About Us

REFORMED POACHERS AND BATWA FARMERS COOPERATIVE SOCIETY LTD

Profile

REPABFCOS BOARD AND COMMITEES:

Board Members

REPABFCOS BOARD AND COMMITEES:
Board Members
1. Mr. Kwesiga joab Board -Chairperson
2. Mr. Mugarura Nathan -Treasurer
3. Mr. Turyahikayo Kenneth -Secretary
4. Mrs. Musiimenta Charity -Vice Chairperson
5. Mr. Niwagaba Aggry -Assistant Sec
6. Kyarikunda Christine – Board member
7. Arineitwe Gerald – Board Member

Committee members

Internal Audit committees (SUPCO)

Mr Rusesa Jackson – chairperson

Mr kyoribona Emmanuel – Secretary

Mrs Byamugisha Naume – Member

Loans committee

Mr Namara Arthur – Chairperson

Mr.Mucunguzi Boaz – Member

Mrs. Natukunda Justine – Secretary

Procurement Committee

Mr. Atwijukire Alexander – Chairperson

Kyarikunda Christine – Secretary

Arineitwe Gerald – Member

Finance committee

Turinwamukama Apofia – Chairperson

Mugarurra Nathan – Member

Tukahirwa Hildah- Secretary

REPABFCOS Staff

Rukundo Godfrey-cooperative manager
Mr. Turyakyira Bright – Accountant
Mr. Bikorwomuhangi Timothy – Field Officer
Mr. Tusasibwe Ivan – Credit Officer
Mrs Kyakunda Dorothy – Cashier
Kamusiime Dorothy– Sales Assistant Buhoma food store
Atuheire Moreen- Sales Assistant Karangara food store

Field Extension Agents

Mr Byaruhanga Gidion
Mrs kyarikunda Vastinah
Mrs Ansinguza Adah
Nduhukire Vastah
Kato Elius
Arineitwe Shallon
Arineitwe Midius
Kyorisiima Immaculate
Nyinomugisha Kedress
Asiimwe Iren
Mugarura Nathan
Kente Ketra

BANKS

REPABFCOS operates two bank Accounts

Shillings Account Number 3202885325 in Centenary bank

Dollar Account Number 9030016776539 in Stannic bank

Background

Illegal hunting possessed considerable threats to the wildlife of BINP and other protected areas of Uganda by poachers, techniques of successful mitigation of this threat were heavily debated by UWA but poaching remained the order of the day. Bottom-up community-based initiatives aiming to curb poaching by linking up local communities with wildlife conservation were often deployed in place with Top-down anti-poaching enforcement to maintain wildlife population through fines and prison sentences given to arrested poachers but they never reformed. Poverty and hunger remained as the major drive of illegal poaching as households look for income as sustenance. Livelihoods of illegal hunters were often augmented considerably though income generated from bush meat sales remained small and unreliable to curb poverty, therefore REPABFCOS developed the idea to develop the Batwa (minority group) and other people who would refrain from poaching to farming financially through VSLAs farmer support model which they named REPABFCOS.

Reformed Poachers and Batwa Farmers’ Cooperative Society Limited is a company limited by shares with registration number 11941 /RCS. The company is registered with the ministry of trade, industry and cooperatives. The cooperative was started by members of Community initiative for Biodiversity conservation, a local NGO found in Bwindi. It was started to enable its members have access to financial support. REBAPFCOS therefore enables access to seed loans, distribution and marketing of member’s produce, enhance farmer-to-farmer cantered learning for poverty and hunger free cooperative members. The society mainly works with reformed poachers, Batwa pygmies and communities neighboring the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The cooperative society developed the idea to help farmers financially through Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) farmer support model. In this VSLA farmer support model, People with no capacity to get loans from financial institutions directly because of lending policies are supported. These include Batwa Pygmies, Women and Reformed poacher members that form VSLAs and some are individual shareholders.

REPABFCOS VSLA METHODOLOGY

A Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) is a group of people who meet regularly to save together and take small loans from those savings. The activities of the group run in cycles of one year, after which the accumulated savings and the loan profits are distributed back to the members. The purpose of a VSLA is to provide simple savings and loan facilities in a community that does not have easy access to formal financial services.

