Now Us Cooperative Society (NUCS) began as a group of seven young and dynamic women in 2018 to economically empower one another and also aid other young women with knowledge about financial literacy, life skills, sexual reproductive health rights (SRHR), and confidence building. In 2020 NUCS formally registered as a community-based organization.

The primary objective of this group is to assist women and young girls who are confronted with a variety of challenges in our communities, such as being a victim of domestic violence, having a child at a young age, being a widow, and other similar circumstances, which prevent them from fully participating in economic activity, achieving financial independence,
and contributing to the economic well-being of their families. Our group was established, among other things, to give education about SRHR, financial literacy, and entrepreneurialism; establishing a village community-saving system; and launching minor income-generating activities to fund our organization’s ongoing operations.

Now Us Cooperative Society (NUCS) aims to put into action a project that will raise awareness about women’s rights to employment and access to productive resources such as land and properties. The goal of this project is to make a long-term improvement in the quality of life of socially marginalised women. Now Us Cooperative Society’s effort will begin by organising and forming three self-saving groups inside the Isamilo ward. Each of these groups should have ten different women participating. After that, NUCS will offer training on leadership skills and financial literacy. This training should encompass saving money and skills for managing finances.

At the meeting of the villagers, NUCS will organise and lead a session to raise awareness and sensitization about women’s rights to access employment and their contribution to the growth of the economy at the home level. The organisation will organise a group meeting and approach financial institutions, local government agencies (LGAs), and other interested partners about supporting the three groups with seed capital that will be repaid without interest. One example of a stakeholder that NUCS will engage with is an Islamic Bank, which is one type of lender that does not charge interest on loans. In addition, the organisation have plans to provide mentoring and coaching services to women to ensure that they are successful in running their existing businesses, which will allow them to pay back the loans they have received and carry on with their other revenue-generating endeavors.