October 2024 Gathering on Women's Empowerment

Chloe Mutton and Alice Kyarimpa spoke about their work in Uganda at the October Gathering. Both had arranged for Jerry to deliver business start up training for their communities in September.

The Zoom recording can be viewed here

The Fathom AI generated notes are below. Thanks to everyone who attended. Already a link has been made that might be a blessing to these two brilliant projects. 

Meeting Purpose

Monthly gathering of TEN (Transformational Enterprise Network) to discuss women's empowerment initiatives in Uganda

Key Takeaways

Chloe Mutton and Alice Kyarimpa shared insights on their work empowering women in urban slums and rural areas of Uganda 

Key challenges include lack of education, economic opportunities, and cultural/societal oppression of women.

Both organizations focus on relational, pastoral approaches alongside practical skills training and microenterprise development Sustainable funding and scaling impact remain ongoing challenges for these initiatives 

Chloe Mutton's Work in Urban Slums

• Runs Musizi Joy Foundation working in 4 slum communities in Kampala 
• Focus on pastoral care, home visits, Bible studies, mentoring ~250 women 
• Complementary projects: tailoring, sandal-making, child sponsorship, business training (see title photo)
• Emphasis on building women's confidence and self-worth as foundation 
• Husband Sam developing 100-acre mountain bike park to create opportunities for youth 

Alice Kyarimpa's Rural Initiatives

• Runs Good Shepherd Network empowering women in western Uganda
• Projects include health centre (see photo above), Baptist school, training programs 
• Recently trained 102 women (6 men) in business skills with Jerry Marshall 
• Planning small guesthouse to generate sustainable income 
• Key issues: lack of land ownership for women, early marriage, bride price system 

Challenges for Ugandan Women

• Cultural expectations to care for family with little support 
• Lack of confidence and isolation, even in densely populated slum areas 
• Polygamy stretching limited resources across multiple families 
• Rural areas still practice dowry system, viewing women as assets to be traded 
• Government corruption and lack of truly free education 

Opportunities for Impact

• One-on-one relational work and Bible studies build confidence 
• Business/vocational training enables economic empowerment 
• Need to develop small/medium enterprises to influence economy and governance 
• Prayer for wisdom in growth and sustainable funding models 

Next Steps

• Support Chloe's Big Give fundraising campaign in December (£8,000 target) 
• Connect Alice with medical equipment suppliers for health centre 
• Pray for funding for guesthouse project to create sustainable income 
• Network to find partners/supporters for both initiatives 
• Continue to pray for good governance and economic development in Uganda