Residents of Gulu and its environs now have a refreshing, nutritious, and reasonably-priced option for their meals and tea breaks: vanilla, lemon and strawberry yogurt. As of March 6, Nguvu Dairy Limited began operating its new production facility in Gulu.
The past decade has brought an increased awareness of the menacing scale and scope of human trafficking. There is now growing assistance to populations vulnerable to exploitation for commercial gain. Yet one demographic remains overlooked: men, women & children living with physical and intellectual disabilities.
Fifteen years ago modern day slavery was largely understood to mean the commercial sexual exploitation of women. Today, the global community’s understanding of the insidious nature of trafficking has broadened. We now know that a trafficker’s exploitation of humans for profit also encompasses forced labor, organ removal, child military conscription, false marriages, and beyond. Traffickers prey on human vulnerabilities fueled by conflict, corruption, weak rule of law, poverty, and discrimination, making certain groups particularly susceptible to victimization.
We at The Market Project believe that healing and recovery from trauma and exploitation is possible for each man and woman, regardless of current vulnerability. Work is an integral part of the healing journey. As Harvard Medical School Professor Dr. Richard Mollica has noted, work “gives survivors … an overall sense of purpose and value.”
Nguvu Dairy: Enriching lives, strengthening bodies, and building communities.
The front gate of the new production site in Gulu is catching the eye of passersby. Consumers eagerly await the fresh flavors of the drinking yogurt: vanilla, strawberry and lemon.
Men and women will be hired as production workers, sales contractors, a cook and office assistant. Training follows.
Already we have a dozen workers who have “found their place” producing and selling Nguvu Dairy yogurt in Adjumani, a town in northern Uganda. Nguvu Dairy is now ready to expand into a new town called Gulu with a population of 150,000. This expansion will include building out the new production facility and launching sales in Gulu will require funding for equipment, uniforms, and bicycles.
“Health, Wealth and Happiness…” These are three common criteria people use to measure their satisfaction in life. Interestingly, two of the criteria fundamentally depend on “health”, and The Market Project realizes this fact. Alongside our primary goal to provide secure employment in a “trauma-informed” workplace for survivors of trafficking and other trauma, we have the opportunity to improve the health and nutrition of communities in Northern Uganda. Our business, Nguvu Dairy, Ltd., produces drinkable yogurt. Nguvu has plans to expand its production and distribution over the coming year.
Sub-Saharan Africa is home to some of the most indigent and food insecure countries in the world, with nearly 240 million people lacking sufficient food to lead healthy and active lives.[1]
One particularly affected country in this region is Uganda, specifically its northern sector. Gradually recovering from a prolonged and devastating civil conflict, Northern Uganda currently faces immense food insecurity, malnutrition and undernutrition.
The Market Project is pleased to announce the legal registration of its first business in Uganda, Nguvu Dairy Ltd. In keeping with the Swahili word, the product gives “strength” to the body!
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