Hellen Obado donates a pair of shoes to an elderly woman in Isebania Ward, Kuria West Sub County

Migori County Governor, Zachary Okoth Obado’s wife, Hellen, has rolled out poultry project at a cost of Sh8 million, aimed at empowering women and improving food security in the county.

Mrs Obado has also come up with shoe distributing programme where more than 10,000 pupils and locals, mostly the elderly from poor background across the county, have benefitted.

She said that the poultry programme is targeting more than 30, 000 women in SACCOs in the 40 wards, where she will deliver an incubator to each SACCO to boost chicken production.

Hellen is currently in the process of distributing pairs of shoes in her anti-jigger campaign strategy where she has partnered with Ahadi Kenya Trust to improve pupils’ concentration in schools.

“The poultry project will empower women in the county. We are going to give the poultry to women who are in SACCOs. We want to make sure every ward has a SACCO,” she said.

Hellen said she has received the funding from different donors and will utilise it in empowering women and promoting education among the youth.

“Once we empower women and give opportunity for our children to go to school and learn comfortably, then the county will have achieved,” she said, whiledonating shoes to more than 500 pupils in Not, Aringo and Abwao primary schools in Nyatike Sub County.

The County’s First Lady urged women in the county to form SACCOs so that the poultry project can benefit more people.

Speaking in Nyamaharaga Primary School ground in Kuria West, where she launched the poultry project, Mrs Obado appealed to the county government of Migori to ensure farmers were helped in improving agribusiness as one of the efforts to reduce food insecurity.

“I know our county government has achieved a lot in Agriculture, but still urge it to come up with more ideas aimed at boosting agribusiness and that will see farmers develop in the sector,” she asserted.

This comes few months after Deputy President William Ruto’s wife, Rachel, launched the table banking project in Migori town to help improve the saving culture in women groups.

“My fellow women should embrace saving culture in their groups and SACCOs to help improve the process that was started by Deputy President’s wife, the ball now remains on our side we play it or leave it die,” Hellen said.

In collaboration with Ahadi Kenya Trust and region’s Kenya Red Cross, Mrs Obado has also distributed sanitary towels, petroleum jelly and soaps to pupils and locals across the county.

“My target is to ensure the poor in the county also feel loved and cared for in the society. These projects give me opportunity to meet and talk to the poor and understand their problems so that as a team we find a lasting solution,” she said.

She later toured Isebania Ward in Kuria West where she distributed more shoes to pupils and locals, different detergents and sanitary towels worth Sh200, 000and appealed to women to join hands and work with governmental organisations in order to access government funds easily.