas and widows) to reach long-term sustainability for their families. We help these single mamas to join a cooperative, which works both as a small group for support and encouragement as well as a resource to help them work together towards sustainability. Most groups are 30 women....though some run as high as 59!

What is a cooperative?

Each week, the mamas in the cooperative meet to encourage and support one another. This psycho-social aspect of a cooperative is, honestly, the most important part of cooperatives. Single mothers in Uganda are women who have never been married. They are treated much like teen moms are treated here in the States. They are regularly thrown from communities and struggle financially, even more than most in this third world nation. Many of our mamas have commented that they were considering suicide before they joined the group and found a community of other mamas who understood and supported them.

The mamas pool their resources each week as well. They typically bring approx 1,500 Ugandan shillings (UGX). This equates to approx $0.50. They pool these funds and work to grow that pool of resources. The goal is to use that fund to enrich the lives of the community (some groups pick a family each month to support with needed resources such as bedding or clothing), provide for emergency medical funds and start businesses that will increase sustainability.

The process / what we provide:

The following 9 steps are a part of our long-term sustainability plan. Understanding that long term sustainability is a long term process, we also offer several short term aids. These short term projects consist of: School fees (212 children currently enrolled), Emergency Medical Relief, small gifts (such as goats, mosquito nets or improved roosters). Our hope would also be to include various projects such as literacy training, clean water, etc.


Step 1: Training for forming a cooperative. Akwango Anne Grace and her team meet with the mamas to form the cooperative and train them on the purpose and administrative aspects of working as a cooperative.

Step 2:  Check in. After each
step of the process and at least once each month, Rita (our FABULOUS Ugandan employee) meets with each group to make sure they are still working together and toward their goals.



Step 3: Incentive Gifts: After the group has been meeting for a time and is showing their intention to truly live up to the purposes of a cooperative and working together to grow their resources, they are given a gift from Beauty For Ashes Uganda. This gift consists of 5 dairy cows. They share these items as a village to help support all of the families within the cooperative. Each cow costs $200. Surprising enough, in Uganda when you buy 4 cows they give you a really good deal so we end up getting 5 cows for the price of 4! Total cost for an entire package for a village is $800.

Step 4: Check in. (see above)

Step 5: Business Training. A local trainer is brought in to teach each of the women in the cooperative basic business principles including opening a bank account, planning and running a business and crafting a business proposal. We are also partnering with Yobel International to participate in a more in-depth business training for each of the leaders of the various villages this August, 2014.

Step 6: Check In.

Step 7: Group Business Proposal. Each group decides on a group business to start. They craft a proposal, open a bank account for the cooperative and save at least 20% of their desired business loan.

Step 8. Business Loan: Once the above requirements are met, they are given a business loan to start a group business. They choose what business they would like to start based on what they enjoy, their giftings and skill sets and what their village or surrounding villages need.

Step 9. Check in and repayment. As their business grows, each cooperative pays back their OWN fund. They do not pay us back, but pay themselves back in order to grow their own funds. From this growing fund, they are able to expand their business or start individual businesses.