TheseGroups hold annual elections. The responsibilities of the five-person management committee are clearly defined. This is to protect the group from being dominated by a single individual.

Each group is composed of 10 to 35 self-selected individuals. Groups meet weekly and members save through the purchase of shares. The price of a share is decided by the group. At each meeting, every member have been buying between 1 and 5

Shares but recently it has been revised to 1- infinity to enable members have more savings and increase opportunities to borrow which fetches more revenue in form of interest at the end of the cycle. The share price is set by the group at the beginning of the annual cycle. The system is very simple, but the result is powerful.

Members do not have to save in equal amounts; they vary at each meeting. Additionally, by saving more frequently in very small amounts, they build their savings more easily, contributing to improving the security of their household.

Savings are deposited to a loan fund from which members can borrow in small amounts, up to three times the value of their savings. Loans are for a maximum period of three months and may be repaid in flexible installments at a monthly service charge determined by the group. This flexible repayment system is a decisive advantage when compared to the rigid repayment demands from commercial banks.

Each group has a social fund set aside to meet emergencies, which is a simple form of insurance against calamities. Everyone pays the same amount at each meeting. The Social Fund is used to pay expenses in the case of personal emergencies

At the end of every annual cycle, all of the loans are paid back and the total money is shared out among members in proportion to their savings. This share-out includes all of the profits of the group from interest income and fines. Any member who wants too, can then plough this money immediately back into the group, so that they start a new cycle with a large balance, which makes them quickly eligible for a large loan

Records are maintained in member passbooks provided by REPABFCOS. Savings are recorded between 1 and 5 stamps at each meeting but it has been revised to be 1-infinity in order to raise more savings. All of the member passbooks are locked in the cash box provided by REPABFCOS before the members after the meetings.

REPABFCOS has developed farmer support model where farmers have been able to join agriculture of beans and maize. They pay 20% 0n beans harvest and 50% on maize harvest respectively and on every season they are able to collect their produce to the decentralized stores. REPABFCOS purchases their surplus produce, make value addition to produce and re sale at profit in their food stores. Members get interest free food loan from the food stores payable in two weeks

REPABFCOS CORE

God fearing
Transparency and accountability
Food security for all
Team work
Environment sustainability

MISSION

To train and support the cooperative members and shareholders to fight extreme hunger and poverty through sustainable agri-Business while conserving the environment.

VISION

A cooperative society with members and shareholders free from poverty and hunger earning more than $5 per day.

OBJECTIVES

To encourage improved methods of agriculture and to supply expert advice.
To market and process the agricultural products of members cooperatively.
To purchase the agricultural and building requirements of members cooperatively
To encourage members to save money by accepting their deposits.
To make loans to members for productive purposes on the security of their agricultural produce

Achievements

Increase in number of shareholders from 78-2019share holders to 408 – 2024 shareholders.
Increase in staffing from 1 staff 2019 to 7 staffs 2024.
Increase in number of VSLAs from 10 in 2020 to 69 in 2024
An increase in financial capital from 10million in 2019 to 223 million in 2024.
Improved knowledge in financial controls and control systems by hiring competent and profession staff and installing computer soft wares like quick books which we currently use.
Opening of food stores both Buhoma and Karangara. These food stores were opened in order to bring food near to our shareholders and our farmers who take food on credit payable in two weeks with interest free.
Providing bean and maize seeds for planting payable in 20% and 50% respectively on harvest
Providing seed capital to VSLAs as revolving fund from 11m UGX 2021 to 70 M ugx 2024 as great achievements.
An increase in share capital from 2.8Millions in 20219 to 2620000M ugx in 2024. This has been a achieved through great mobilisation.
An increase in individual lending loan portfolio 40915600, vslas 60766500 in 2024
Permanent registration of the cooperative 11941/RCS

REPABFCOS SWOT Analysis

REPABFCOS as a business has the strength, weakness, opportunities and threats that once taken into consideration by 2029 REPABFACOS will have grown at greater milestones.

Strength.

