177 members of Aninolal Savings and Credit Cooperative Society (SACCO), Kwania district, have received farm inputs from Lango Association Living in the United Kingdom, in collaboration with the Global Support Development Initiative, a local NGO in Lango.
The farm inputs donated comprise 8 Kgs of maize seeds, 10 Kg of beans, 12Kg of sorghum seeds, and 25 metric tons of bio-pesticides.
The project, code-named “Dero Kec”, loosely translated in Lango as “Food Basket”, aims at boosting member incomes, increasing savings, and alleviating poverty.
Since its launch, the seed donation project has benefited over 9,000 SACCO members in the districts of Otuke, Alebtong, Apac, Dokolo, and Oyam.
Geoffrey Odur, the Chairperson of Lango Association UK said in a teleconference from London that the Association plans to extend the project to over 20,000 SACCO members in Lango to promote a sustainable livelihood for the local community back home.
“The project is not political but rather a charity activity meant to support individual SACCO members to promote a sustainable livelihood of our people. We want to join hands in eradicating poverty,” he said.
He encouraged the beneficiaries to embrace commercial farming, as the only way to increase their savings and improve on households’ income.
“Our first target is fighting famine, but our people should remember that to reduce absolute poverty at the grassroots one needs to embrace commercial farming. Muchas they are growing food crops, they should not forget about crops that earn them good money to improve their livelihoods,” Odur stressed.
The Coordinator for the Global Support Development Initiative, Allan Kenneth Owani, noted that the project- now in its pilot stage- shall be a platform for reviving the age-old system of food security.
Denis Omara, the Aninolal SACCO Chairperson applauded the organization as well as the Lango Association in the UK for the support afforded to the members.
“As a rural SACCO whose members entirely depend on farming, we are faced with a number of challenges most especially access to quality seeds. I am hopeful that if the seeds we have received today are well utilized, our loan portfolio -currently standing at 150m shillings- will increase, and the livelihoods of our members greatly improve,” he noted.
Several members of Aninolal SACCO, who talked to theCooperator, expressed excitement, upon receiving the farm inputs.
One of them, Harriet Okello was thankful for the 10 Kg of bean seeds she received.
“The seed is of good quality and I am expecting to mint good money from it that will improve my savings,” she said.
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