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By Otim Moses
Farmers in mucwini sub-county in Kitgum district are earning big from the Non-governmental organization food for the hungry after empowering them on farm activities
On Wednesday, groups of famers from six parishes yeba, pakuba, okol li kol, ogwapoke , pudo and pajong in mucwini sub-county in Kitgum district showed their presentation on how they managed to benefit from the project brought by food for the hungry in the last 12 years.
Food for the hungry who implemented the project of VSLA, livelihood project ,education, water and sanitation project ,local padding making, liquid shop making among others brought the beneficiaries to testify to the public how the project has transformed their lives in the community.
Mr Malvern Chikanya the country Director Food for the hungry Uganda says 12 years work in mucwini sub-county has created working relationship with the community and many youths have been involved into agro business which has transform their lives
He added that when they started working in mucwini in 2010, the sub-county was having a lot of issue like land conflicts, murder, suicide, rape cases, gender base violence among others, but now the community has really change
Chikanya said the project was majorly meant to empower the community with projects like poultry keeping and bee keeping which was successfully implemented and the farmers are now earning and taking self responsibility
Mrs Aol Iren a farmer from pobech parish in mucwini sub-county and also dealing in cabbages says she plants cabbages twice in a year and her income is Ugx300,000 and for the last 12 years she mange to get Ugx4m from her sale.
She added that the money has helped her to pay school fees for her children since her husband passed on 10 years ago, also buying two cows and a pig in the period.
She appeals to Kitgum district local government especially in the office of the operation wealth creation to help her with water pump to help her flowering cabbages during dry season and farm equipment for work in the garden.
Mr Ogok Sadam farmer from Okol Likol in mucwini sub-county dealing bee keeping says he is getting Ugx 2m every year out of his sales so far managing to buy 14 cattle out of bee keeping and has now gained knowledge from the project
He urges support from the district and well wisher to help him with machine for processing honey ,supplying them with more beehive ,farm equipment and among others
Ojok expects to have 400 beehive in the next five years and to trade his product outside the country in the next few years.
Mrs. Lemoneka Rose a farmer from yeba parish in mucwini sub-county dealing in poultry farming says she started doing poultry farming one year ago and started with 250 broilers and she sold it at Ugx 750,000 in a period of three month and she’s been doing the business for 1 year and she manage to get Ugx 2.7m.
She revealed that the money has helped her to pay school fees for her three children and one of them is completing senior four this year, joined VLSA group, constructed her kitchen block, bought 7 iron sheet ,5 bugs of cement among others.
She appealed to the food for the hungry and the kitgm district leaders to help her and look for the ready market for her business.
Hon Dr Aber Lilian the Kitgum women Member of Parliament pledged to support the farmers that are organized in groups
She Called upon the district leaders to registered the organized groups and send it to her for support.
