GATSIBO - East African Dairy Development (EADD) yesterday mobilized over 1000 women to form dairy cooperatives.

The women hail from Kiziguro and Kiramuruzi Sectors of Gatsibo District. Emmanuel Munyandinda, EADD country representative, said that the project was a gainful income generating activity for rural women.

He added that training in various aspects of animal husbandry such as managerial care, technical inputs, necessity of green fodder, concentrate feed, normal ailments and diseases and their remedial measures, are provided by EADD.

"We aim at restoring and empowering youth and women to face and triumph over the challenges of life,” he said.
"It is a new dairy development project being implemented in selected districts. It aims at socioeconomic development of women in rural areas,”

Celestine Nyamutamba, an EADD official, reiterated the importance of empowering women, saying that it would strengthen the family unit and help achieve the desired targets of the Millennium Development Goals.

"Women can contribute immensely towards the economic development of the country if they are provided with self-employment training, financial assistance and proper guidance,” she added.

Gertrude Uwanyirigira, a resident of Kiramuruzi Sector, said that there is need to consistently train rural women on how cooperatives work. She pointed out that women were willing to embrace the idea of economic development.

"People have not had enough knowledge about cooperatives, therefore it is imperative thus that they get more knowledge so as to join massively,” she said.
EADD operates in three countries; Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda. In Rwanda its activities can be traced in the districts of Gatsibo, Rwamagana and Nyagatare.

Ends