news 19 March 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Edith Wakumire Marks 30 Years Empowering Women in Elgon Region
At 75, retired teacher Edith Wakumire Muduwa celebrates three decades with her Uganda Women Concern Ministry, founded in 1991, supporting thousands of women through income projects amid HIV challenges. Her initiatives in farming, tree planting, and savings groups have transformed lives and fostered community development. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/edith-wakumire-s-30-years-of-uplifting-women-5397182
Edith Wakumire Muduwa, a 75-year-old retired teacher from Bungokho Sub-county in Mbale District, has devoted over 30 years to uplifting women in Uganda’s Elgon Sub-region. In 1991, she resigned from Nyondo Primary Teachers College to establish the Uganda Women Concern Ministry.
Her passion stemmed from childhood experiences where cultural biases undervalued girls. Her father defied norms by willing his coffee plantation to his five daughters, enabling their education after his death. This inspired Wakumire to support needy girls throughout her career.
During Uganda’s HIV/AIDS crisis, the ministry addressed widows’ evictions and stigma. Partnering with Mbale Diocese, they conducted sensitization, home-based care training, and distributed piglets as startup capital to encourage testing. Vulnerable children received school fees and supplies, many now university graduates.
Projects include piggery, organic coffee and banana farming, dairy production, and energy-saving stoves. Early tree-planting efforts still provide income from timber and firewood sales.
Beneficiary Margaret Katongole, widowed in 1990 with seven children, overcame stigma and poverty through counseling, food aid, oxen, school fees, and a tree project. She now works as an HIV counselor at Nakaloke Health Centre III.
In Bulambuli District, the ministry sparked savings groups. Mary Wanyenze’s Bumugusha group grew from 60 to 30 groups, offering 4% interest loans and annual shares of Shs40-50 million. Women gained skills in farming and dairy, with men joining after seeing benefits, leading to stable incomes and harmonious homes.
Wakumire, holding degrees in social work and organizational leadership, later served 10 years on the district council for older persons. She remains committed to challenging inequality.
Source: Daily Monitor