This is How change happens: Angelina’s story

📍 Karamoja, Uganda

My name is Teko Angelina, and I’m a mother of three from northern Uganda. Life here has never been easy. Hunger, poor hygiene, and hardship were all I knew. I’ve lived in Amuyo Village in Karamoja my whole life, and even as an adult — before I met Vision Terudo, Tearfund's partner here in Uganda — I couldn’t feed my own family.

Then Vision Terudo came to our village and brought us together through a Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA). They taught us how to save and manage money, and gave us financial training.

Every week, we each save at least 2,000 shillings (about 80 cents). That money is pooled, and each week, one member can take a loan to use for things like their small business, medical costs, buying food when crops are low, or even school books for their children. The loan is repaid with a small amount of interest, which then helps the next person in the group.

This changed everything for me.

Before, while we waited for crops to grow, there was often nothing to eat. I had to make impossible choices — either leave my field to find work and buy food, or stay and tend the crops but go hungry. But now, I don’t have to choose.

Last weeding season, I took out a loan of 50,000 shillings ($20) and used it to buy food. That meant I could stay with my crops and because I was able to tend the field properly, I had a better harvest. I now have food stored that will carry us through the next season. I even sold some of my harvest and used the profits to buy a cow and a goat.

This year, I was able to harvest four acres. Next year, I plan to do five more, and after that, another ten!

Without the VSLA and the financial training, I would have lost my crops.

But now, I’m buying more land to grow more sorghum. I’m also saving for my children’s school needs. I want them to have a future I didn’t have.

Vision Terudo also taught our group about hygiene and sanitation. That has made a big difference for our health. We used to live on my parents’ property, where conditions were crowded and unsafe. Now that we’ve moved into our own compound, we don’t worry about our children stepping in human waste or eating poorly prepared food. We used to spend so much on medical costs, someone was always sick. But now, we only need to visit the clinic every two or three months. This training hasn’t just improved our health, it’s helping us save money too.

People in our village who aren’t part of the group sometimes ask where we’re getting money from. I tell them: we were taught to save. And every week, I make sure I do because one day, I’ll need that money for something important.

More and more people in our community are seeing the impact of what we’ve learned.

Vision Terudo gave some of us a special type of seed that grows faster and better than what we used before. Others have seen the results and are now buying those seeds from us at harvest time. In this way, more households are benefiting too.

We’ve also learned how to plant kitchen gardens. I now grow vegetables and leafy greens on our compound so we can eat healthily, even when I don’t have much time to cook. We’re also planting mango trees to bring shade and add variety to what we eat. That’s something else Vision Terudo taught us.

We still face challenges—drought, heat, and water shortages—but my goal is for us to keep growing. With what I have now, I can’t stay the way I was. In the future, I hope to educate my children, build a permanent house, and be ready for whatever life brings.

Today, I’m in a position to take care of my children, and that means a lot to me.

Angelina shared her story with the Vision Terudo team as a testimony to the change taking place in her community. We’re grateful to Angelina and honoured to pass it on.