Minister Babalanda Hosts Best PDM Beneficiaries from Budiope West, Tips Them on Four-Acre Model

BUDIOPE, BUYENDE– The Minister for the Presidency and Member of Parliament for Budiope West, Hon. Babirye Milly Babalanda, yesterday hosted Parish Development Model (PDM) model beneficiaries drawn from all the 277 villages of Budiope West Constituency in Buyende District.

The engagement brought together the beneficiary with the best PDM success story from each of the 277 villages, across the 38 parishes and 8 sub-counties that make up Budiope West. The beneficiaries included farmers, traders, youth, men and women who effectively invested the Shs1 million they each received from the wealth-creation revolving fund in ventures that have thrived, making them shining examples for other beneficiaries and those yet to receive the funds.

In her remarks, Minister Babalanda conveyed warm regards from H.E President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Maama Janet Kataaha Museveni, the Permanent Secretary of the Office of the President, Hajji Yunus Kakande, and the entire staff of the Office of the President.

She said the purpose of the gathering was to listen to the beneficiaries, celebrate their transformative stories and identify their underlying challenges so that these can be addressed to ensure the programme fully delivers on its goal of moving households from the subsistence to the money economy.

Minister Babalanda commended the model beneficiaries for their discipline and innovation and urged them to serve as role models in their respective villages.

“I urge you to go back and share the knowledge and values that have made you stand out with your village mates, so that everyone who receives PDM funds registers success,” she said.

She emphasized that PDM is the flagship Government programme for wealth creation at parish level and is designed to reach every Ugandan at the grassroots.

She urged beneficiaries to remain disciplined and to repay the loans on time so that the revolving fund can benefit more people in the next cycles.

The Minister warned against diverting PDM funds to non-productive ventures.”Do not use PDM money to marry second wives or for drinking. That money is seed capital to fight poverty in your home,” Babalanda cautioned to laughter and applause.

During the meeting, beneficiaries shared moving testimonies of how the Shs1 million has helped them start poultry projects, piggery, goat rearing, dairy, retail shops, and crop farming, enabling them to improve household incomes, pay school fees and meet basic needs.

Minister Babalanda assured them of her continued commitment to monitor PDM implementation in the constituency, saying she will move door to door to all beneficiaries in Budiope West to witness practicability and to work with district leaders to ensure transparency and accountability so that the money reaches all intended beneficiaries.

She pledged to continue serving as their role model by sharing knowledge on several agricultural projects aimed at increasing household income and defeating poverty.In addition to PDM, the Minister urged the beneficiaries to adopt the Four-Acre Model as a practical approach for rural families to escape poverty through intensive and profitable use of small land holdings.

She explained the model as championed by President Museveni: Acre 1 for coffee and cocoa as long-term cash crops with stable income; Acre 2 for fruits such as oranges and mangoes; Acre 3 for food crops such as maize, beans, cassava, sweet potatoes and vegetables; and Acre 4 for pasture to support zero-grazing dairy farming.

She also encouraged them to take on backyard, home-based enterprises such as vegetable growing and poultry for eggs, in line with the guidance of President Museveni, the champion of wealth creation.Minister Babalanda reiterated Government’s commitment to supporting household income-generating activities as part of the broader agenda of transforming Uganda under the leadership of H.E President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.