Empower 103 Households for their Livelihoods

Project ID: 32851

Project Title: Empower 103 households for their livelihoods

The beginning of a new year and plans for first plantation season; this is the right time for CSD women Farmers to clear their field for plantation straight away in January 2024. It is dry from January till April each year and anybody who tries to grow vegetables by the river side can supply market and has food available for the family.

CSD women Farmers are situated at Zambago area in Yambio County, Western Equatoria State South Sudan. Last planting season, CSD women farmers had planted 1 Hectare full of Egg Plants, Tomatoes and Carrots. The women received some good yieldsand were very happy about their harvests.

The beneficiaries of the project have been vulnerable women; single mothers, widows, school drops outs and sick women suffering from HIV & AIDS. In families who are not part of CSD women Farmers, feeding in those female headed houses is a big problem and some simply go hungry on empty stomach and malnourished. CSD women’s farming is a solution to helping place food on the plates for the families. The vegetables grown are sold out on the market and some are taken home to the families consumptions. Money earned is divided amongst the members (30 members of each group) for their own needs. We have initiated village saving and loan scheme for these groups of women. It applies a merit-go-round method, where the 30 members have agreed to contribute weekly into a box and members receive percentages in turns monthly. Some of the women have started small business from the capital raised. The groups are mutual and enriching.

Generally, the community pattern of feeding in South Sudan and in Yambio particularly is very poor; those who can afford a meal per a day, do not have balance diet and therefore, so many associated malnutrition consequences in children and adults; stunted growth and poor human development. There are also cases of severe acute malnutrition which often come with high mortality in young infants, or mental retardation, stunted growth, poor immune system, micronutrient deficiency, anaemia and death. Yet South Sudan has a very weak health management system; thus CSD is set to seek solutions from the back side “prevention is better than cure,” which cure is highly none existent.

Community Skills Development supports in this project; 103 households of single mothers, widows, school drops outs and sick women suffering from HIV & AIDS, by making provisions of extension services, diversify cropping and vegetables species with tomatoes, egg plants and educate on harsh climate mitigation measures. Irrigation method has been taken up and practiced.

Meanwhile, this project has not received much financial support from friends and donors over the last year 2023. We are determined amidst frustrations, to take this project on.

Part of the story

Community Skills Development majorly supports impoverished women in Western Equatoria State, South Sudan. The total number of our target population is 17,000 Households for various services. Community Skill Development was established in the year 2008 and since then we have provided farmers with extension services and agricultural tools and seeds, fed malnourished children, sponsored orphans and trained women to do farming.

While the empowerment project is targeting three different groups constituting the 103 households, our dream is to empower vulnerable women groups to farm, to create small business via hair dressing and tailoring. We are still far behind our set goals and mainly in the part of farming but how we wish to achieve at least 3/4 of the target. We sincerely thank and appreciate our few supporters and may your pockets be refilled abundantly.

We remain grateful and thanking you very much.