Improving Her Crops - Improving Her Future
Rebeka Akoonaye joined the Muungano Farmer Field School (FFS) group in 2008. She has four children, three boys and one girl, ranging in age from 12 to 25. Her daughter is in form three at Awet Secondary School. Rebeka has a lot to say about how working with CPAR has changed her life, especially when it comes to her relationship with her husband.
During my visit to her home, Rebeka told me about her life, before and after CPAR.
"Before I joined my FFS group, there was no harmony in our home. I was depending on my husband for all aspects of life, and I had nothing to contribute in running the family. Our farm did not provide us with enough food because of low productivity, and we were not able to maintain our small house. Oooh!!! It was a really terrible situation."
After joining her FFS group, Rebeka changed her approach to agriculture. She practiced correct spacing, applied manure to her field and planted her crops in a timely manner using high quality and improved seeds. She now harvests maize, pigeon peas and beans, is growing papaya and is also expecting to sell kid goats as a result of the dairy goat she received from CPAR.
Rebeka is now assured of earning more than Tsh 900,000 ($600) per year from her farm and her dairy goat and her family has enough food year round.
“My husband and I are now very happy and we living in harmony. We run the family together and are able to pay school fees for our children. We have built a good house using corrugated iron roofing sheets. CPAR has brought new hope to our family and our life in general.”
“I would like to ask CPAR to keep on helping women so that they can feel proud. In doing so, many marriages will be rescued!"
It is our hope that the CPAR team will continue to work together with vulnerable women so they can strengthen their network and improve their standard of living. We need more women like Rebeka who can stand up for and struggle for their rights as well as development.