President Yoweri Museveni has donated a tricycle worth 9.7 million shillings and 15 million shillings in cash to Apio Vicky Ojok, a successful PDM (Parish Development Model) beneficiary in Amach Town Council. The donation was made on Tuesday evening, January 28, 2025.
“The problem of Uganda and Africa as a whole is sleeping (Nino in Avholí),” the President said. “Now that Apio is not sleeping, she will move forward.”
He recounted how his own mother, though uneducated, changed her farming practices after he introduced new methods in 1989. By 1995, others had followed suit. “That is why I started my nationwide tour to spread the experiment,” he explained, mentioning initiatives like Entandikwa, NAADS, and OWC. He noted that Vicky is progressing well, having started with maize cultivation and now owning cows.
During his visit to Kole, the President had considered drilling a borehole. He then tasked State House Comptroller Jane Barikye to ensure a borehole is provided for Apio and the surrounding community in Amach Town Council, emphasizing the importance of access to clean water.
Apio Vicky Ojok, a PDM beneficiary, and her husband, Ojok Bleo, have six children. She is a member of the “Note Ber” Maize Growers SACCO group in Amach Town Council, Lira District.
She narrated how she sold 40 bags of maize at 700 shillings per kilo, saving over 2 million shillings, which she used to buy 10 sheep. The sheep herd has since grown, and she now needs to expand their shelter.
In 2024, she sold maize again at 800 shillings per kilo and bought a plot of land in Amach Town Council, inspired by the PDM’s vision.
She expressed her gratitude to the President and shared her plans to start growing coffee. She also envisions expanding her sheep business, aiming to become a one-stop center for buyers from outside Amach Town Council and Lira District.
The President also awarded 10 million shillings to ten other PDM beneficiaries in Amach Town Council and 9 million shillings to three LC1 chairpersons in the area.
