My name is Kiyonga Betty. I live in Maaru Sub-County, Kotido District, and I’ve been married to Achuka Abraham, aged 23, for three years. Together, we have one son. I’m a farmer I grow sorghum, green grams, groundnuts, sim sim, cowpeas, and watermelon for both sale and home consumption.

When I got married, I never imagined that I could have a say in household decisions. My husband made all the plans. I was not allowed to speak about money or express my views. And even when I was beaten, I stayed silent. I told no one. That was my life for years silent, fearful, and isolated.

Things began to shift when I attended a training organized by the Institute for Social Transformation (IST) in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP). We were taught that women have the power of voice to speak up, influence decisions, and negotiate within the household. That message touched me deeply. For the first time, I felt seen.

“Before, I was silent. Now, I am a partner. I have a voice in our home and on our land. We plan together. We plant together. And I believe we are building a better future not just for ourselves, but for our son too.” Betty

Soon after that training, I received a transport refund of 120,000shs (USD 34.28) for attending the four-day sessions. My husband demanded I hand it over, saying only he plans for money. I refused and he beat me. The stress and pain were too much. I fell ill and sought refuge at my parents’ home in Rutoum village.

While there, I finally opened up about what I had been going through. For the first time, I broke the silence. We were guided through counseling, and eventually my husband came to join me so we could go through the counselling together.

I found my voice and I decided not to lose it again.After the second training, I reached out to Joel, one of the GALS-trained facilitators (TOT). He agreed to speak with my husband, and in February, they had that conversation. Just a few weeks later, I began to see change.

My husband started helping with housework. He began coming to the garden. Where I used to plant one acre of sorghum alone, this season we’ve planted five acres together.

Later, when he received UGX 1 million from the Parish Development Model (PDM) fund, he shared it with me. I proposed that we use part of the money to buy an ox-plough to improve our farming. He agreed. He even added his own idea to hire laborers to help me with weeding, since he’s currently in school preparing for Senior Four and can’t always be in the garden. This change may sound small, but for me, it is everything.