| Foiza Elimana is a member of a women’s group in Makpandu that grows vegetables after being trained by Solidarity. Previously, they used to mainly grow cereals, while vegetable growing was neglected.
In Makpandu, the people are mainly dependent on small-scale farming. Insecurity has disrupted agricultural production because people fear meeting armed groups on their way to the farms that are normally located away from the villages. Many have been displaced to IDP camps away from their villages and farms. Planting has been delayed, and neither has weeding or harvesting been possible They now grow the vegetables on a single piece of land located in the village, through collective effort in planting, watering, weeding, transplanting, harvesting among other activities. “I joined the women’s group because when the harvest is ready, we sell it in the market here and each of us gets a share of the money and we also save some. This way, I am able to get money to pay school fees, for food and money to pay at the hospital when we are sick.” “In addition to the training on vegetables, we were taught how to prepare a balanced diet using local foods. They taught us how to prepare it so that the foods still remain nutritious.” Foiza is proud that her daughter Marta is in good health and she is happy to show her off. “If you see my daughter, she is looking fat and healthy because I am able to feed her the correct foods!” This is important for her because at this time of insecurity, food has been difficult to access and it has also been difficult to cater for other needs yet through their efforts, the women have been able to keep their children healthy. THIS STORY IS SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE women have been trained on better nutrition and are able to plant their own vegetables after being trained. Additionally, they sell the vegetables, which enables them to earn some money to support their families. |
Date Published:May 2021 Author:Claudia About the Author:Descriptor: Rome Office Article Tags:Latest News,Contribute, Pastoral |