Meet Edith Namataka: How a Village Kiosk Replaced Gossip with Purpose and School Lunches

Before attending GVC’s business training, 34-year-old Edith Namataka spent her days in a state of quiet worry. A mother of five living in Eastern Uganda, she stayed home, concerned only with securing enough food from her garden for the day. With no source of income and little direction, Edith would spend her afternoons loitering and gossiping with other women in the village.

One day, her neighbor told her about Global Village Connect’s community development program—part of GVC’s mission to foster self-sufficiency and women’s empowerment. Intrigued by the possibility of change, Edith decided to enroll.

A transformation in character and routine

The training completely transformed Edith’s daily life.

After graduating, she secured a 100,000 UGX (about $27 USD) startup loan from a local savings group, putting into action the savings principles she studied alongside other graduates who use savings and investment collectives to fund their businesses. With this capital, she built a simple wooden kiosk display to sell charcoal, bananas, avocados, and fresh produce.

Today, Edith’s schedule is full. She wakes early, prepares her children for school, cleans her home, and heads straight to her kiosk. Rather than heading home for lunch, she cooks her meals at her workspace so she never misses a potential customer. She works consistently until the market closes at 6:00 PM, returning home to cook dinner for her children.

The shift has changed how her community views her.

“People in the village tell me I have changed so much. I don’t have time to loiter or gossip anymore; all my attention is on my kiosk. Honestly, I wonder why this training took so long to reach us. I would be so much further ahead by now.”

— Edith Namataka (shared with GVC’s field team)

Overcoming early skepticism

Edith’s transition was not without obstacles. Her first week was incredibly stressful due to slow sales. She even overheard a local woman state that she would never buy from a lady who spent her time gossiping.

Instead of letting the comment discourage her, Edith focused on customer service and financial management techniques she learned during the training. She kept her display clean, counted her money carefully, and greeted everyone professionally.

In a rewarding turn of events, that same skeptical neighbor is now one of Edith’s regular customers, buying charcoal weekly and praising the high quality of her stock—a key household fuel source in the community, similar to the firewood bundles sold by GVC merchants like Susan and Eseza.

Funding education and school lunches

Edith’s kiosk generates a steady daily profit of 10,000 UGX (about $2.75 USD). This income has had a direct, measurable impact on her children’s education.

Previously, her children had to walk a long distance from school back to their home during the midday recess just to find lunch, which caused them to miss afternoon classes or drop out entirely. Because Edith now has a reliable cash income, she is able to pay their school lunch fees directly.

As a result, her children are consistent in their attendance at school, and their grades have improved significantly. (Learn more about school attendance challenges in our field notes).

Investing back into the household

Edith is already using her profits to invest back into her family’s agricultural assets. She recently bought a new, high-quality tarpaulin, which is essential for properly drying and hanging her family’s harvests of maize and beans.

Her family is happier, and Edith has a clear vision for the future. As she continues to apply GVC’s financial management and customer expansion principles, she plans to save enough profit to transition from her temporary kiosk to a permanent storefront—joining fellow successful graduates like Naigaga, Florence, Sam Wabuyi, charcoal vendor Gladys Muduwa, and vegetable seller Aida Mugide. If you’d like to support more micro-businesses, you can make a donation to GVC.