Fifteen Years Later, They’re Still Dreaming

In a small village in Uganda, a group of women who helped inspire Imagine:Kuwaza are growing older. But their dreams are far from over.

“This is my house.”

For Mary, those four words carry a lifetime of struggle, determination and hope.

When friends from African Road visited her home in October 2026, she proudly shared how she had built it, brick by brick, through years of hard work.

Mary had grown up during a difficult period in Uganda’s history. Conflict disrupted her childhood, and she never had the opportunity to attend school. For much of her early life, she struggled with confidence and was afraid to speak to people.

Today, she is a mother of six, a former community group chairperson and a woman who has built her own home.

Her journey began with making bricks on the land she had. She sold some, reinvested her earnings and eventually bought a cow. The cow produced two calves, which she later sold to buy cement and other building materials.

It wasn’t easy. There were children to educate, school fees to pay and days when construction had to stop because other family needs came first.

But she kept going.

The small house where she once lived still stands nearby, now serving as her kitchen. It is a reminder of how far she has come.

And Mary is not finished imagining. Her next dream is to build a shop that will serve her neighbourhood, where people currently travel some distance to purchase everyday household goods.

It started with women like Mary

Mary belongs to Bumu, a group of women in rural Uganda who were among the first participants in VICOBAPlus, the community-led initiative that has grown into Imagine:Kuwaza.

More than fifteen years ago, many of these women were widows, raising children and grandchildren while struggling to provide for their families.

When they gathered, the conversations often began with everything they lacked.

They needed money, better homes and opportunities for their children.

But through conversations facilitated by Kitega Community Centre, they encountered a different question:

What do you already have?

At first, the answers were not obvious.

Yet slowly, the women began recognising resources they had previously overlooked: their skills, land, time, experience, relationships and one another.

They began dreaming about what they could do with those resources.

For Matilda, another of Bumu’s pioneering women, the turning point came through a familiar biblical story.

It was the story of a widow who believed she had nothing, only to discover that the little oil she possessed could become the beginning of a solution.

Matilda saw herself in that widow.

She had lost her husband, had not attended school and was responsible for caring for her family and grandchildren.

She had spent so much time thinking about what she lacked that she had overlooked what she already possessed.

That discovery stayed with her.

Over the years, Matilda continued learning, growing in confidence and supporting others. Through her example, she inspired others to become part of the Imagine:Kuwaza movement.

A woman who once struggled to recognise her own possibilities was now helping others discover theirs.

Growing older, but not giving up

Today, many of the women of Bumu are elderly.

The farming and physically demanding work that once sustained their households has become increasingly difficult. Their bodies are growing tired, but their responsibilities remain.

There are still grandchildren to care for, meals to provide and household needs to meet.

Some years ago, the women pooled their resources and purchased a piece of land. They cultivated it for several years, hoping the crops would provide income.

But changing weather patterns and unreliable harvests made farming increasingly difficult.

They could have accepted that their options were becoming fewer.

Instead, they began imagining again.

What if the land could provide for them without requiring them to spend their remaining years doing exhausting physical work?

What if they built something that could generate income every month?

Their answer was an ambitious one: a building with shops and rooms they could rent out.

The women affectionately call it their arcade.

They did not have enough money to construct the entire building, but that did not stop them.

Mary knew how to make bricks. Other women brought their own skills, contributions and determination. Together, they started making bricks, purchasing cement and participating in the construction.

Little by little, the building began to rise.

When friends of Kitega Community Centre visited and saw what these elderly women had already accomplished, their initiative inspired further support. An impact grant helped move the construction forward.

Today, eight rooms are almost complete.

Soon, the women hope to welcome their first tenants and begin earning regular rental income to help support their households.

For women who have spent much of their lives depending on what their hands could produce each day, this represents a very different kind of future.

More than fifteen years of friendship

During the October visit, one of the African Road guests reflected on how special it was to enter the women’s homes and see the pride with which they shared their stories.

For David Clemy, who helped initiate VICOBAPlus through Kitega Community Centre, returning to Bumu carried a particular meaning.

These were women he had spent time with during the earliest days, listening to their struggles and exploring possibilities together.

Fifteen years later, the friendships remain.

The women continue looking out for one another. When someone is sick, the others know. When a member encounters difficulties, she has a community to turn to.

And when someone succeeds, that achievement becomes an encouragement to the rest.

For Mary, this sense of belonging has become part of her family’s life.

She once jokingly told her children that she was tired and wanted to leave the group.

They protested, reminding her of everything she had accomplished through the years and encouraging her to continue.

Her children had seen the difference.

The dream continues

The story of Bumu is not simply about women who started businesses, built homes or saved money.

It is about women who began to believe that their circumstances did not have to determine their future.

Women who discovered confidence, friendship and the ability to create change together.

And now, as they grow older, they are finding new ways to care for themselves and their families.

Their nearly completed building is more than a property development. It is a dream that has grown through years of shared determination.

For Kitega Community Centre, these women remain a reminder of why Imagine:Kuwaza exists: to help people recognise their potential, discover the resources already around them and imagine what they can achieve together.

What began in a small Ugandan community has travelled through relationships and facilitators to other parts of East Africa.

But back in Bumu, the women are still writing their own story.

They may be growing older, but they have not stopped dreaming.

And perhaps the most inspiring thing about their journey is that they are not finished yet.