AWARE Uganda Orchard Project

The need for fruit

By Teddy Curran, AWARE Technical Director

The Orchard

The trees in the orchard are severely suffering from lack of irrigation. The women walk 2kms to fetch water from the river and in the dry season - which is most of the year - they must dig through the sand in the river-bed to find water.

The orchard is not adequately fenced. The exisiting fence is not secure so all the humans and animals have access to the fruits once they are ripe and there is little left for the women and children.

The organisation can not afford any treatment or fertilizers for the fruits.

The fruit trees need to be protected, and provided with proper fertilizers to boost their growth, and treated for any diseases, parasites and pests.

Needs of the women and children

Kaabong is a semi-desert and fruit is a scarce commodity.

Fruit is transported for many hours along hot, dusty roads from neighboring districts - over 300km from Soroti and 200 km from Lira.

By the time it arrives in Kaabong it no longer fresh.  In addition, it commands a high price and is too expensive for the majority of women and children. They rarely have access to the fruit, due to poverty.

Auma Josephine, a member of AWARE, was interviewed.

She has five children between 10 to 17 years and she says that when she gives fruit to the children their health improves noticably. She said there was a big difference during the dry season when the trees have no fruits.

SOLUTION

To drill and install a bore hole in the orchard. To provide irrigation pipes and a storage tank for water (10,000 cc).

In addition, seed funding is needed to purchase fertilizers, pest and disease control equipment, to pay security guard wages and to erect a fence and gates to protect the fruits from theft, livestock and wild animals.

Target: £11,000.

Number of trees alive in the orchard at the moment – and their types (including young trees that have just been planted).