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Project News

2021-07-21

Project News volume 11

SHEP Biz farmer was interviewed!

The project has been working to include socially vulnerable farmers such as youth, women and persons with disabilities, etc. Some of the groups selected in Kilifi County have members with disabilities. We interviewed Mr. Juma, the project secretary of the group who participated in the sensitization. In his group, there is a member with disability.

Please introduce yourself.

I'm Juma Charo Chea, a project secretary of the Wema Vikwathani self-help group. I'm 30 years old. "Wema" is goodness and "Vikwathani" is the name of our village, meaning a group that works to make good things happen to the village.

When did you form the group?

The group was established in May 2016. The reason for forming a group was と increase our income since the lives of the members of the community were so difficult, sometimes members couldn't eat three meals a day. Prior to forming the group, I studied education at Pwani University and taught children.

Please tell us the outline of the group (member composition, activity content, cultivated crops).

Currently, there are 40 members (30 female and 10 male), but the number is still increasing. The main activity is horticultural crop production, such as okra, tomatoes, eggplants, kale, maize and chili, etc. In addition, we jointly purchase and raise goats and chickens. We also jointly rent materials necessary for agriculture, and members collect money to make small loans. Some members use loans to start kiosks and pay for their children's school fees.

What kind of "disability" does a member with disability have?

A 50 year old man with epilepsy. The frequency of seizures varies, and it seems that seizures occur when he is stressed. He is growing kale and okra and recently married.

How did the member with disability join the group?

He has been a member of the group since its inception. He lived in my neighborhood and had been farming before the group was founded. Other members respect him very much.

What are the current challenges the group facing?

Our group is currently renting 2 acres of land to grow the crops. We want to buy this land to expand our business, but the current challenge is that the cost is too expensive to buy.

How did you feel when your group was selected for the project?

We were so happy. We would like to learn about market-oriented agriculture and agribusiness from the project, pass learnings to others, and be able to put it into practice.

What do you expect from the project?

Through the project, we want to increase the income of our members and reduce the poverty of the community.

Thank you for your cooperation!

PhotoMr Juma (right) interviewed and group member lady

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