Help us give more women and children the chance to realize their potential this holiday season by making a donation to our Giving Tuesday campaign. Every dollar will go directly to the field and give people like Rose and Beldine a chance to create better lives for themselves and their communities.
In Lwala, sugar cane is the primary cash crop and often one of the only viable sources of income for young men and women between the ages of 20 and 35. Low supply of sugar cane in the area has increased competition among the distributors, including young women who sometimes struggle to secure even a day’s supply and who often resort to risky sexual behavior to earn a living wage.
“Before we were completely dependent upon jaggery (unrefined sugar) production, which is in decline, but now I can feed my family without the sugar cane.” Beldine, a young mother and wife, is quick to express pride that she contributes to her family’s well-being. With the help of partner Development in Gardening (DIG), Beldine is growing local vegetables to supplement the wages of her husband, a machine operator at the milling site.
Rose, a 31-year-old mother and a wife, also grows vegetables. Her husband struggles to earn livable wages from the sugar cane milling sites to feed their family, but now he hopes to learn more about growing vegetables from his wife. “She is a good teacher,” he says.
Beldine and Rose both married into jaggery (unrefined sugar) production families that are struggling to survive due to decreasing supplies of sugar cane to the millers in the area. Now, they both are members of a farmers group that was implemented by DIG in the Lwala community. They have learned the basic skills in local vegetable production and have received vegetable seeds from DIG through a cost-sharing model. Both Beldine and Rose are optimistic about their futures.
With the help of partner DIG, Beldine is growing local vegetables to supplement the wages of her husband, a machine operator at the milling site. As a young mother and wife, she is quick to express pride that she contributes to her family’s well-being: “Before we were completely dependent upon jaggery production, which is in decline, but now I can feed my family without the sugar cane. I believe I will be successful. I can feed my family and now avoid the abuse found with the sugar cane industry.”
This is just a one of the stories we have helped co-create; lived by the newly empowered people we have been able to help. Make a donation and pledge to share our vision. Happy holidays!
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