Women farmers and processors in the Kintampo South District of Bono East have lauded the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for empowering them socio-economically through the initiations of livelihood empowerment programmes.
The more than 300 women from three communities of Ayorya, New Longoro and Kyinga in the District had benefited from the UNDP’s initiatives such as the construction of groundnut paste and oil processing factory and support for vegetables growers and other women farmers who produced various crops in the district.
The factory was inaugurated in June 2021 to help improve the livelihoods of the people in the area.
The groups gave the commendation at a durbar organised by the leadership at Ayorya in honour of the UNDP for bringing a change in their lives, saying that they could now support their husbands and other community members to improve their livelihoods.
Madam Hannah Chiama, President for the Ayorya group said hither to the provision of the facility living condition was unbearable for to them but now they had been empowered socio-economically and consequently could feed their families.
She said the availability of the factory had resulted to the production of large quantities of groundnut paste and oil to meet the demand of the market to increase their income and made them financially independent for the past one year.
Madam Chiama announced the UNDP had also initiated the Village Savings and Loans (VSL) which had been a major financial backup to them in time of financial difficulty, explaining that they had difficulty in accessing loans from the banks to do their businesses
But since the introduction of the VSL women could easily go for loans without delay and easier to pay back without any hustle, she added.
Madam HellenAlima, the chairperson for the FarmaNyame Farmers Association also commended the UNDP, stating that women farmers, especially the vegetable growers were cultivating once in a year.
But since the arrival of the support with water pumps, they had been able to farm all year round because they could pump water to their farms to water the crops, she added.
Dr Angela Lusigi the UNDP resident representative min Ghana had earlier accessed the impact and sustainability of the project and praised the women for their proactiveness in driving the main aim of the project positively.
Dr Lusigi said women were breadwinners of the home, hence the need to empower them because they stood the chance to strengthening the human resource of a community.
She assured UNDP’s commitment to continue with the provision of the needed support for the women to achieve their dreams socio-economically and applauded the women for their effort in ensuring the realisation of the objectives of the project.
Dr Lusigi later visited some groundnuts farms of some of the women who provided groundnuts as raw materials for the processing factory. –GNA