Empower 103 Households for their Livelihoods

Project ID: 32851

Project Title: Empower 103 households for their livelihoods

The chain of poverty; the communities CSD serves in 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.

Additional 400,000 of South Sudanese have lost their lives to civil war as from 2013; orphans and widows make up for the majority of the population. According to War Child Holland report “ more than 5 million children remain displaced, in need of humanitarian support, abuse, exploitation, neglect, profound distress and death.” https://www.warchildholland.org/south-sudan/

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, 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 has organized and teamed the women into groups; a) Women Farmers b) Tailoring group.

Each group is already engaged in some sort of initiative for orientation towards self-empowerment.

Every single mother has her own special story to tell

Community Skills Development majorly supports impoverished women. Women are at the fore front of our focused endeavors; to empower them, offer them chances to equal opportunities and representation. The total number of our target population is 17,000 Households for various services. Community Skill Development has provided some farmers with agricultural tools and seeds, fed malnourished children, sponsored orphans and trained bunches of women in 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.

In 2019, 60 single mothers were supported to do farming. We hope to expand the farming activities to support other vulnerable women, organize them for extension services and in teams.

When the women get into their groups, they begin to build and enjoy strong bond of social cohesion and mutual support. Arketa, one of the women farmers, had this to say that she got money enough to pay for medical treatment and bought meat for her children. That it 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 were able to purchase vegetable seeds, ground nuts, maize seeds and fuel to operate irrigation machine. The cost of empowering women farmers each farming season totals to US$ 7,000 however we do receive less than a thousand Dollars. In truth, our efforts are being minimally boosted and how we wish we gained women support to help their sisters in this region.

Out of the three categories of women groups we set to support; tailors, Farmers, and Hair dressers, only the women Farmers have the chance to the support. It is our desire this time round to lay much effort and resources on the tailoring group; to train them and provide them with knitting machines and materials. We will prepare them for entrepreneurship and equip them for their livelihoods.

We remain grateful and thanking you very much.