We knew that Cents for Seeds was working. We knew households could send their children to school, and that families had food on the table. What we didn’t know was the impact the project was having on individual lives.
In 2018, Huber Social carried out the first survey of Cents for Seeds in order to measure the social impact of the program within these remote communities. Through the measurement of wellbeing the Huber framework means we can identify where the gaps are in the program, and ensure that what we are putting our resources is the correct place.
2018 key outcomes…
- My life is important/being proud of my life
- My home is peaceful
- I can provide financially for my family
- I can problem solve
- I’m not afraid of many things
There were two essential findings from the 2018 report too:
- Those who are not in Cents for Seeds have a significantly lower level of wellbeing as compared with those who are.
- Access to water has the most significant impact on wellbeing, apart from Cents for Seeds. This led to the creation of our Well Worth It project in partnership with Water for Africa, which sees bore holes across northern Uganda repaired and drilled to improve access to water.
To read the full 2018 Impact Report, click here.
Now, in 2020, we carried out the same survey to compare the results and ensure Cents for Seeds is on the right track.
On average, women in Cents for Seeds have a 13% higher wellbeing score than those not in the program.
2020 key outcomes…
It also found:
Increased mental wellness and the reduction in feeling afraid
Feeling empowered in their parenting – being able to support their children to have a good life
Huber Social analysed the data to help understand the factors that have a significant relationship with overall wellbeing. Nutrition, income, respect, physical health and self-respect were all found to have a significant relationship with wellbeing for women in Northern Uganda.
However, in order to understand priorities within these needs, Huber then looked at if any of these needs overlap with the lowest scoring factors; thereby identifying what is important to the women, but also what is not being sufficiently addressed.This identified that current priority needs include income (being able to provide for their family) and physical health.
In 2018, Abako village had just registered with Cents for Seeds and had a wellbeing score of 2.20 out of 5. Now, in 2020, their wellbeing score is 3.65, an increase of 66%!
Cents for Seeds is building strong individuals and safe communities, a result we are so incredibly proud of.
What does this mean?
Your impact is directly related to an individual feeling safe in their environment, to building resilience and establishing connection amongst the community. When you give $30 to provide a 30kg loan of seeds, not only does your gift help to empower families out of poverty, you are positively changing their lives forever and you are helping to improve their overall satisfaction and wellbeing in life.
