20 Stories. One Ripple Effect.
A Family on the Verge of Being Torn Apart
Peragia Nansikombi never imagined she would have to consider sending her children away just to keep them fed.
She and her husband were raising seven children in Uganda, doing everything they could to provide for their family. But without a reliable income, even the most basic necessities became a daily struggle.
There wasn’t enough food. The financial pressure was taking a toll on their marriage. And eventually, they began considering something no parent wants to face.
They might have to separate their children, sending them to live with relatives and neighbors until they could afford to bring everyone home again.
Imagine being a mother and wondering which of your children you might have to send away.
Not because you didn’t love them. Not because you didn’t want to care for them.
But because you couldn’t afford to keep them all under one roof.
Then, in 2016, Peragia learned about a program that offered families something unexpected.
A cow.
One Cow. Seven Children. A Future Together.
Through Microfinancing Partners in Africa’s Cow Living Loan Program and its local partner in Uganda, Peragia and her family received training, prepared a proper shelter, and qualified to receive a cow.
It may sound like a simple gift. But for this family, it became a turning point.
The cow began producing milk. Some could nourish the family, while the rest could be sold to generate income.
For the first time, Peragia and her husband had a more dependable way to provide for their children.
The income helped them afford school fees, improve their home, and invest in additional farming activities.
And the manure from their cow helped fertilize their crops, creating another source of food and income.
Little by little, the family began building the stability they had desperately needed.
But the greatest gift wasn’t the milk, the income, or even the improvements to their home.
It was that their family could stay together.
Seven children who no longer faced the possibility of being sent away because their parents couldn’t afford to care for them.
A Gift That Didn’t Stop With One Family
In 2018, Peragia’s family repaid their living loan in a remarkable way.
They passed on a young female cow to another family, giving someone else the same opportunity that had changed their lives.
That’s what makes MPA’s Living Loan Program so special.
A family receives a cow, learns how to care for it, and uses the milk and other resources to create a sustainable livelihood. When the cow produces a female calf, that calf can be passed on to another qualified family.
One cow becomes another.
One opportunity creates the next.
And the generosity of someone thousands of miles away continues changing lives long after the original gift was made.
More Than a Cow
When you give to MPA, you aren’t simply helping provide livestock.
You may be helping parents keep food on the table, children stay in school, and families build a future together.
For Peragia, a cow meant that the family she loved could remain under one roof.
That’s the ripple effect of opportunity.
Twenty years of MPA. Twenty years of believing that a single gift, placed in the hands of someone determined to build a better life, can become something extraordinary.
Help the next family build a future together. Give the gift of opportunity today.
Story 05 of 20 | 20 Stories. One Ripple Effect.