At just 24 years old, Timujibwa Nuulu from Bugunga Village, Kapyanga Subcounty, Bugiri District, is rewriting her story — one jar of peanut butter/paste at a time.
When COVID-19 hit in 2020, Nuulu’s education journey came to a sudden stop. She had just completed Senior Three when schools closed and was forced to stay home, hoping they would reopen soon. When schools eventually resumed, her parents could no longer afford to take her back. Soon after, she became a young mother, unemployed and struggling to provide for her child.
Her breakthrough came when a friend, already a participant in the Stimulating Agribusiness for Youth Employment (SAYE) Project, encouraged her to join.
“When CURAD came to our village and started registering young people with no jobs but with ideas in agribusiness, I decided to take a chance,” she recalls. “I had many ideas — from making daddies to peanut butter but I chose peanut butter because no one in my village was producing it, yet there was high demand.”
That’s how Busoga Peanut Paste was born, a product the community has warmly embraced for its affordability, reliability, and good quality.
Nuulu doing Production at Namanve Facility
Through the SAYE Project, implemented by Heifer International Uganda in partnership with ASIGMA, CURAD, FSME, and FSD Uganda, Nuulu received technical training, financial literacy skills, and continuous mentorship that equipped her to manage and grow her enterprise. She also benefits from free working space at CURAD’s Agribusiness Centre in Namanve, where she roasts, grinds, and packages her peanut paste and butter under hygienic conditions. CURAD further supports her with technical guidance, branding, and product development.
Her product range includes 100g peanut paste at UGX 1,000, 250g at UGX 2,000, and peanut butter (odii) in 50g and 100g packs. She supplies several shops in her community and also sells directly from home.
“Before joining SAYE, I had no job,” Nuulu says with a smile. “Now I can take care of my baby girl. I’ve even employed one permanent worker who helps with marketing and two part-time workers who source groundnuts from local farmers.”
Recently, Nuulu produced 30 kilograms of peanut paste and earned a net profit of UGX 350,000 — a milestone that motivates her to aim higher. “My goal is to reach one million shillings in profit soon and continue expanding,” she proudly shares.
Though she faces challenges such as limited transport means and lack of UNBS certification, Nuulu remains optimistic. CURAD is currently supporting her to attain the UNBS quality mark, and the process is already underway. “For the UNBS certification, CURAD is helping me with the process,” she says. “I hope by the end of this year, I will have received it.”
Her once idle days are now filled with purpose, productivity, and hope. “I’m busy now — no longer idle as I used to be,” she says. “SAYE gave me a second chance, and CURAD gave me the skills and space to build a better future.”
Through Busoga Peanut Paste, Nuulu is not just earning a living, she is empowering herself, creating jobs, supporting local farmers, and bringing affordable, quality peanut butter to her community.
Her journey is a powerful reminder that when opportunity meets determination, transformation happens.
