Michael is a young Savings Group participant in Karamoja, Uganda whose determination and faith have made him a source of strength and hope for his siblings.

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Michael lost both of his parents 10 years ago. Growing up without them was extremely difficult for him and his six siblings—they often went without food. Their aunt, who has eight children of her own, couldn’t take them in, and the older siblings have since scattered, as they’ve had to leave home in search of ways to survive. Michael is the only one who stayed behind to take care of the younger children.

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As the oldest remaining sibling at home, Michael is now responsible for covering the household expenses and school fees. One of his younger brothers is currently in fifth grade. At one point, the school threatened to expel him because his fees hadn’t been paid, but Michael was determined to keep him in school.

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To do this, he took out a loan from his Savings Group. He used part of the loan to pay for school fees and the rest to plant cassava, using a portion of his profits from selling the cassava to help cover the remaining school costs. In a community that has the lowest primary education completion rates in all of Uganda, Michael’s efforts to pay for his siblings to stay in school is giving them a shot at a brighter future.