Empower 103 Households for their Livelihoods

Project ID: 32851

Project Title: Empower 103 households for their livelihoods

At the end of first plantation; CSD women Farmers again cleared their field for plantation in May and had their vegetables planted in June. CSD women Farmers are situated at Zambago area in Yambio County, Western Equatoria, State South. This planting season, CSD women farmers have planted half Hectare of Tomatoes, Egg Plants, Amaranthus and Carrots. There is good yield this year, we thank God. CSD women farmers wish to grow some cash crops like coffee, bananas and raise domestic animals; financial resources towards this ideal.

The beneficiaries of the project; empowerment of 103 households, have been vulnerable women; single mothers, widows, school drops outs and female headed households. Generally, there has been starvationamong the vulnerable women and some families simply go hungry on empty stomach or just a meager meal for a day. CSD women’s farming is a solution to place food on the plates of the families. The vegetables grown are sold out on the market and some are taken home to the families. Money earned is divided amongst the members (30 members) for their own needs. In addition, the women have learnedand belong to village saving and loan association (VSLA). It is a merit-go-round method, where the 30 members contribute weekly into a box and members receive that amount in turn monthly to invest in small business. Some of the women have started small business from the capital raised.

In Western Equatoria State, and in the whole of South Sudan, community pattern of feeding is very poor; there are those who can afford only one meal a day, and do not have balance diet. Therefore, cases of malnutrition are common and frequent in children and adults; sores on legs, stunted growth and poor human development. Actually, the consequences stem from etiologies such as low birth weight, premature delivery, persistent diarrhea and recurring sepsis or chronic underlying diseases or disability and the development of severe acute malnutrition in tender age is commonly reflected in suboptimal feeding practices. More than 50% of households in Yambio generally experience severe acute malnutrition which is often associated with high mortality in young infants and it has effects on children as a whole; mental retardation, stunted growth, poor immune system, micronutrient deficiency, anaemia and death.

Community Skills Development supports the 103 households of single mothers by the provision of extension services, provision of agricultural tools, and seeds to help the beneficiaries to grow crops and vegetables. Irrigation method has been taken up and practiced to mitigate the effect of climate change.

Single mothers harbour the desire to seek remedies to their own poverty challenges and Community Skills Development continue to support and train the groups; a) Women Farmers b) Tailoring group and c) Hair dressing group.

Each group is steadily engaged in the above self-empowerment strategies but inadequacy of resources is the main challenge.

Part of the story

Community Skills Development majorly supports impoverished women in Yambio County, Western Equatoria State, South Sudan. Community Skill Development was established in the year 2008 and since then we have provided farmers with agricultural tools and seeds, fed malnourished children, sponsored orphans and also trained women to do farming. Community skills development, identifies program beneficiaries through the collaboration with traditional leaders and members of the community. The need is huge and resources meagre and we are seeking the support of our partners and well-wishers to extend your helping hands to the vulnerable people in South Sudan.

Children living in extreme poverty in Africa are especially vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. Help protect and care for t The experience of our vulnerable beneficiaries include but not limited to the following; daily hunger, child malnutrition, a lack of access to clean water, shelter, and health care, no opportunity to go to school, constant fear for the future and increased risk of exploitation and abuse.The people often lack hope for the future because they live in a lie. The lie of poverty, that is reinforced day-in and day-out is, “You don’t matter. You’re worthless.” children in Africa and around the world with a donation to our Highly Vulnerable Children Fund.

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 almost half way to achieving our objectives and we lean on you to boost our effort in the struggle to support the vulnerable women.

We remain grateful and thanking you very much.

Project Title:  Empower 103 households for their livelihoods

The vicious cycle of poverty and mental health; the social drift pathway. So, poverty leads to poorer mental health – and vice versa – leading, in turn, to reduced opportunities for economic development and increasing the risk of lifelong poverty. Hence the vicious cycle. This cycle affects not just adults, but adolescents and children too.

South Sudan faces one of the world's worst food security situations and endemic poverty with at least 80 percent of the population defined as income-poor and living on equivalent of less than US$1 per day (FAO 2018). South Sudan is the World’s first illiterate Country with the literacy rate at 27.0% (https://www.infoplease.com/world/country-statistics/lowest-literacy-rates).

Young females in South Sudan and Yambio in particular, remain severely marginalized with lower education levels and fewer opportunities for work as compared to their male peers. Rural women and girls of reproductive age (13-49 years) have few or no assets at all and survive on less than $1 per day.

Being a woman or poor in South Sudan makes an individual twice as likely to suffer from poor access to low-quality public and private services in both urban and rural areas. Vulnerable women and their children have no access to any of the five basic public services and no access to decent quality services. This lack of access leads them to poverty.

The communities of Yambio County of Western Equatoria State, South Sudan depend heavily on agriculture, yet they practice shifting cultivation using rudimentary tools for subsistent purposes. Mechanized agriculture is the way forward to increase production. With the present practice, it is highly doubted if the population will be able to cross the line of absolute poverty to an average living condition. Majority 80% of the population cannot afford 2 meals per day.

Most homes are headed by females and there is acute hunger and children are malnourished. The situation is even worsened by the effect of COVID-19.  CSD keeps educating the civic population on sustainable agriculture practices. Very sadly again, Yambio community needs to learn how to mitigate the effects of drastic climate change other than depending entirely on the insufficient seasonal rainfall. We have to double effort and resources for the welfare of the desperate communities of Yambio.

Single mothers have the desire to seek remedies to their poverty. Community Skills Development keep organizing and teaming the women into groups; a) Women Farmers b) Tailoring group.

Each group needs support and engagement in capacity building for self-empowerment.

The single mothers have their own stories to tell

Community Skills Development majorly supports impoverished women in Western Equatoria State. Women are at the fore front of our focused activities; to empower them, offer them chances to equal opportunities and representation. The total number of our target population is 17,000 Households in Western Equatoria state for various services. Community Skill Development provides women farmers with agricultural tools, seeds and extension services, feeding malnourished children, sponsoring orphans and offering women tailoring skills. When needy women hear about community skills development, they come to express their interest to join the groups and we admit the neediest and the poorest of the poor.

Now we have 90 single mothers who are supported to do farming; growing vegetables and keeping small ruminants for home consumption and market. We hope to expand on the activities.

When the women get into their groups, they begin to build and enjoy strong bond of social cohesion and mutual support. Jonina, one of the women farmers, says that she got some money to pay for medical treatment and made payments for her children. That it sometimes takes her and her kids months before they can have the chance to some kind of balance diet.

The step taken to empower 103 households of single mothers for their livelihoods is only possible because of the support of distinct persons who provided the funds. This time, we want to purchase vegetable seeds, ground nuts, maize seeds, goats, and chickens. The cost of empowering women farmers each farming season totals to US$ 12,000 however we do receive less than a thousand Dollars.

We remain grateful and thanking you very much.