On May 13th, 2021, United purpose received a grant of €13,460 from ElectricAid to fund equipment for women and young farmers to reduce loss of their cassava crop as a result of Covid19 and to establish sustainable businesses, by supplying essential infrastructure to urban women enabling food security and reducing hunger during and beyond the Covid19 crisis and finally by giving young farmers equipment, materials and training to build sustainable livelihoods and remain in their rural communities.
The project achieved these specific objectives, strengthening the capacity of the participants to survive the pandemic and make for a more resilient and sustainable future. A cassava flour mill was built and equipped for the rural women farmers from the Marinas de Abiaí settlement. This has enabled them to mill all the cassava they grow as well as purchasing from Neighbours, contributing to the community as a whole and reducing loss of the cassava crops grown locally. They are selling everything they produce and receiving orders from local markets, and as a result they have increased their income, benefiting their own families and the whole community.
An urban garden structure has been built for the women of Campina Grande who are now participating in the Clube das Mães Sagrada Família (Sacred Family Mothers’ Club). They have grown a variety of vegetables which has helped the women feed their families, contributing to a reduction in hunger during some of the worst months of Covid in 2021 and beyond, as hunger has remained a constant in this part of Brazil.
15 young farmers from 4 different communities within Paraíba were given equipment, including solar panels, tools, organic fertilizer, and pumps for irrigation to enable them to build sustainable livelihoods within their communities. This has allowed the young farmers to produce vegetables for both consumption and sale. Some of the farmers are also now diversifying into breeding chickens for both egg production and for sale within their communities and in local markets.
Without the help and support of our kind and giving donors ElectricAid would not be able to support Charitys such as United Purpose. Because of the support on this project, we were able to achieve seven out of the seventeen United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including,1 No Poverty, 2 Zero Hunger, 5 Gender Equality, 7 Affordable & Clean Energy, 10 Reduced Inequalities and finally 13 Climate Action.
“This project has made an enormous difference to the livelihoods of the women, youth and their families that make up the 6 groups supported. On their behalf and on behalf of the local partners, I would like to thank all at ElectricAid and the staff that so generously contributed for the vital support provided”
electricaid.ie 