OCOKCAN WIDOWS AND ORPHANS ASSOCIATION
Thirty-two individuals Boroboro in northern Uganda registered as members of the Ocokcan and Orphans association. It is a well organized group with an appointed Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer and members who meet every month. The widows and widowers live with their orphans in their homes. They keep, protect, guard and raise their children without help from outside sources. To do this, they grow and sell produce from their small farms. Each widow/widowers has a few acres, not more than five, which are situated around their homes.
The individuals came together as a group and officially registered their project (Agricultural Produce Project). They focus on agricultural production and crops and animals such as cassava, onions, poultry and pigs which they then sell. Some of the farm products are used as the only source of their food. The little money which comes from selling of their farm produce goes to buying sugar, salt, soap, clothes, shoes, medicine, school fees, transport and other such goods. Sometimes the crops fail due to global weather changes.
They do not have tractors but they use local hoes and oxen-driven ploughs to dig and prepare the fields for cultivation. The women work in groups to help each other for example, they come together and plow one woman’s fields then go to another one until the whole group has their fields cultivated. They also do the same thing with planting, weeding and harvesting. They work hard through their corporation and exercise tolerance and patience to achieve their goals. These women have a strong sense of a God whom they pray to and in whom they encourage one another in their struggles for survival.
The women's immediate goals are:
- to continue with the Agricultural Produce Project
- to work harder, cooperate and consult other people for help
- pray to God for guidance and help.
