From 2019 to Today
It has been six years since Naomi and John’s village in Kisoro partnered with Raising The Village. “We would always eat the same food (Irish potatoes) over and over again. We never used to grow vegetables in our home because we didn’t have them and had limited knowledge of a good diet. This greatly affected the development of our children,” shares Naomi, as she recollects how their lives were very different until six years ago. “Our children would often fall sick due to an insufficient diet. We would get water from our nearby lake that we shared with grazing animals, leading to frequent waterborne diseases,” she says.
Providing for their family was challenging for Naomi and her husband John. Low agricultural yields, limited economic opportunities, and lack of access to essential services meant low income and savings and a poor quality of life. Their village partnered with RTV in 2019 to improve agricultural income and address barriers around participation in economic activities. “RTV organized training for us on better farming practices. We learned how to make organic manure and fertilizers and techniques such as crop spacing to improve our farm yields,” Naomi said.
The community members also participated in training sessions on leadership, gender equality, good hygiene, and sanitation. They were encouraged to implement practices such as drinking boiled water, using hang lines for their clothes, constructing dish racks, tippy taps, and covered latrines. The community received good-quality seeds and tools to implement the newly learned techniques.
“Our farm yields have greatly improved since 2019. Our Irish potatoes, beans, and maize harvests have provided a stable income. My children now have a balanced diet based on what we grow, including various vegetables,” shares Naomi, describing the changes in the past years. Naomi and John also planted a keyhole garden with vegetables such as spinach, cabbage, and beetroot to provide their children with a wholesome and nutritionally diverse diet. A water harvesting tank installed near their home reduced the time spent fetching water while providing safe and easy access to clean water. “We no longer face challenges of unsafe and contaminated water. My family members no longer suffer from bilharzia and other waterborne diseases,” Naomi said. Naomi and John also opened a retail shop in their village, using money from selling their agricultural produce to add to their household income.
At the village level, as the community leadership evolved, they came together to advocate for and implement various development projects, a major one being improving road connectivity to Kisoro town. “We, as a community, pushed leaders for better roads. With better roads, it is now easier to transport agricultural produce to Kisoro town and access health centers during emergencies. Our village has now become more accessible,” shared John, Naomi’s husband and the local council chairperson.
Naomi and John, while proud of what they have achieved, have set new goals for themselves. “We want to buy more farmland and expand it from our current two to five acres,” John said. They also plan to buy a milling machine for sorghum and maize and ensure their children complete their education.
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