UGANDA: Youth Group in Lira Diocese Embarks on Agriculture for Empowerment of Young People

Isaac Ojok

Calling Home Youth Group in Lira Diocese has started to embark on commercial agriculture in a bid to be able to raise capital and offer support to other vulnerable categories of people in the region.

The group which is a sub-section of the Youth Apostolate Lira diocese was founded in 2017 with the objective of bringing together the youth and empowering them.

Ambrose Omedi, the spokesperson of the group revealed that, since the inception of the group, they have supported the construction of different chapels using the resources and contributions which they generated locally.

Apart from supporting chapels, Omedi further disclosed that the group has also extended support to the vulnerable youth in a bid to empower them to start some economic activities and also to aide their capacity to establish the developmental structures like housing facilities which can help them to settle and earn a living.

Currently, Omedi said the group has also entered another phase of their activities in agriculture with focus on planting crops like maize, sunflower in order to empower others especially during the Corona virus lock down.

He also noted that, it is paramount for the youth to come on board and embrace the initiative in agriculture during the lock down in a bid to grow and live productive life.

Meanwhile Morish Etuku, the project manager of Calling Home Group disclosed that at the moment is they have a vision to cultivate other vegetable crops within short term period so as to speed up their activities.

Mr Etuku went on to note that the group members are optimistic that by the end of the second season, they will have harvested the farm products and that they shall lay ground for them to embark on other developmental plans.

He added that, they intend to utilize the available fertile lands in agriculture so as to generate income which can facilitate their activities aimed to extend support to the vulnerable groups.

While preparing for the dry season farming, the group members are set to use irrigation system so as to supply water to the gardens using drip-irrigation method so that their crops are not affected by drought.

Although the group is making progress, Etuku further said, they are facing challenges that hinder them from implementing other set of activities in their work plan.

He reiterated the need for the well-wishers to extend support to the group in any kind so as to push and facilitate the activities and the entire objectives of the group.

Currently, the group members have rented acres of land at Our Lady Help of Christians Aloi Catholic Parish in Alebtong district, Lira Diocese.