We are Capable
We are Capable
Location.
Northern
Uganda.
Local knowledge and local expertise inspired us to design a model contextualized to where we work. With decades of experience working in the region and sector, our team of 65 in Uganda is the best in the business.
Northern Uganda is the poorest region in the country and is impacted by many challenges: unpredictable growing seasons due to climate change, unpredictable markets due to global instability, and a refugee crisis along the northern border.
We work in some of the most remote parts of this region not because it’s easy, but because it’s where we can have the most impact. The people of Northern Uganda and South Sudan consistently inspire us with their creativity and grit.
Asset based development delivers results because it’s built on the resources available in a given context. In our context, clients have access to an abundance of land and labor, which is why we partner with them to grow their farming capacity as step one on their journey out of extreme poverty.
Our Model.
The Capable Cooperative Accelerator.
Intensive Training
One-On-One Mentorship
Low-Cost Financing
Market Linkage
We partner with subsistence farmers living on less than $0.50 / day. Our goal is to see our clients transition to commercial farming, diversify their income, and consistently live above the extreme poverty line. We operate a two-year, high-touch program that provides intensive training, one-on-one mentorship, individualized counseling, low-cost financing, and market linkage. These comprehensive services meet the unique needs of each family.
Our belief in interdependent outcomes drives us to partner with our clients to address their well-being from an economic, physical, emotional, psychological and social perspective. Our program relies heavily on mentorship and counseling to ensure that clients can heal from trauma and develop the resilience required to remain out of poverty.
After two years, clients transition into formal farming cooperatives and open up membership to the wider community.
Why it Works.
Why it Works.
Precision.
We drive towards one goal: seeing every member of every household exit poverty, as defined by the World Bank, for good. We rigorously measure our outcomes and adjust our activities to reach this goal.
We deploy technology, including tablet based data collection, GPS crop mapping and live impact dashboards. We utilize data to ensure we deliver the most impactful services at the most productive times.
Why it Works.
Proximity.
We have an intimate knowledge of the environment where we operate; it is changing. The impacts of climate change are an ever present threat to our farmers. We are meeting this head on by partnering with leading agro-researchers to develop the seeds that are most resilient in a changing environment, practicing climate-smart agro techniques, and ensuring farmers have a diversified income stream and safety net so they’re OK when the inevitable shock comes their way.
By working closely with the people and the land, our 100% Ugandan team relies on their local knowledge and leverages their expertise to equip our Clients with what they need to thrive.
Our Impact.
Everything we do drives towards one goal.
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to see every member of every family living above the extreme poverty line of $2.15 / day.
The independent evaluation of our impact was led by Gulu University Senior Lecturer Dr. Odongo Walter. He has over 30 research articles published in international peer-reviewed journals, holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics from Ghent University (Belgium), and perhaps most importantly grew up in Northern Uganda. He was supported by Dr. Akita Irene who earned a PhD in Agriculture and Applied Bio-Sciences from Gulu University.
Their team assessed every household for Cohort Three 2022-2023 and sampled all previous Cohorts and Cooperatives to assess the durability of our impact.
The data in this report had every potential counterfactual removed, was audited to ensure accuracy, and was winsorized to remove potential outliers. For averages, the actual family size (7.7) was selected vs the typical standard (4.5) size to ensure accuracy and avoid inflating impact. The income data uses the most up-to-date PPP (purchasing power parity) conversation rate.
Results Matter.
This Is Our Impact.
Cohort Three
2022-2023
0
families
0
household members
Daily income per household member (average)
Cohort Three Endline Results
Net Worth
250%
Increase
Cash Savings
330%
Increase
Physical Health
25%
Improvement
Locus of Control
(Agency)
66%
Improvement
Cooperatives.
Ensuring Durable Results.
We invest deeply into a community over two years. But it’s no accident that we call our core program the Capable Cooperative Accelerator. After two years, groups transition into formal farming cooperatives and reap the benefits of economies of scale.
This is where the catalytic nature of our approach takes off: community members that did not participate in our program begin joining cooperatives started by those who did. This creates new opportunities for communities to access markets, receive support, and change their circumstances.
Cooperatives are rapidly expanding and investing to create their best possible future. They’re purchasing tractors, value-addition processing equipment, and building store houses.
The economic impact is significant
new cooperative members are earning above the extreme poverty line and significantly more than their peers.
Cohort One 2018 - 2019
Direct Clients
225
Families
1,620
Household Members
Cohort One 2018 - 2019
Indirect Cooperative Members
363
Families
2,785
Household Members
Our key learning since Cohort One is that strong and stable cooperatives help ensure higher and more durable outcomes. The result of our focus on cooperative strength and stability is displayed in the increased impact over subsequent cohorts.
In 2023 our cooperative support staff helped connect Cohort One cooperatives with our wider cooperative network and the results were significant. Thanks to more market linkage, increased cooperative stability, and consecutive bumper seasons, Cohort One clients and indirect cooperative members bounced back and earned above the extreme poverty line in 2023. Their ability to weather the shock of a tough 2022 is a testament to our durable outcomes.
By adding new members, Cohort One has increased by 161% since 2019.
Cohort Two 2020 - 2021
Direct Clients
600
Families
4,320
Household Members
Cohort Two 2020 - 2021
Indirect Cooperative Members
451
Families
3,247
Household Members
Cohort Two continued to improve in 2023: their cooperatives expanded which allowed them to access larger and more lucrative contracts. They made significant investments in value addition equipment to increase their margins and constructed more shared storage facilities so they can safely store their goods before selling when prices are high.
