1HE GUARIJlAN, Monda~ FebruaJy tl, 2012
AFRlCANEalNOMY I ~
Cassava processing project lifts Kenyan women A COTTAGE industry thilt
/'\uses GSS;JVilI oiS IClW male-rial for the manufacture of various producu has not
only impRMd the Inco~ of people In partS ofMalruenl Coun!)' o f Eastern Kenya but
hils dlrKtly addrt'Ssed the
challenge of women empowennent in
iI
positive way.
The small cassava procH$ing Indusuy Is iI project that adds value lothe cassava crop that does very well In IMs ~on. Fordecades If not (en. turies, farmers have found lh·
tie use of cassava., ilpan from using
It as food. Now. CiLSSaVii is
proctlSflt Into flour,
~ing Ii~
stockfeN,ilnd asa fi1wmat~ rial for manufacture of starch. The intention is to diYeniry usc of the crop in
~Ierfa~~~ke ef::r!,nf~
. When Rose N~le. iI middle aged farmer, was iiSked If she Is Oil teacher by profession, her
laugh w.u loud and prolongtd..
"Wh~
the bughr She was
uked Although me ill1SWt!f did I10l COml" immedialel~ It !>Kome de,nu latl!'r thilt Nyolc ~Rly went beyond Class ) in primary school knocldng her- OUt oJ reach 0 l !.he tf'aclling prore~ion. . The reason she was asktd is bcca use of her demeanor. She was cle",n, ne,lI and wore maintained hair, like a teacher would be. Bm, Nyole is a subsmenct rarmer. She grows ass..va, maize and sorghum She also rears SO chicun mostly for commer· puq>O"'. Her husbind Is a hawker in
d.,
Wole Town, the LllgeSi urban centu in the Makueni Coun~ Together, thq' havt:' rai~ five children, all of them in various st,1ges of schooling. . She Is also a member of Mbuvo CommtrcW Village. which is ,1 formal group o( 560 casS,1va-growing farm· en. When they harvest their crop, they pool the harvest together and process at the: slTIOIli milling plant they have set up at Mbuvo shopping center. casS,1va is either milled Into nour or chipped ;md dried for S,1le to industrial users like Itvestodt (ood 1TIOIflufacturers. The group also runs a hotel at the shopping ce:nterrnat thtyseU chapanis and other products made: from C.tSSilVii. • WI do nOl race small problems,w Is the: answtr (rom Nyole on how being. mtmbtr of Mbuvo Commercial Village h.u impacted on her life. . ~omen like me: ilre now able: lO afford grooming al lhe: hair glon, Which was nO( the: case btfore.md our men .Ire h.ppy .bout fL· Thecommerd.ial village is. model of farmers' organisation btlng driven !>y Farm Concern. a non.profit FUP wllh the prinCIpal alln of finding markets for cassava farmers. . Togethtr with panners like: the Kenya Agricult urt Resea rch Inni[ute: (KARl), they provide £a.rmers with better GlSSiIva seeds. eduate tMm on crop husbindl)' .nd suppon them WIth ITIOIchlnes
to process the crop. Then, tht farmers are con· mned with Indusuia.l buyers of cassaVii ilvoiding the br& urs who Deter fa:rt-nt.n. The projecl was sented in 2010 ~Ie said as a mult of Ihe bentlits she has sten from the project, she plans to IncrtilSt thl! amoulll of land planled with cassava from one to two acres because thert is iI ready market. . She ls among 398 women, com~rtd to 168 men, who are mtmbtrs of the commer· doll villagt .nd pLilying .In actJve roll! to enrure the suc· ~ of the vt':nture dlJol has Introduced conage Industry In the sitt'py vilLilge Ioc.;Jttd oIlong the ~ linking wate Town to Makindu, along the . N.drobl-Momboas. Road: Un many other women mtmbtrs, sh e has saved through the proj«t'.s m icrofinance facility and is eligible to apply for a loan, whtdl she Is yet to do. . "'TIlls project has helped empowcr women. Some of the women membtrs have
=
I~';!J!,0 ~ ~r !h!~
~prnses In the ramil~ They do not have to wait und! the nu.n brings mollty homt,R said Nyol~. . She has bi:en among those women encouragmg fler col· leagues In tht commercial village to Silllt' more SO that they en}oy btntr opponunlties to get loans. . ~ost of thl! sa\oWS here are women.But \W'Mesayingthe level of savings Is nOl yet enough so we have to save tvt:n more .nd this is some-
-
t hing that they appredate." • NyolesupplementshercasS4IIva income with that of other crops and the chicken. During tlle education sesstons held for the fanners, thqt Me liIUght the impor· u.nce of dlven;lficatlon of their sources of income and
rood.
