Maple Microdevelopment

MAPLE Microdevelopment collaborates with diverse, underserved communities to co-design, establish, and grow community-managed savings funds and other tools necessary for strengthening their own financial, cultural, and ecological resilience. 

MAPLE Uganda:

MAPLE Microdevelopment has worked for over 10 years to strengthen communities in rural Uganda financially and ecologically. On the financial side, we form community-managed savings groups, provide education in entrepreneurship and income generation, and focus on keeping kids in school.  On the ecological side, we work with communities to keep water clean, purify water when necessary, and ensure agricultural and other income generating practices continue to preserve the land upon which communities depend for their livelihoods.

Today, MAPLE’s 10 Ugandan staff members now work with over 60 villages, 2000 members of community-managed savings and loan groups (mostly women-led) and over 200 children and youth. 

By working closely with community members, MAPLE learned the importance of developing programs for youth to break the cycle of poverty across generations. An astonishing 50% of the 45 million people who live in Uganda are 15 years of age or younger with unemployment rates nearing 70%, and even higher for young women compared to men.  Therefore, we are currently designing an innovation center for young entrepreneurs focused on developing ecologically supportive solutions to local problems, enabling youth to develop skills and earn income in sustainable ways. 

Learn about our process and our other branches in Chile and Oregon at www.maplemicrodevelopment.org!