Livelihoods

Our livelihoods programme exists so that families can stand on their own.

**Agriculture.** At Imbabazi we grow our own food as one of the activities that supports the wellbeing of the children and caregivers while promoting self-reliance. We grow beans, cabbages, maize and Irish potatoes. Agriculture lets us make productive use of available land and encourages sustainable livelihood practices; through farming we aim to improve food security and nutrition.

**Bar soap making.** We make our own hand-made bar soap. ICWAC caregivers are always happy and motivated while making Imbabazi Star laundry bar soap, which has improved personal hygiene, generated income for the caregivers and supported women's self-reliance. It has also reduced dependency on purchased soap for household use and strengthened teamwork among members through shared production and marketing.

**Sacco / VSLA.** The Village Savings and Loan Association model is a simple way for people in a community to save money and lend it to each other. The Imbabazi caregiver Sacco is continuously growing. Our caregivers meet every month to collect interest from members, and they also create a small fund to help each other in emergencies such as sickness or funerals.

**Skills and enterprise.** Microfinance initiatives, skills training in agriculture, crafts and small business management, market linkages for local products, and vocational skilling including bar soap making.