Not only are Cohort Two clients and indirect cooperative members earning above the extreme poverty line, but they’ve increased their membership by 75% since 2021.
Cohort Three 2022 - 2023
Direct Clients
1,200
Families
9,240
Household Members
Cohort Three 2022 - 2023
Indirect Cooperative Members
620
Families
4,775
Household Members
Before the program concluded, Cohort Three Cooperatives added 620 new families, increasing their membership by 52%.
We continue to emphasize the importance of strong and stable cooperatives at the beginning of the program and the impact of this approach is clear. Despite being our largest cohort so far, Cohort Three increased their income more than any previous cohort and their new indirect cooperative members are already earning above the extreme poverty line, too.
Throughout 2023 we tested a more efficient implementation approach and these results gave us the confidence to double the size of our programs with Cohort Four 2024-2025.
Our clients create more impact in their communities than other economic development models. Our primary goal isn’t to be the best, but in doing so we hope to drive the sector towards prioritizing meaningful outcomes.
Meaningful Impact. Durable Results.
Beyond.
Beyond
The
numbers.
Below you’ll read about one family out of over 7,000. The impact of living well above the extreme poverty line is difficult to fully articulate in a short report. Families experience many firsts: becoming food secure, sending children to school, learning how to read and write.
Our program systematically addresses all of the barriers that keep families living in extreme poverty. A shift in mindset is chief among these barriers and we provide the services required for clients to experience meaningful and durable change.
We don’t share Margaret’s story because she is an anecdote amongst our clients - she is proudly the norm.
Margaret is a 53 year old widow with 7 children. A few years ago, her whole family was working hard using basic hand tools to grow just enough to eat. Growing up Margaret never attended school and her biggest dream was to see things be different for her own kids. Unfortunately, she lacked the resources to provide this opportunity for her children.
Margaret’s story is not unique. She had the wisdom, the work ethic, and the perseverance to change her circumstances - she just needed an opportunity. During her time participating in the Capable Cooperative Accelerator Margaret scaled up her farming from 2 to 25 acres a season. She had access to modern technology to open more land, cutting edge farming techniques taught by her Agronomist to increase yield, and stable demand for her maize through our brokerage network.
She reinvested her profits into opening up additional acreage, purchasing oxen, and constructing a general store at her local trading center. Over the years she’s worked with her Business Mentor to diversify her income to ensure stability.
Long gone are the days of the whole family working on the farm. Margaret finally has enough money to send her children and grandchildren to school for the first time. Her eldest son helps run her businesses and is forging a new path for the next generation. Margaret’s success extends well beyond her own family: she’s providing seasonal employment to members of her community too.
You’d think that the highlight of Margaret’s experience would be the transformational economic change, but you’d be wrong. She says that the support from her Counselor was the turning point.
Talking to my counselor helped me understand what I was capable of - my stress has gone down and I no longer overthink everything. I no longer look down on myself, but I know I can accomplish what I set my mind to.
Margaret didn’t stop there. She enrolled in training from our Counseling team and is now a certified peer-counselor, offering the same services to other members of her Cooperative and community.
Partners.
Program Partners.
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The CAPABLE approach is holistic: it solves the agriculture extension services gap
in our District and addresses the wider needs of each household. There is clear evidence of socio-economic transformation in the lives of program participants and the entire community, too. We love the partnership and look forward to working together in the future.”
Oyet Jomo
District Production Coordinator
Omoro District Local Government, Uganda
Funding Partners.
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I didn’t think it was possible to actually graduate communities out of poverty
in a short time until I visited CAPABLE in Northern Uganda. Holistic transformation was evident in all the groups I interacted with. Right from the confident women who were excited with being able to write their names to the proud men whose joy was expressed in the full granaries, ox plows, permanent houses, and new motorcycles.
But, the most exciting change I saw was the mindset shift from recipients to enablers!
CAPABLE changed my perspective on what was possible in development work.
Joseph Akure
Program Officer
The Vista Hermosa Foundation
Financials.
In 2023 our direct clients increased their income by over $4 million as a result of our $1.07 million investment.
We’ve reduced our cost per individual by 70% over the last six years. Year over year we have proven that we can improve our impact as we scale and we have no plans to slow down.
From our Founders.
Farmers first, always.
Thanks for reading our 2023 Annual Report! We have much to celebrate: we increased our impact, increased our fundraising, and learned many valuable lessons. Since 2018 we have reached over 25,000 people and in 2024 we’ve expanded again: doubling in size to welcome over 18,000 new people into our programs.
We approached 2023 like we approach every year: by staying true to our values, listening to our team, and elevating the voices of our community. This approach brought much needed clarity around partnership decisions and organizational trajectory.
As we reflect on our place in the wider landscape of poverty alleviation work, we remain perplexed by the incredible disconnect between the marketing claims and the results being produced. Extreme poverty has a definition and CAPABLE exists to give people the opportunity to make a complete and durable exit from it. We will always listen to and hold ourselves accountable to those we serve above all else.
We prioritize partnering with communities that are underserved, disconnected from the marketplace, and hard to reach. This approach makes creating impact more difficult - but this work isn’t supposed to be easy. Over the next few years we’ll be laying plans to expand further into Northern Uganda and South Sudan.
As we look forward, we remain committed to radical transparency, meaningful collaboration, and continual improvement. We’ll continue to raise the bar of what’s possible in rural economic development, but we still have a long way to go, so let’s go together.
Apwoyo matek,
Idro Dominic and Sean Galaway
Co-Founders
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