{"id":12334,"date":"2025-12-15T11:34:28","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T08:34:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.reachoutmbuya.org\/?p=12334"},"modified":"2025-12-15T11:47:51","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T08:47:51","slug":"from-sambuusas-to-solidarity-kettys-journey-of-growth-and-impact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reachoutmbuya.org\/?p=12334","title":{"rendered":"Ketty is baking her way to a better life"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2013, Ketty Akello was brought to Kawanga (Acholi Quarters)\u00a0 by her aunt in search of a better life. Food was never enough, and opportunities were scarce. When her aunt got her a small job, Ketty began to earn a little, but it was barely enough to survive. Later, she met her husband, who worked in construction. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In her small kitchen, she skillfully made samosas <\/span>and mandazi to support her young family. Despite the challenges of being a young mother with limited resources, she <\/span>remained<\/span>\u00a0determined to provide for her child. Her breakthrough came when she was\u00a0<\/span>identified<\/span>\u00a0by Reach Out Mbuya (ROM) and enrolled in the Maternal and Child Health (MCC) project.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I got pregnant, life became even harder.\u00a0\u201cBut\u00a0ROM\u2019s Community Health Worker,\u00a0Mama Lillian was there for me.\u00a0They\u00a0even helped me get my baby\u2019s birth certificate,<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u201d she recounts.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Through MCC, Ketty not only accessed free maternal healthcare throughout her pregnancy but also found herself in a supportive network of other young mothers facing similar struggles. It was within this community that Ketty’s potential began to flourish. She actively\u00a0participated\u00a0in\u00a0hands-on entrepreneurship and work readiness training, where she learned practical business skills, financial literacy, and teamwork. These new skills reawakened her vision for something bigger than her kitchen business.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At the completion of the training, Ketty and her peers formed a business group composed of\u00a0 eight (8) young mothers eager to build better lives. The group received a booster kit that enabled them to start a joint business venture. Ketty\u2019s previous experience and newly acquired skills positioned her as a key contributor in the group through supporting product development, quality control, and daily operations.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The turning point came when, through a strategic partnership between ROM and ATC, the group received additional startup equipment and materials (including a grinding machine, display table, packets of flout and others. With enhanced capacity, their operations grew and so did their confidence and unity. What started as a few women with small ideas became a structured, community-based enterprise where each member, including Ketty, had a role and a voice.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, Ketty is not just running a business, but she is part of a growing movement of young mothers redefining what economic empowerment looks like. She mentors new members, advocates for women\u2019s economic inclusion, and takes pride in the group\u2019s achievements.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On\u00a0a bad day, we make at least 15,000 shillings profit.\u00a0The good days are even better,\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b>Ketty says proudly.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Ketty serves her client with pancakes<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/blockquote>\n

Ketty\u2019s life has transformed.\u00a0She\u2019s\u00a0now\u00a0a businesswoman, contributing to her family’s well-being. Her daughter is one year old, and she has set her sights on an even brighter future.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI plan to expand our business and save enough to build a house back in Amolatar district. That is my dream,\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0she says.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 2013, Ketty Akello was brought to Kawanga (Acholi Quarters)\u00a0 by her aunt in search of a better life. Food was never enough, and opportunities were scarce. When her aunt got her a small job, Ketty began to earn a little, but it was barely enough to survive. Later, she met her husband, who worked […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":12335,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reachoutmbuya.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reachoutmbuya.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reachoutmbuya.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reachoutmbuya.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reachoutmbuya.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12334"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.reachoutmbuya.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12334\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12340,"href":"https:\/\/www.reachoutmbuya.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12334\/revisions\/12340"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reachoutmbuya.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12335"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reachoutmbuya.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reachoutmbuya.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reachoutmbuya.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}