Economic Empowerment: Bududa Residents Benefit from Income Generating Projects

Being a remote area and prone to natural calamities like landslides, Bududa District residents live in poverty, have poor education services and lack basic clean and safe water.

Under Rotary’s Bududa Adopt project, residents will be able to recover from the economic hardships worsened by COVID-19.

Initiated by Budei Primary School, the project was a global grant supported by Rotary International and the different partners, comprising of four components; providing water, improving the quality of health, improving the quality of basic education and economic empowerment for the community in the district.

Children of Budei primary school

The project started in March 2019 and is expected to cost a total of USD219,000 (about 780 Million Shs).

As part of the income-generating activities in the community, a 10,000 bird capacity hatchery building was commissioned.

“The hatchery is going to be producing about 2,500 Kroiler chicks per week. This is part of a wider project that the rotary club is implementing. This community was badly in need of many interventions,” John Magezi Ndamira, District Governor of District 9213 said, upon laying a foundation stone on the hatchery building on Friday.

It should be noted that an initial total of 2,300 Kroiler chicks were provided to 110 households in the community.

Launch of the microfinance linkage fund partnership.

Under the same program, more children have been enrolled in school, and those with disabilities assisted to acquire surgeries.

“This place had many children who are physically handicapped. There’s a big incidence of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in this region, and we have been providing corrective surgeries to children through CoRSU Rehabilitation Hospital,” Ndamira said.

He added, “So we look forward that in the coming years, this community is going to be a changed community with happier people, healthier, better-educated people, and people living on higher income levels in their households.”

Eng. Priscilla Nakiboneka, president, Rotary Club Kampala North noted that they have worked with the long-term institutions in place, to ensure that the activities are maintained.

“For example, for the water systems in place, we worked together with the district water officer so that if it has a problem, community members can always contact the official to help follow up on the issue. The community is also aware that they have to take care of the basic maintenance. They have a committee in place to ensure that the water system is maintained,” Nakiboneka said.

In the same vein, a microfinance partnership was launched with a banking institution to revive the community’s local businesses.

This is a micro-credit fund with a seed capital of USD7,820 (about 28 Million Shs) and members’ savings of Shs 652,000 within five Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA).

The residents will be able to acquire school fees, agriculture, and business loans.

Meanwhile, Richard Wawuyo, chairperson LC1 Buwali East Village, Bududa District is positive that the chicks component will improve the wellbeing of the community members, once the birds multiply.

“If all goes well, our livelihoods will be improved. One egg is Shs 500. But if you can bring your egg for 500 for hatching at 500, and sell a chick at 2500 Shs, then automatically you have made a profit,” he noted.

The post Economic Empowerment: Bududa Residents Benefit from Income Generating Projects first appeared on ChimpReports.