Sarah And David Mbabazi – From Farming In Silence To Planning Together
My name is Sarah Mbabazi. I am 48 years old. I live with my husband David Mbabazi aged 56 years. We live in Kimbugu Kakamba Village, Kabwoya Sub-County, Kikuube District. We are blessed with seven children and three grandchildren.
I am a member of Kichanga Twimuke Farmers group supported by WFP under the AMS programme. Early in 2024, before the GALS couple training by the Institute for Social Transformation (IST) in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP), David and I farmed but never as a team. He often worked far from home, while I cultivated alone. We both earned money but made decisions separately, with no shared plans for our family’s future.
From 3rd-5th December, 2024 my husband and I participated in the IST organized GALS training during which we learned the value of joint planning and shared vision. I remember vividly the session where I compared myself to a bird in a cage trapped by fear and silence. It moved me deeply. When we returned home, I approached David, and for the first time, we had an honest conversation about our dreams. We discovered we both wanted to build a home yet we had never said it out loud.
With guidance from IST, we began making that dream a reality. Today, our family house is under construction, built on joint effort, open communication, and mutual respect.
David and Sarah Mbabazi together with IST team at their new dream house under construction in Kimbugu Kakamba Village, Kabwoya Sub County, Kikuube District.
Photo taken: 30th. 08. 2025 by Shinah Atuhaire, IST Communications Officer.
Our relationship has changed completely. We now farm together, plan together, and grow our small poultry and piggery business as a team. The income has helped us care better for our children and grandchildren, and we now feel financially stable and confident about the future.
“We were once distant in vision, but now we walk one road together with shared dreams and shared steps.” –Sarah & David
We are deeply grateful to IST and WFP for helping us rediscover ourselves not just as individuals, but as partners. Our story is proof that when couples plan together, they grow together. We hope others can learn from our experience and embrace the power of GALS to build stronger, more united and economically empowered families and communities.
