Ernest Namanya Rwendeire

Ernest, who grew up in rural communities in Uganda, wants to dedicate his life to poverty alleviation and the creation of sustainable livelihoods. Inspired by the vision of contributing to poverty reduction in rural areas through social entrepreneurship, he transitioned from the private sector to LATEK Stay Alliance Uganda as Executive Director. His goal is to offer smallholder families new opportunities – moving from food insecurity and poverty to food security, stable income, and social transformation.

LATEK was founded to overcome the limitations of traditional development aid in Africa, which often depends on the Global North and fails to bring about genuine, lasting improvements for local people. As a regional network, LATEK unites Ugandan organizations and individual enablers who take poverty alleviation into their own hands through entrepreneurial action. The current 50 members develop innovative solutions for sustainable agriculture, benefiting particularly smallholder families living in extreme poverty.

People liberate themselves permanently from extreme poverty.

LATEK supports smallholder farmers in Uganda in sustainably increasing their incomes through organic grain farming. Before the project begins, members mobilize local communities and provide intensive training in farming methods, marketing, and microbusiness management. LATEK also maximizes productivity and minimizes environmental impact through effective soil analysis.

During the cultivation and harvest phases, participants receive materials such as seeds and training in sustainable farming practices. Experienced farmers who have already benefited from LATEK initiatives pass on their knowledge in practical training sessions to new participants. Joint marketing through their own grain mill ensures higher market prices and a stable income for participants.

The social enterprise LABE reinforces these efforts by acting as a market partner and utilizing proven strategies for grain processing and storage. The goal is for at least 70% of participants to achieve a significant increase in their harvest income per season.