Evelyn spent her Fellowship at the University of South Dakota Center for Disabilities.

Evelyn Gloria Piloya is a young female activist from Gulu, northern Uganda. She currently works for Homa Farm Limited as Programme Officer in charge of Village Saving and Loan Association. This area of work has given her experience in the financial realms of advocacy. Prior to joining Homa Farm Limited, she had worked in Africa Women Rising, the Gulu  Disabled Persons Union and Grassroots Women’s Association for Development.

As a person with a disability, Gloria became an advocate in part due to her own experience: “In my personal life, growing as a person with a disability was very difficult due to the stigma and attitude of the community toward children with disabilities because they were considered a curse in the community.” She hopes to use her PFP-IDE experience to reduce the stigma that she experienced and pave a better path for generations to come.

Gloria’s project is entitled ‘Inclusion of People with Disabilities in Aswa County in Government Programs for Economic Empowerment.’ This will include the economic empowerment of PWD for self-employment through inclusive community groups by training them in different agricultural enterprises and linking them to government and NGO programs within Gulu. She plans to work in partnership with organizations such as Gulu District Local Government, NGOs, and community health workers. These collaborations will endure project sustainability and help enable Gloria’s success.