The practice focusses on women access, use, control and ownership of land and housing using the cooperative model. its central objective is to empower women to overcome systematic barriers in land ownership, create ability to access affordable land & housing finance and advocacy for favorable policies for safer and inclusive communities.

Low income women, Youth and their families who are members of housing cooperative societies benefit from the initiative, they benefit through improved access to secure housing and greater equality in Land and property ownership

The practice mainly benefits low income women, mainly without formal employment, who join housing cooperatives to collectively save and acquire land. Youth and families also participate, particularly those living in urban and peri-urban communities

Over 1563 with 60% women representation are actively involved in housing Cooperative societies with support from the Uganda Housing Cooperative Union. predominantly women have accessed land and Housing through collective savings, accessed finance facilities from the Housing Cooperative Development Fund, VSLAs-Village Savings and Loans Associations to be able to develop affordable housing, secure land tenure for members while promoting inclusive participation in housing development

The practice advances the right to adequate housing and land by enabling the marginalized women to collectively acquire property. It reduces gender disparities in land ownership and improves women’s social and economic security. By strengthening women participation in housing decisions, the practice promotes inclusive, rights based development and helps families access safe and secure living environments.

The practice relates to Housing and Land rights, Habitat and Gender Equality, and social production of Habitat, by supporting women collectively acquire land and build homes through cooperatives, it promotes gender equality, community-led housing development, and equitable access to land and housing resources

In many Ugandan communities, cultural norms and economic barriers limit women’s ability to own or control land and housing. Land ownership is often perceived as a male privilege, leaving many low-income women without secure tenure. the Uganda Housing Cooperative Union addressed this challenge by mobilizing women, to form and join housing cooperative societies. Through training, financial literacy and cooperative saving mechanism, women collectively mobilize resources to purchase land and construct houses. the Cooperative model promotes voluntary and open membership, ensuring inclusiveness while enabling women to access property and participate in housing development.

Women now represent 60% of the cooperative members and many have acquired land or constructed houses through the model. The initiative shows that cooperative housing can successfully empower low-income women, promote gender equality in property ownership and provide a sustainable pathway to secure housing.

I am Ajok Rose, a member of Awach Improved PHCS. Together with my husband, we had a big chunk of land where we planted seasonal crops ranging from beans, sunflower, maize, soya bean, simsim, millet and ground nuts to save for a permanent house. I later joined a village savings group in Awach to start saving for a house. After six months of my membership, Uganda Housing Cooperative Union introduced the housing cooperative concept to our savings group. In 2018, we formed Awach Improved Housing Cooperative Society where members agreed a monthly target saving of UGX25,000/=. In 2019 the Union conducted a house dreaming meeting to develop house plans. In 2022 the Union introduced to us the housing cooperative development fund where I got a loan of UGX3,000,000 at 11% interest to start the construction of a 2roomed house on 02/09/2022.

Young people can learn that collective action and solidarity can transform communities, when women and youth organize through housing cooperatives, they can overcome social and financial barriers to land & housing. The practice shows that inclusive leadership, shared resources and community participation can create lasting change. The hope is the young generation will continue to champion equality, innovation and cooperation to build cities and communities where everyone has access to safe, affordable and dignified housing.