What is the name of your organization?
Relieft
What is the name of your solution?
Education healthcare agriswap
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Relieft extends access to education and healthcare to vulnerable communities through agri-swap and interest free loans
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Uganda
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
UGA
What type of organization is your solution team?
Nonprofit
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
In Uganda, 68% of households rely on agriculture, yet 41% of the population lives in poverty, limiting access to education and healthcare. Globally, over 244 million children are out of school due to financial constraints, while 100 million people are pushed into poverty annually due to healthcare costs. In Sub-Saharan Africa, over 600 million people lack adequate healthcare access, with 97 million experiencing catastrophic health expenses.
Financial barriers force vulnerable communities to make difficult trade-offs between food, education, and medical care. Traditional lending models exclude low-income families due to high interest rates and collateral requirements, leaving many without financial support.
Relieft addresses this challenge by offering interest-free microfinance and agricultural produce exchange (agri-swap) to fund education and healthcare. By allowing families to trade surplus farm produce for school fees and medical costs, Relieft ensures financial resilience and inclusivity. This model empowers farmers, reduces educational dropouts, and improves healthcare access for underserved populations.
With over 70% of Uganda’s workforce engaged in agriculture, leveraging farm produce as an economic tool can transform livelihoods. Relieft’s approach provides sustainable financial solutions, ensuring that vulnerable populations gain access to essential services without the burden of debt.
What is your solution?
Relieft is a financial solution that helps vulnerable communities access education and healthcare by exchanging agricultural produce and offering interest-free microfinance. It provides an alternative to traditional loans, ensuring financial inclusion for low-income families, especially smallholder farmers.
Here’s how it works: Families with limited cash but surplus farm produce can trade their harvest to pay for school fees or healthcare costs. Relieft collects, processes, and sells the produce, using the proceeds to settle the beneficiaries' payments. For those needing direct funds, Relieft offers interest-free microloans, which are repaid in small, flexible instalments.
The platform leverages mobile technology to facilitate transactions, track produce contributions, and manage loan repayments. A USSD and mobile app-based system ensures that even those without internet access can participate. Additionally, partnerships with schools, hospitals, and agricultural cooperatives help streamline operations.
By transforming agricultural surplus into financial capital, Relieft empowers families, reduces school dropouts, and improves healthcare access. Its tech-enabled, community-driven model creates a sustainable, scalable approach to financial inclusion, ensuring vulnerable populations can secure a better future without the burden of debt.
Video: https://youtu.be/OCdC4ZtV-rU?si=2YreME-SC51HlxH1
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Relieft serves low-income families, smallholder farmers, and vulnerable communities in Uganda and beyond who struggle to afford education and healthcare. Many of these families rely on subsistence farming, earning little cash income despite producing food. High school fees and medical costs force many children out of school and leave families without essential healthcare.
Who they are:
Smallholder farmers who lack access to financial services and rely on barter trade.
Low-income families unable to afford education and healthcare.
Women and youth who often have limited economic opportunities.
Internally displaced persons (IDPs) affected by climate disasters and conflict.
How they are underserved:
70% of Ugandans work in agriculture, yet many lack access to cash for essential services.
244 million children globally are out of school, mostly due to financial constraints.
97 million Africans face catastrophic health expenses annually.
Impact: Relieft converts agricultural surplus into financial capital, enabling farmers to pay school fees and medical bills without debt. Our tech-driven model increases financial inclusion, ensuring education continuity, better healthcare access, and economic stability for underserved populations. By leveraging mobile technology, Relieft connects families to services, breaking cycles of poverty and exclusion.
