Started her business in 2011
Ngora, Uganda

Juliet Agemo
Juliet Agemo is a testament to how hard work and opportunity can change lives. Ten years ago, Juliet was under-nourished, so thin you could see the bones in her face. She ate just one meal a day, usually porridge, but sometimes skipped days to buy medicine for one of her three children. School fees were so high they seemed out of reach. She longed to be a teacher, but that also seemed an impossible dream.
When Juliet was invited to participate in the Village Enterprise program with two partners, she never thought it would end up transforming her and her family’s lives.
With their grant, the partners bought a few lambs, which quickly multiplied and turned into many, many sheep. They sold the ewes, shared the profits, and decided to begin buying and selling pork as a way to diversify their enterprise. This was the beginning of their highly successful pork business in Ngora. Once the business was established, Juliet approached her partners and asked if they would be willing to help her return to school to learn to teach. They agreed.
In 2015, Juliet graduated as a teacher. “I love the work of being a nursery school teacher,” said Juliet. “My students will help Uganda. They will be the next Members of Parliament and doctors.”
Juliet and her partners have also continued to build their business. Over the past eight years, they have used some of their profits to buy 325 citrus trees. Now they own a massive orchard and will soon be selling the fruit to buyers who come from neighboring Rwanda and Kenya. “Village Enterprise helped us a lot, most especially me,” Juliet said. She smiles broadly with her full, round, healthy face. “I can afford to drink milk and eat meat now. I used to be so small. I never thought I’d be like this.”