“ There is transparency and joint planning. Whether I or he goes to market the coffee, we shall come back and account to one another. There is peace in our home and a lot of good things have come out of that.”

When you walk into Mr. and Mrs. Ngabiroch’s compound, you will be met by a wall plated house soon to be complete. However, what is more peculiar is a chart hang by nails plastered in front of the building. On it bears their three year vision road journey that this couple is trekking till they realize their set goals and aspirations. This couple in Pamitu Parish, Siimu Village has adopted the visioning tool as a basis for their development and it is indeed paying off from the fruits they can see.

For a moment, it may seem surreal but from the chemistry and body language this couple exhibits, you can surely tell that everything is going on well. One may wonder what the secret to this could be. “When this project came; I started going for the trainings and I used to inform my husband who also later got interested and joined me.” 34-year-old Mrs. Ngabiroch says. Mr. Ngabiroch on the other hand says that the training in the gender action and learning system which encourages couples to work together and make joint decisions was a game changer in his life. "There is transparency and joint planning. Whether I or he goes to market the coffee, we shall come back and account to one another.

The couple says that the vision road journey has been a big part of their lives because it reminds them daily on the different activities they should do in order to reach their goal like saving with a purpose. “It has given us a big vision for our family.” Mr. Ngabiroch says.

The couple talks through their vision road journey chart and the symbols there in. It has the permanent house they are building now and more houses they intend to construct to replace the remaining grass thatched houses in their compound. It further shows the plan to educate their six children until university. The other plan is to buy a vehicle to facilitate their movement.  In addition, they intend to diversify their incomes by planting banana’s on a large scale.

“We now have two acres but we plan on expanding to four acres such that we can accommodate both crops.” Mrs. Ngabiroch proudly speaks as her husband nods in agreement.

It is safe to say that Mr. and Mrs. Ngabiroch have experienced immense impact as a result of the work Oxfam with funding from Irish Aid through action for community empowerment is doing in Zombo district. The couple promises to invite the team for the housewarming soon when the house is complete. “I want to thank Oxfam and its partners for the good work they have done. I just wish the project to continue because it has helped us a lot” Mr. Ngabiroch adds.

There is peace in our home and a lot of good things have come out of that."

"Before, I wouldn’t involve my wife in my plans, and life was hard because we weren’t moving anywhere. We had no goal at all and no co-operation at all. When I got the training, I began working with her, and the speed at which we are developing is that of lightning," Mr. Ngabiroch speaks as he and his wife smile.

This couple is undoubtedly setting the trend in the community. The training they acquired in smart agriculture by Oxfam with funding from Irish Aid through Action for community empowerment has connected them to government programs and agencies. “Our coffee garden is among the few selected as a model for good coffee agronomic practices by Uganda coffee development authority and the ministry of agriculture, animal industry and fisheries.” 

The couple celebrating 16 years in marriage has encountered major transformations in the coffee value chain. “Before, I would participate in the production of coffee, but I was never allowed to market, and this caused a lot of problems in our home.” Mrs. Ngabiroch says. Her 49 year old husband also feels bad about cutting her out of the coffee value chain “It was unfair because she would dig and harvest and I would be the only one to market. This meant that no one held me accountable, giving me leeway to spend the money carelessly.”

When Mrs. Ngabircoh saw this, she decided to devise means of how to benefit from her sweat “I used not to have access to the money so I started stealing my own coffee and that brought more problems in my home because the trust in me vanished. I was sometimes even caught.” The couple bursts into laughter because that is all a memory.

Currently, Mrs. Ngabiroch says that there is trust in the home and she no longer steals ever since she got involved in the entire value chain.