Pilot Light Foundation

03/08/2026

On this International Women's Day, we celebrate the economic achievements and the move toward gender equality of all women who participate in Pilot Light programs.

Brenda's success is a perfect example that, when given opportunity, women are gamechangers.

Before she joined a Village Savings and Loans group in 2023, Brenda was farming only for home consumption. She would occasionally do casual labor for other farmers.

She used the little she earned to begin saving in her group, until she qualified to begin receiving loans. Through a series of gradually increasing loans, she built a petrol business, which now earns approximately $95 weekly. She used profits to start farming maize and sunflowers, both cash crops, that generate $1500 annually.

Brenda's 5 children are now all in boarding schools and she has 2 bulls for plowing her rented land. She plans to grow both her farm and her petrol business.

Financial sustainability equals freedom to make one's own choices for a better future.

Photo by Stephen Scott

02/05/2026

Sometimes it’s the modest victories that offer the most profound sense of achievement, and in Nora's case, the Pilot Light team is ecstatic!

The Batwa are a group that has been historically marginalized in an extreme way and who had limited interaction with the outside world, until the 1990s. Working with them for 13 years has been both challenging and has brought great joy to the team. The markers we use to measure progress have inched very slowly up the scale, within the community of Batwa elders.

Nora is 76 years old. She has been a member of a Village Savings and Loans group for 13 years, but until 2025, she had only used her loans for growing food for the family and had never taken the initiative to start a business of her own.

When we visited her last July, we were elated to discover that Nora had opened a small shop selling produce, alongside one operated by her granddaughter. She now earns over $7 daily, up from ZERO. We asked her, why now? Why, after all of these years did she finally decide to engage in a business? She couldn't give us a clear answer why, but she was not alone. Several elders had done the exact same in 2025.

Sometimes persistence, patience and understanding pay off. By some measures, the Batwa project has not achieved remarkable milestones. However, when you truly know these people, it is easy to see that huge mountains have been climbed and it makes it all worthwhile.

Photo by

01/22/2026

One of Pilot Light's primary goals is that those we serve will surpass the capacity of the Village Savings and Loans group to give loans large enough to be impactful on an already thriving business. They will then transition to local microfinance institutions for their financing, which is a sign of success.

Before becoming a member of a Village Savings and Loans group 4 years ago, Anatalie was earning $136 a year growing tree tomatoes. Through a combination of loans and reinvested profits, she was able to grow the business and is now earning $1380 annually! She also bought a cow and a pig, generating over $680 from breeding her pigs in recent years.

Due to her success, Anatalie launched another business sourcing clothing and popcorn from Uganda to sell in her village, right across the border in Rwanda. This business now brings in $400 a month!

Although Anatalie is still a member of her Pilot Light group, as she finds value in the community and wants to inspire and supporting fellow members, she has also graduated to a local microfinance institution. This marks her great success!

Photo by Stephen Scott

12/31/2025

11/17/2025

Prior to joining a Village Savings and Loans group in 2021, Donata was working as a farm laborer, earning only $1 a day. She used her savings and loans to invest in cultivating a small plot of her own, growing beans and maize. Over the past 4 years, she has expanded her holdings to 5 plots, generating an annual income of $1,379.

According to Donata, her financial contributions have allowed her and her husband to afford healthcare insurance, pay for school fees, and ensure the family has three meals a day. Their quality of life has significantly improved, and she intends to further grow her farm's size while boosting her weekly savings.

Photo by Stephen Scott

10/07/2025

Rose is a widow with four children. Until 2021, she had no means of earning an income at all, and her family relied only on food she grew in her home garden. Her neighbor, who was already a member of a Village Savings and Loans group, encouraged her to also join the group.

Over the course of the last four years, Rose took a series of loans and saved her profits to invest in a mandazi making business( a commonly eaten fried dough) and a small local shop. With the profits from these ventures and an additional loan, she was able to buy an ox and plow that she rents out during the harvest seasons.

Currently, Rose earns a combined $85 weekly from the mandazi sales and the shop. Annually, she earns at least $280 from the ox and plow rental. This substantial boost in her earnings, compared to the days that she was a subsistence farmer, has enabled her to enroll all 4 of her children into better schools and to provide them consistently with 3 meals daily. Rose has plans to further expand all her businesses and is optimistic about their growth and her potential for increased income.
Photos by Stephen Scott

09/16/2025

Scovia’s journey is truly remarkable! In 2022, she became a member of a Village Savings and Loans group, having previously relied solely on farming for her family's needs without any additional income sources. Through a combination of loans and her savings, she established a petrol business that generates $150 a week! For those living in rural areas, that is quite a significant income.

She didn't stop there. Scovia also started growing cabbage, earning $400 yearly and recently began breeding pigs. Her 6 kids are attending school, the family enjoys nutritious meals, and she believes that the demand will support further growth of her petrol business. She serves as an inspiring role model for both her Savings and Loans group and her community.
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08/05/2025

Before joining a Village Savings and Loans group in 2023, Adeline was earning $20 weekly selling grains. Through leveraging her loans and the revenue generated from her business, she boosted her earnings to $55 each week. Additionally, she invested in cultivating sunflowers and maize, which brought in annual returns of $840 and $1,000 respectively.

Adeline has aspirations to expand her farming operations and emerge as a significant producer and distributor of grains. Her resolve, along with the backing from the Savings and Loans group, is transforming her prospects.
Photo by Stephen Scott

07/23/2025

Prior to becoming a member of a Village Savings and Loans group, in 2023, Robina had no source of income. During the weekly group meetings, she managed to save just 50 cents. Over the course of two years, her businesses thrived, thanks to her profits, savings, and those loans, and she now earns $55 per day and saves $14 per week.

The difference that Village Savings and Loans groups make is often remarkably clear and impactful!
Photo by Stephen Scott

07/09/2025

A message from PiIot Light Founder, Carol Levy.⁠
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05/25/2025