Increase Economic Opportunities for 200 Girls

During this period under review, our work has continued to   build the capacity of impoverished women to overcome their socio-economic barriers by enhancing their business and entrepreneurship competency, creating for them opportunities in agriculture productivity and value addition. We have promoted food security programs with an aim of supporting women from vulnerable households to improve their incomes and having enough food in their homes. Women have been empowered with skills of conservation, sustainable and climate resilient agriculture, intercropping as well as supporting 56 farmers with 900kgs of improved maize, 500 kgs of beans and 400kgs of ground nuts which have enabled them to support their family in terms of food security and able to get income for education of their children and support of their homes. With involvement of women in household crop and livestock production and strengthening their capacity to practice agriculture as a business, women’s lives have greatly changed as  Resty  explains;

“My name is Resty aged 46 years old, married with three children, my husband is Timothy who is a farmer and we work together with him in our banana plantation agriculture farm. I am a Member and a Secretary of Empowerment Women Group in Mityana district since 2017. Our group joined EFP-Uganda in March 2017 and we were trained in group development, project management and sustainable agriculture good practices. I have used the knowledge and skills acquired to develop my project at home. In April 2018, we received funding from EFP-Uganda of Ug.shs 550,000; we were 10 members in our group, myself I borrowed Ug.shs 70,000 which money I invested in my poultry project. I started with 50 local chicken and I used maize residues from my garden to my chicks which did well after 5 months, In October  they started laying, every day I get one tray of eggs (30 eggs) which I sell every end of week and I always sell 7 trays a week at Ug.shs 20,000 per tray getting Ug.shs 140,000. This is enough for me to sustain my project and even save some money to pay back my loan and an extra to look after my family. After Thirteen months (in March 2019) I will sell the old stock and I hope to receive Ug.shs 1,500,000. My plan will be to re-invest this money and buy 100 local birds. I have also diversified my income by starting a goat rearing project. My husband and I are fully engaged in our projects at home, our children are now attending school in better schools and our family is very happy as we both work together and contribute to our family’s well being. I am very busy with my garden , poultry and goat rearing project. There is improved nutrition in our home and our lives have greatly changed as we are now self sustaining.”

We would not have achieved all that we have achieved without your invaluable support. We are indebted to your generosity and we hope that you will continue supporting our work to be able to transform lives of many women from poverty.

Thank you

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Empowerment for the Poor-Uganda has increased women’s participation in agriculture value chain by addressing gender dynamics  and some of the main factors that limit women from benefiting in agriculture value chains like lack of access to credit, social norms and lack of access to land.With women accounting for 43% of the agriculture workforce in Uganda,  they do not receive a proportional amount of extension and other help; nor do they receive benefits proportional to their labor due to these constraints.

In this project, we started  by  carrying  out  a value chain analysis  which involved collecting information about entities (e.g., businesses, farmer groups, households or producer associations) and market connections that make up a given value chain. The information gathered  clarified positions and roles of actors within the chain which was  used to better coordinate chain activities and improve the flow of products to end-users.   As a result, costs  reduced and product quality improved.  In turn, smallholder farmers benefited from a well-functioning value chain.  This gender value chain analysis  therefore created  an environment in which women and men can fully participate in and benefit from market opportunities.

We also conducted trainings for women and men to carry out farming as a family and as business where we  to addressed gender dynamics that streamline men’s and women’s roles and responsibilities in the agricultural cycle and about ownership and control of resources.(e.g. money, land and animals etc)  as well as teaching general business concepts which  included household budgeting and marketing, agricultural production and  family life  which  improved overall family food security , incomes and family health to 36 women homes. Building relationships and participation in the family is a very important variable for change and economic growth. After realizing that there is health interaction and greater involvement of women and men in farming as a family, the project gave 5 women agricultural mini credits  women  .The project also provided  3 young mothers who have been chased from school due to pregnancy with an opportunity to pursue an education that enabled them to support their child as well as empowering women with family planning, birth control, child health and nutrition, prevention of STIs, gender-based violence, women and child rights, child protection, life skills and decision-making