JINJA CITY: The Minister for the Presidency, Milly Babirye Babalanda, has urged Ugandans to combine faith with hard work, financial discipline and productive agriculture to overcome household poverty and improve their livelihoods.
Babalanda, who also serves as Director of the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Busoga Women Field, made the call on Saturday during a Sabbath service at Buwagi SDA Church in Jinja Northern Division, Jinja City, where she encouraged believers to support the church while using their resources to improve their families’ economic well-being.
She emphasised that prayer and faith should go hand in hand with productive work, responsible financial decisions and effective utilisation of available resources if households are to achieve sustainable economic progress.
Babalanda encouraged the congregation to contribute voluntarily towards church development, noting that the importance of giving lies not only in the amount offered but also in the willingness, gratitude and commitment behind it.
She said every contribution, regardless of its size, helps advance the work of God and strengthens the church’s ability to serve the community.
The minister said families could improve their economic circumstances by developing a culture of saving, reinvesting earnings, establishing productive enterprises and avoiding unnecessary expenditure. She urged households to work towards shared economic goals, adding that overcoming poverty requires a positive mindset, commitment to productive activities and determination to create opportunities for future generations.
She also encouraged believers to embrace government wealth creation programmes, saying their success depends on beneficiaries investing available resources in viable income generating activities rather than spending the support on short-term consumption.
Babalanda cautioned families against excessive land fragmentation, warning that dividing land into increasingly smaller plots undermines agricultural productivity and reduces opportunities for wealth creation.
She urged households to preserve and manage family land as a valuable economic asset that can support livelihoods for generations, rather than dividing it into plots that may no longer be commercially viable.
Where land size and local conditions permit, she encouraged households to adopt the Four-Acre Model as a practical approach to improving food security and generating income.
Under the model, she explained, the first acre can be dedicated to coffee or cocoa as long-term cash crops, while the second can support fruit farming, including oranges and mangoes, to diversify household earnings.
The third acre can be used to grow food crops such as maize, beans, cassava, sweet potatoes and vegetables for household consumption and sale of surplus produce. The fourth acre can be reserved for pasture to support zero-grazing, dairy farming and other livestock enterprises.
She said diversifying agricultural activities would reduce households’ dependence on a single source of income while strengthening their resilience to economic challenges.
However, she stressed the importance of adapting the model to available land, local conditions and market demand. She urged farmers to embrace improved agricultural practices, plan their production, identify markets in advance and add value to their produce to transition from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture.
Babalanda particularly encouraged women to participate actively in wealth creation, saying their involvement in productive economic activities could help families improve living standards, educate their children and build more secure futures.
She called on families and communities to support women’s economic participation and recognise their contribution to household welfare and national development.
The minister commended the leadership and congregation of Buwagi SDA Church for their commitment to worship, fellowship and community service. She urged them to maintain unity and continue contributing to the spiritual and socio-economic development of their community.
During the service, Babalanda conveyed greetings from President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports Janet Kataaha Museveni, Permanent Secretary in the Office of the President Hajji Yunus Kakande and staff of the Office of the President.
She reiterated that while faith remains central to Christian life, believers must also work diligently, give generously and manage their resources responsibly to improve their livelihoods.
As part of her contribution to the church’s development, Babalanda donated Shs 4 million towards its development initiatives.
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