Business Investment Winner Highlight: Annonciata

Introducing: Annonciata

Annonciata is a coffee farmer in our Kayonza community. She’s married to her husband, Etienne, and they have two beautiful children. After joining the Kula Fellowship, Annonciata started to envision a new future for herself and her family. Alongside her mentor and her husband, she developed a path toward improving their coffee business, expanding their farm land, funding the education of their children, and creating an additional business outside of farming to increase their daily income. Throughout the fellowship, Annonciata worked hard to achieve their shared goals by participating in all of the trainings and mentorship opportunities provided to her, often bringing her husband along to participate as well. Annonciata’s mentor reported being so encouraged by how much she and her husband love each other and the way that the family is united in working together to improve their life. If for whatever reason, Annonciata could not attend a meeting, Etienne would be there, learning in her place. 

Today, Annonciata is well on her way to seeing those dreams become realities: she is cultivating 760 healthy coffee trees, aiming to see a plentiful harvest in 2022; she and her family are now saving a portion of their monthly income in a bank account and participating in multiple saving circles; she records their daily income and expenses, helping her family prioritize their needs; she’s implementing what she learned in family health and nutrition training, cultivating nutritious vegetables and preparing balanced, healthy meals for her children; and finally, she has even opened up a shop where she and her family serve snacks, tea, and milk, in an effort to earn consistent income outside of farming. 

At the end of the Fellowship program, Annonciata and her husband pitched their idea of creating a tree tomato business to our panel of judges, ultimately being given the first place award for such an exemplary business plan. Annonciata aims to continue to grow her businesses and work toward the vision that she and Etienne have set. When asked about their experience in the Kula Fellowship, they told us they are so thankful because “their life has changed completely”.