Esther lives in eastern Uganda with her daughter, Olivia. Esther's husband abandoned her when she was pregnant and she was left with no means of earning an income. She started to sell bananas in the market in Mbale and began to earn enough to support her and Olivia.

Then, a local NGO helped with a micro loan to buy enough land to build a house and for the money for the build. Esther started to grow maize and crops in her small plot which she would then sell at market. All was going well. She paid off the loan to the NGO and was earning good money at the market.

Then Covid struck. Esther's life went backwards. She lost her income. She lost the means to support her and Olivia and had to rely on what she grew to eat. Life was tough in the extreme.

Gradually, Esther has been re-building her life again post-Covid. She is back in the market, selling her crops and building up a small financial buffer.