THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — The Greater Contribution is the name of the nonprofit organization Karon Wright founded in 2006.

As one of the poorest nations in the world, Wright and a group of friends decided Uganda was where they would dedicate their efforts to breaking the cycle of poverty. And they were going to do it by empowering women.

In Sub-Saharan male dominated countries, women rarely receive education or business skills to be independent, let alone support their families.

The Greater Contribution has created sustainable, generational change for women and their families. 

“For 80 dollars you can provide a woman with a micro-loan to start a new business, business skills training, mentoring and adult literacy,” Wright said.

Through micro-loans, hard working women can self-start small, sustainable businesses to lift their families out of poverty.

“It changes their whole life, it changes their whole thinking about who they are and what they can accomplish in life,” Wright said.

But the support continues beyond a micro-loan. Wright has mobilized an Ugandan staff to lead adult education programs and business mentoring, so that even when she’s not there, the contribution continues.

It’s during her semi-annual trips that Wright has witnessed firsthand the transformation — women starting their own businesses, feeding their own families and even running for positions of leadership in their villages.

“Being a part of the Greater Contribution program, many of them can have leadership positions. Many of them actually run for public office, and they win,” Wright said.

To date, The Greater Contribution has given over 22,000 micro-loans, which have changed thousands of women’s lives along with their families.

Sixteen years of work in Uganda has made Wright’s world a lot bigger and smaller at the same time.

“I do this work because I really believe that we are all one.”

She’s making a greater contribution, she’s empowering women, and that’s why Karon Wright is an everyday hero.

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