& a resull, family relations haW! Improyed. Her husb.1nd does not alwa~ have to worl)' what the family will eat. Ile is also happy rlldt the wife an add 10 the family Income, enabling them to plan for future family invest· ments. . , Perusing through the files of the Mbovu Commercial Village mlcrofinance. the name of Fellstu Nd.nu
Kaunda catches my attention becaun among tht loan application files. she Is the youngest applicant and is also a WOrTUon. At 25 )'C.rs okI, she repRosenu thr new bTft'd of young women, who are emboon~ dgriculture.u source of hveh· hOod. She farms cassava, lTIOIizt and cowpeas and reus some chkkm for sale. She Is applying for a ]50 U5, dolLar rOdn, her second tranche after succtssfully repaying the previous one for 116 dolLin.She used tht prevl· ous loan 10 p lant cowpeas that .she harvested and sold, Increasing her savings tha,[ she Is now using as pan of collateral Tht mouvation for engagIng In fanning, rather than
going to urban centers like many )'iIuths [0 100" fo r whitt collar or informal ;orn Is btcauso! thtre: is rudy mar· Ut for y. hal she grows. Sht p~ru to use pan of her loan lot'.ll:pdn.t the ~nd undercas Silva and nart a sideline bust
""'She. know'S tha[ no
mattel
the a,""unl she halVdU none will go to wastt .u silt' will Chip 01). mill and ha~ it paclGlgrd for gle or used [0 cook m.md.1l.i and cha(lil.ttis to be so:d in the hOlel that she Iw ~hares In by vinur of he r group mem6trship. . ValtntJ ne Ndunge, another woman, runs .lin opelhllir shop IS il1St meters away (or thr mil mg and pdckaging house of Mbovu Commtrcidl Village.
.\ llllllllllt"i 11t! \\ illl l o i u ) :i IJlll l li ~., iUlI In ( loci, li lt' IIH...,.-;iJl ~ 11\\ ay of t) tu· rllill(.'I: IlI'ml,,'rum l H1U·ll', Dr. S e nator Paul Oloo bu 'G"kpo {1951 - 2012), \\ 1lIl llepan l'(l fl"(11I1 IlItl" Illiill'll ( II I :illt lu"(luy, FH 'l"luU'.\ I 11,11111 in ('a"I ' 'l'U\\"Il. &iuLh Africa nrt l'l' II prnll'ltc·, pd i.I.lJ 1t.~
FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS ARE A.S FOLLOW S: Mon d LY, 13 th Febro a.r y: St~I"';('f' of Sollgs il L hi50 rt'",itl" IlC"(" .;\0. n, U41 i Chl!-('..\ :!1Jo1l11 E:,;TIITC, Lil ~ 5 - 7pm. ThW'Ed ay, 16 t h Feb rua r y: \,i;!il i\ hl.>;:i III ('hri .. , TIt(' l<iul! ('1 11111:11. Okpnll ul, )"Illn LGA , ('1"0:.1'1 nin'r ShUt'. 6pm. Friday, 1'1,t h Februa.ry: 1i\IIIf'n ll Mill',"; U1 Cluisi Tilt' I\ ill~ Churl'll, OkPOlI lIl, ,"1I11l LGA. ('1"(~lJ Bin.'r Siure. Ham follm\"l' fl b.\ in t(, 11Ul'nl III UllJlO I?J Utlil,\ C'OlllllOllIld. Suud n.y, 19 t h Febru ary: Tl uUlkii~h'h l~ :\JlIS., C.1 ui::-i 1 hl' l\ill~ Chlln'h, OkpOIl1:.L l Oa w.
The late Dr. Paul DkpD Is survived by: His Children Miss Ayiepa Ukpo Mr. Aduma Ukpo Miss lrima Ukpo Miss Ekawu Ukpo Miss Omari Ukpo Miss Oganya Ukpo Miss Ochuole Ukpo Miss Omonya Ukpo
His Siblings Mrs, lelia Udeozo Archbishop Rt. Rev. Dr. Joseph Ukpo Mr. Domini c Ukpo (KSM) Ms Philomena Ukpo Dr. Emmanuel Ukpo Mrs. Josephine Egbuonu Brig. Gen. Anthony Ukpo (rtd) Mr. Peter Ukpo Hon. Chief Mark Ukpo Or. Eugenia Ukpo Mr. John Ukpo
announcement by Brig. Gen. anthony Dkpo Indlfo r the familv. MAY HtS GENTLE SOUL REST IN F'EACE