DONOR COMMUNITY TOURS INTEGRATED GARDEN PROGRAM AND YOUTH EMPOWERMENT CENTRE IN BUTULA SUB-COUNTY
A delegation from the Donor Community representatives led by Unicef and national government officials that visited Busia County on a two-day joint mission for Monitoring Gains and Deepening Devolution in Kenya, on Wednesday visited the Integrated school garden at Sikura Primary school and Butula Youth Empowerment Centre in Butula Sub-County.
The tour was led by the Busia County Executive for Agriculture Dr Osia Mwanje accompanied by his Chief officer in charge of Livestock, Aquaculture and Agribusiness, Moses Weunda.
The Integrated garden program is a Nutrition program supported by Unicef to promote nutrition through production and consumption within the communities to reduce cases of malnutrition in the County.
The pilot program is practiced by 4K Club that will later be cascaded to farmers across communities to boost nutrition of the children and improve their growth and performance in schools.
The project entails a raised backyard fish pond which accommodates 300 locally sourced (cat fish) fingerlings that can mature within six months, a Poultry section keeping indigenous birds and a kitchen garden with seven types of garden technologies including raised moist, sunken moist, container, perforated, tire, corn and Zai pit gardens.
Leading the Donor Community, Dr Robert Simiyu commended the 4K Club concept noting that it will empower pupils with practical skills to fight hunger as well as generate income to cater for other needs.
He further stated that the project has positively impacted pupils with public speaking ability to address a gathering giving an example of a 12 year old Shaleen Nakhungu (class six) who demonstrated how the poultry section works.
“This technology should be propagated through the donors and ministries to spread through the families in the county and across the country,” he said.
He added that the initiative is vital in areas with water scarcity and when implemented will help combat issues of climate change in the country.
The team led by Ms. Mary Muthoni of United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) also visited Butula Youth Empowerment Centre where through Russian Covid-19 project, 16 youth and women groups have been assessed.
The groups will benefit from livelihood assets to support reducing negative economic impacts of Covid-19.
The program championed by UNDP has rehabilitated six kilometres of roads in areas affected by floods using labour intensive methods and employed 50 youth and women under cash for work in phase one.
The local youth council chapter through the chairman Tobias Odhiambo appreciated the support by donors urging them through UNDP to continue empowering the youth of Busia County with income generating programs.
Phase two of the project is set to have round table discussions with youth groups to identify their key priorities on areas to be supported.
It will also support the already formed groups into tailoring, Information Technology, Poultry and Livestock farming programs, through the energy and resilience unit.
On Devolution through the National Youth Council the team will help Domesticate the Youth Policy then set up a fully fledged Youth Centre in the County.
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