Richmond, Va. - This little piggy went to market, this little piggy stayed home ... this little piggy in Uganda changed the life of Milly, a widow, forever.
In 2003, Milly's husband died, leaving her unemployed with eight children to raise. As a housewife, her role had been to bear children and take care of their home. She was 35 and seemingly had no where to turn.
Her fate, however, changed a year later when a meeting was held in the village to tell residents that Christian Children's Fund (CCF) was looking for people to train in farming. CCF Uganda staff visited the village soon after the meeting to register people in the livelihood program.
"We were immediately enrolled for a one-week course on gardening and farming," Milly said. "Before the training, I used to rear a few pigs at home. I would tied them on a rope and take them to the garden to feed. Now I have given them shelter because I am equipped with knowledge on how to look after them in the right way."
CCF's livelihood programs exist to enable families to better provide for their children and ultimately achieve economic independence. CCF helps 15.2 million children and family members in 31 countries around the world.
At the end of the training, CCF gave Milly a pair of piglets - male and female - to help her start a piggery business. Today she is an accomplished community piggery farmer, and she has started other income-generating activities such as poultry and banana farming.
Milly now earns about $121 USD per month and can afford school and uniform fees for her children. Her children also participate in the family business.
"My first born is now studying at a university," Milly said. "She is studying business and has one year left to finish. My entire family is very excited that one of our own has attained university education and is actually about to complete."
To Milly, every project she gets involved with calls for determination and dedication to succeed.
"Knowledge is great power," Milly said. "It is the knowledge I got from Christian Children's Fund that has gotten me where I am and seen me through this day. I don't have the right words to use to thank the organization. I am so overwhelmed."
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
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