Well educated board of directors. Staff reformed poachers and Batwa farmers’ cooperative society has a well-educated board of directors where by the whole of central executive committee is having people with bachelor’s and well educated staff both with diplomas and degrees. This will help REPABFACOS to grow at a higher milestone.
Presence of policies. REPABFACOS has put in place the policies that will help both in governance and management of its BOD and staff. These policies include human resource policy, procurement policy, lending policy, financial policy, anti- fraud policy etc. this policies will help in the governance and management of REPABFACOS.
Avery excellent organisational structure. REPABFACOS still have a very good organisational structure that is the AGM, presence of the strong BOD and strong staff, internal Audit and other committees. This structure will help and improve in REPABFACOS growth and development.
Presence of farmers, REPABFACOS has a strong team of farmers from both its VSLAs and shareholders who can produce more food to be stocked in the stores.
Cooperative legal frame work is in place
REPABFCOS provide a number of services to the members most of which are business oriented and they are able to pull revenue to members and to the cooperative.

Weakness

Inadequate marketing strategies which limits our market scope.
Limited data solution towards a centralized data base to avoid duplication of assistance
Resistance to change
No ability to supply large quantities , need to strengthen the production capacities
Tech support to adapt to the new model with increased process for imported materials
Inadequate finance to finance the cooperative demands

Opportunities

Access to local market from VSLAs for the store products is available.
Has all possibilities to reinforce agreements with farmers for consistent supply to cover market demands.
Development of UNBS certisfied brands which can be set to increase quality of the products
Diversification of REPABFCOS activities forcusing more on processing ,packaging and marketing and delivery opportunity which increases the income of the cooperative.
Access to loacal market of the store products from the VSLAs

Threats

Economic and social environmental
Increase in prices for inputs and low outputs
Permits now needed to export food products and need to pay extra duty and permits which affects export capacity.
Restrictions on foreign currency
Changes in weather which affects farmers produce leading to low yields.

FUTURE PLANS AND TARGETS

Grouping together beans and maize farmers for increased production.
Recruiting an extension worker to deal with these farmers by 2024.
Buy Sahara Pickup to always help in transporting food from whole sellers, producers and back to farmers from store.
Providing Farmers with high quality planting materials with the bet agronomic practices.
Training farmers in organic farming practices like making organic manure to boost their infertile soils and increase their yields.
Mobilising of reformed poachers in areas of Queen Elizabeth in Kanungu district to extent our services to other neighbouring communities.
Increasing food production and reduce hunger and poverty among farmers on house hold level.
Sourcing of funds to increase the VSLA and individual loan portfolio.
Engagements with other partners to support REPACOS with seed money to boost the member’s savings and improve their house hold income.
Partnering with Banks like centenary bank, stannic bank and micro finance support centre etc where we expect to get maximum liability to invest in VSLA and individual loaning
Engagement with United States African development foundation (USADF) which funds cooperatives in Africa to see if they are able to fund some of our activities.
REPABFCOS is looking forward to subscribe to UHURU Institute for social development to enrol to the coop360 networks for trainings and other support.
Implementing alternative sources of income to the cooperative by bringing others services closer to farmers and surrounding communities like Agent Banking and mobile money services. This will make it easy and reliable for farmers when paying back their loans.
Having a ware house in Kihihi for hoarding our waiting product products to be taken for milling and other finished products to be supplied in the REPABFCOS food stores for our farmers to access on credit and pay in two weeks.
Increased production of maize and beans.
produce our own brand posho from our maize produce as a way of creating awareness to our consumers through sourcing a reliable factory and seek for a seal from UNBS with the vision to buy the cooperative milling machine.
Increase number of shareholders to increase the share capital and increase chances of lending.
Encourage members to pay development fund to be the start up to save and buy land to build cooperative offices and reduce on rent expenses.
More training on financial literacy programs to farmers on how to use money effectively to reduce loan default.

REPABFCOS SUSTAINABILITY PLAN

Community sensitization of finance literacy programs.
Accountability and transparency all the way through
Research and monitoring for new innovations
Trainings and Mentorships of members
Engagement with partners who can support our projects .