By Our reporter
KATAKWI
A total of 230 households in Ngariam County in Katakwi district have benefited from the State House Poverty Alleviation Programme.
Statehouse has started a Poverty alleviation programme in Ngariam county and Usuk county, Katakwi District and Bukedea district as well in the Eastern part of the country.
The programme identifies trains and supplies rural farmers in a model parish and equips them with goats, pigs, sheep and SACCOS among others.
Esther Akello, a monitoring officer in charge Eastern Region in the department of Poverty alleviation programme at Statehouse told the media that the programme was lobbied by the State Minister for education and sports (SPORTS) who is also the area Member of Parliament, Hon. Peter Ogwang.
According to Akello, 1,000 Goats and sheep have been given to 230 households of Arushakan Parish in palam Sub County which is comprised of; Aeleyang A, Arushakan, Aeleyang B, and Oramun villages and more will come soon.
Dorothy Komugisha, assistant private secretary poverty alleviation project at state house said the programme consists of five pillars which include; Improvement, food security, income generation, value addition and SACCO.
Rose Achom, a resident of Aeleyang Parish applauded President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for the offer saying the initiative will help improve their livelihood.
Michael Malinga, the personal assistant to Minister Peter Ogwang directed extension workers at the sub-county and District to closely monitor this project since it’s the only magic bullet in that area for poverty evaluation.
Meanwhile, Geoffrey Omolo, the District LC5 for Katakwi welcomed the initiative saying, its rare in other places to get such programmes.
“We’re going to start monitoring each and every beneficiary who has benefited from the programme to see that everyone has changed his or her life,” Omolo said.
Omolo added that, following the presidential initiative, Katakwi district is going to get two model village and on Tuesday, 27th February, 2024, the office of the Vice president is sending more goats, sheep and pigs to the village of Aketa.
However, the office of the Vice president when contacted for the same program said, the president is coming up with a way of identifying villages in the whole country who will act as model farmers so that others can copy from them.
The office also assured that people of Aketa village, Ongogonja Sub County, Usuk County in Katakwi district will receive the same benefits on Tuesday (today, 27th February, 2024).
The RDC for Katakwi Godfrey Katamba said he will monitor this programme and asked the community to own the programme.
The only Districts that have benefited from this programme in Teso sub region are Bukedea and Katakwi respectively.
In Bukedea district the parishes of Apopong and Akwarikwar have received over 1,200 Goats and sheep following the lobbying capability of the Right. Hon. Speaker of Parliament Annet Anita Among and her counterparts
