Stories
April 4, 2025 • 3 min read
Loyce Napeyok, a 28-year-old mother of five, is a passionate youth champion and an active member of the Turkana Integrated Village Savings and Loan Association in Karenga District, part of Uganda’s Karamoja subregion. Despite the obstacles presented by the agricultural sector, the increasing risks of climate change, and the uncertainty of youth employment in Uganda, Loyce remains committed to driving positive change in her community and beyond.
The Turkan Integrated Village Savings and Loan Association
For Loyce and her group members, agriculture in Karenga District is more than just a livelihood, it is a vital economic solution in a country where employment opportunities are scarce. However, the agricultural sector in the region faces significant challenges due to the worsening effects of climate change. Unpredictable weather patterns and increasingly frequent droughts have severely impacted crop yields, diminishing the group’s productivity and threatening their primary source of income.
Loyce Napeyok is a single mother who depends entirely on agriculture to provide for her family. In the beginning, she relied solely on subsistence farming, barely earning enough to meet her family’s immediate needs. Despite these struggles, Loyce’s determination to succeed in agribusiness never wavered. “I love agriculture more than anything,” she says, “because it has enabled me to take care of my family.”
To better support her growing family, Loyce joined the Turkana Integrated Village Savings and Loan Association group of like-minded, enterprising young people striving to enhance their agricultural productivity and economic prospects. Through pooled savings, the group provides its members with access to financial loans, enabling them to invest in their farms, expand their businesses, and build resilience against the challenges of the agricultural sector.
Upskilling Through Partnership
GOAL’s Markets for Youth Programme identified Loyce and her group, recognizing their determination and drive to transform their livelihoods. The programme connected them with the Agro-Tourism Association (ATA), an agribusiness company that provided training in sustainable agricultural practices. ATA also supplied the group with affordable, high-yielding, and drought-resistant seeds, which significantly improved their crop yields despite the challenges posed by climate change.
The group received financial literacy and business management training from Centenary Bank to further strengthen their capabilities. The Gulu Agricultural Development Company (GADC) also helped them access reliable markets for their cotton produce.
With this newfound knowledge, Loyce took advantage of the Ugandan government’s Parish Development Model (PDM), an initiative designed to enhance service delivery and create employment opportunities. Through the PDM, Loyce received UGX 1,000,000 (approximately €248.90), which she reinvested into her agribusiness, further expanding her capacity to support her family and community.
A New Vision
These partnerships allowed Loyce to expand her agricultural practices and grow her business. Today, Loyce is a cereal aggregator and has expanded her agricultural practices to maize, cotton, cowpeas, and guinea peas. With the increased income from her expanded production, she can now pay her children’s school fees and reinvest in her business to further supplement her earnings.
Loyce’s success extends beyond her achievements; she is a youth champion and a role model in her community. Armed with her expertise, she actively gives back by creating opportunities for other young Ugandans. Loyce chairs community meetings where she shares her knowledge and skills with aspiring entrepreneurs, fostering collaboration and empowering others to pursue their own agribusiness ventures.
Having experienced the challenges of food insecurity firsthand, Loyce is committed to addressing this issue in her region and beyond. She has a dream of suppling food to the World Food Programme and local schools within and outside Karamoja. This dream will not only increase her market share and income but also contribute to food security and improving access to nutritious meals.
In partnership with Mastercard Foundation, GOAL is developing a new wave of ambitious young people in the Karamoja region who are embracing opportunities in the agricultural sector to build more resilient and diverse livelihoods.
Learn more about the Markets for Youth programme
