For many people, the 3 months lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic was a challenge. It was hard to survive on meager savings and adjust to the sudden change in the pattern of living where one was required to only stay at home.

But for Acola Annette, the lockdown was a blessing in disguise. She got the rare opportunity to venture into her passion.  Annette 24, a 2nd-year student at Karamoja’s Nakapiripirit Vocational institute in Uganda had a dream of setting up an animal husbandry farm.

Following the closure of schools as a preventive measure to the spread of the COVID -19, she went home with an idea to sell the one cow that her mother has bequeathed her. 
The UGX 520,000 income from selling her cow, was re-invested to acquire a herd of 5 piglets each at UGX 70,000.” I knew this was the right thing for me to do because this area has many bars and people love eating pork” she reminisces with a smile.

Annette’s pig farm has grown to include 13 pigs and she is now also buying local chicken to diversify her farm products. She also grows sorghum, sim-sim, and cassava to help feed the family. “I got the time to try out all the farm projects I had dreamed of because the end of lockdown coincided with the rainy season here in Karamoja,” she says.  

Annette says that the opening of restaurants has helped the business to grow. She sells 2-3 chicken a week and she is able to earn at least UGX 45,000. Her biggest challenge was feeding animals since they mainly feed on left-overs from restaurants and the pork orders were not anticipated since bars were closed.
Annette dreams of becoming a veterinary Doctor at the end of her career.