By: Haruna Kuyateh
Agency for the Development of Women and Children (ADWAC) in conjunction with the UNDP project called Small Ruminants Rearing/Fattening (Goat and Sheep Bank) have presented D400,000 to the scheme with a target of female headed household including widows in Jumsarkoto and Katchang of Upper Badibou, Kuntair of Jokadou and Nyofelleh of Upper Nuimi.
Given the devastating effects of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic on food security, income, and general productivity, smallholder farmers in particular women and people with disability are increasingly being entangled in a cobweb of poverty.
Speaking at the presentations held in Upper Badibou, Jokadou, and Upper Nuimi, Mamsamba Joof, the Executive Director of ADWAC underscored the importance of providing support to female-headed households in the form of small ruminant production, with the sole objective of strengthening resilience building on mitigating effects of COVID-19.
The small ruminants, according to him, will be a revolving scheme and he called on Village Development Committees to be proactive and work with Livestock Officers to ensure quality animals are provided and monitored. On the other hand, the scheme will provide goats or sheep directly to individual women (widowed and single women and people with disability) to multiply at the household level, he added.
Commenting on the ram fattening scheme, the ADWAC boss reminded beneficiaries that the support aimed to enhance and improve the capacity of groups to respond to the needs of people. He, therefore, used the moment to thank UNDP for their support while he challenged VDCs and beneficiaries women to ensure proper management of the animals.
Mustapha Dumbiya and Alasan Bah of the livelihood component of ADWAC reiterated the need for effective communication and information sharing on the management of animals and maintaining proper record keeping.
Abdoulie Singhateh Alkalo, Sarjo Jammeh VDC Chairman and Fulo Saidy the Women leader of Jumsarkoto thanked ADWAC and UNDP for the support. Dembo Suso VDC member of Badibou Katchang said the support would contribute to the economic and social development of female-headed households and assured of the committee’s fullest support towards the realization of the project
