Summary:
- Beneficiaries in Karamoja and Teso have witnessed restored hope and improved livelihoods.
NEWS: In a bid to eradicate poverty in households, the government, through the Parish Development Model (PDM) and the four-acre model, continues to transform the lives of Ugandans, with numerous success stories from various regions.
Beneficiaries in Karamoja and Teso have witnessed restored hope and improved livelihoods.
During a journalist tour facilitated by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni from December 16 to 22, 2024, several beneficiaries shared their success stories.
Amos Rembus Koliyang, a 25-year-old resident of Jumbe Village in Amudat District, narrated his journey of transformation through PDM.
He started with a modest project of five chickens and gradually expanded to a model farm with four sheep and two goats. Over time, these multiplied into 11 goats.
Rembus revealed that PDM enabled him to fund his younger brother, Michael Longara, who is now on Senior Four holiday at Mbale Secondary School.
He also shared that President Museveni, impressed by his progress, visited his farm and offered him Ugx 5 million. This support boosted his farm’s reliability, allowing him to plan for further expansion by purchasing additional livestock at the Bukedea cattle market.
Looking ahead, Rembus intends to grow his farm further but calls on the government for assistance with skills training and vaccinations to combat diseases, which remain a major challenge for farmers.
Emmanuel Lokong Losike, a pig farmer from Nakapiripirit District, is another success story. On July 13, 2023, he received Ugx 1 million through PDM, which he used to plant four acres of green grams.
His harvest yielded 14 bags, sold at Soroti Market for Ugx 1,700 per kilogram, earning him Ugx 1.7 million.
Losike reinvested the profits by purchasing five pigs for Ugx 400,000 and constructing a 40×100-meter enclosure at a cost of Ugx 700,000. He also used Ugx 600,000 to buy 20 iron sheets for his semi-permanent house.
Today, his farm has grown from five pigs to 34, thanks to successful breeding. He plans to expand to 150 pigs and encourages fellow Karamoja residents to embrace pig rearing as a more practical alternative to cattle farming.
Musa Kimoi, another resident of Jumbe, highlighted the challenges of disease prevention. He noted that diseases like foot and mouth disease remain rampant, forcing farmers to incur high transportation costs to access vaccines from Entebbe.
He urged the government to bring veterinary services closer to farmers.
Joseph Ijala, a farmer in Serere District and a beneficiary of the four-acre model, shared his remarkable achievements.
Through poultry farming and dairy production, he saves Ugx 1.5 million per day from layer birds and earns Ugx 300,000 daily from milk sales. Annually, he generates over Ugx 500 million from his farm.
Ijala has used these earnings to purchase 35 acres of land for farm expansion, educate his children, and provide employment opportunities to community members.
The Parish Development Model continues to prove its worth in transforming lives across Uganda. While challenges like disease prevention persist, the program has enabled countless beneficiaries to create sustainable livelihoods, restore hope, and build stronger communities.
