By Jovita Mirembe
In a bid to save women farmers from having losses in their businesses, the GROW project is going to support them by buying for them machines to add value to their produce.
Sharifah Naziwa a community outreach officer at the Ministry of Gender , Labour and Social development, says that many women farmers have been having losses when the harvest season ends.
She says that this is the reason why Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity(GROW) project came in to increase access to entrepreneurial services that enable women entrepreneurs to grow their enterprises.
‘When the harvest season ends, a women who is dealing in growing maize, beans, soya beans, honey and other produces will be in losses if her produce is not bought because they will go bad. However in the GROW project, women will be given loans at a low interest rate to buy machines which will add value to their products in that they will be able to produce maize flour, soy flour, add value on honey and many others products which will keep these women in business throughout the year’ Naziwa said.
She said that these women will also be given chance to access platforms which include social media groups and other media channels to get where they will sell their produce and also meet other farmers doing the same job. This will help them join their group, if its in place or suggest to form one if its not in place.
Naziwa said that this will help women get more skills in that job and also access more local and international markets.
She said this at the GROW project awareness and sensitization engagement for women entrepreneurs which took place at Royal Suits Hotel 14 Feb.
Rebecca Kukundakwe a Gender and safeguarding specialist at Private Sector foundation (PSFU) said that GROW is a special initiative that will provide an integrated package of services for female entrepreneurs, including services for enterprise growth and empowerment, access to financing, infrastructure for gender equality at the workplace, and programme management.
She said that this project is a World Bank funded project under PSFU which is worth $217M targeting women entrepreneurs in Uganda.
Officiating at the function, Hajjat Minsa Kabanda, Minister for Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs asked women to apply for money under this project which they will be able to pay back and also make a payment plan for it.
She further asked women to be transparent by telling their husbands that they have got loans to start various projects so that their husbands don’t be suspicious of where they got the money in order to reduce on domestic violence that has escalated in homes these days due to lack of money in homes.
Over 50 women Entrepreneurs from Masaka City, Masaka District, Mpigi, Mityana ,Kassanda, Nakaseke Mubende , Nakasongola and Luwero attended the function.
