Lukwago Ashalaph, 25, is one of the youth members of Nabukalu Co-operative Savings & Credit Society (NCSCS) in Mukono. For Ashalaph, his success story began when he joined NCSCS, gained access to financial services and was able to purchase a car.
Prior to joining NCSCS Ashalaph could not qualify for a loan or micro financing anywhere else. He ran a small business delivering cosmetics & clothing to customers in the town of Mukono by riding a bicycle along the long narrow road that led to the town. This made his days longer, increasing the time he was separated from his children, he was unable to carry as many products as he would like to have and the time he spent on other business ventures such as farming was decreased.
However, when Ashalaph finally joined NCSCS and was given a loan this young entrepreneur was able to purchase a car, changing his life and business for the better.
He is now able to transport more products, with ease, for his mobile cosmetics & clothing business, increasing his capital and allowing him to venture farther to reach more customers. Ashalaph’s family life has also improved because he can now transport his children, and care for them as he works no longer needing to leave them for long periods of time.
He hopes to continue to grow and expand his business by offering more products now that he can travel farther distances.
For Ashalaph, success was defined as replacing his bicycle with a car thanks to the support of his SACCO. His SACCO in turn has gained from the strong support he gives as a valuable and active member.