Vanilla lead farmers from Kasese, Bundibugyo, and Ntoroko recently travelled to Ibanda district for a learning exchange through the VIBRANT project funded by Enabel. The host, the Kyeikucu Turihamwe Cooperative, offered a close look at what can happen when farmers organize and work with clear systems. The visit highlighted how collective action helps address common challenges such as premature harvesting, theft, and weak market bargaining power. Participants also explored how certification standards such as Organic, Fairtrade, and Rainforest Alliance open doors to premium markets, provided that farmers maintain good practices, proper records, and traceability from garden to buyer.
This edition features the story of Etien Ndugu, a refugee from Congo, one of the many people whose lives are slowly changing through the Kulea Watoto project. After taking part in the project’s participatory sessions, Etien chose pig rearing as his livelihood activity and later received practical training in piggery management. The training quickly paid off when his pig gave birth to ten piglets. With the income from selling some piglets, he was able to buy food for his family, and scholastic materials for his children. For Etien, the experience is a clear reminder that with the right skills and a small opportunity, families can begin to rebuild their livelihoods and look to the future with renewed hope.
The team in Rhino camp hosted a global donor delegation to one of our Early Adolescent Skills for Emotions (EASE) caregiver groups. The visit offered a meaningful chance for donors to hear directly from caregivers about how the program is shaping life at home. Many spoke candidly about the challenges they faced before joining EASE like frequent conflict, and uncertainty about how to manage emotions within the family. Through the sessions, they have gained practical skills in positive parenting, emotional regulation, listening, and problem-solving. The message from caregivers emphasized that programs like EASE are not just training sessions they are helping restore calm, confidence, and connection in the home.
Vanilla thrives under the right conditions’ humidity, fertile soils, and protection from damage. Proper fencing and buffering are proving important as a measure to protect the crop from roaming livestock that can easily break the fragile vines, help deter theft, a real concern given vanilla’s high market value, especially during harvest season. These farming practices are more than farm boundaries they are a smart investment that protects farmers’ effort, improves productivity, and supports the long-term sustainability of vanilla farming.
