The Minister for the Presidency and Member of Parliament for Budiope West Constituency, Hon. Babirye Milly Babalanda, yesterday joined the family of the late Ngobi Fred in Kaliro District to officiate a Thanksgiving service and commission a new family home, where she rallied residents to reject corruption and embrace government wealth-creation programmes to transform their livelihoods.
The event was marked with joy, gratitude and prayer as the family gave thanks to God for His faithfulness and provision throughout the journey of building the home.
Delivering remarks, Minister Babalanda conveyed greetings from His Excellency President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Mama Janet Kataha Museveni, and the entire staff of the Office of the Presidency.
“A home is more than bricks and mortar. It is the foundation of family values, love, and unity. My prayer is that this home becomes a place of peace, hospitality, and God’s presence,” the Minister said.
She congratulated the family for working as a team to achieve the milestone and commended them for nurturing their children in faith, citing Proverbs 22:6: _“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
Turning to development, Hon. Babalanda urged the people of Kaliro to take a firm stand against corruption, which she said “steals opportunities from our children, delays services, and slows development.”
She rallied citizens to embrace Government wealth-creation initiatives as the surest path to household and community transformation.
“The government has established several wealth creation Programmes, like the Parish Development Model – PDM, Emyooga, Youth Livelihood, Operation Wealth Creation – OWC, GROW, and others. What we need now is to use them with integrity, unity, a spirit of hard work, and a saving culture to turn such resources into wealth, jobs, and better services,” she emphasized.
The Minister noted that no community will be left behind when citizens choose accountability, discipline, and enterprise.
With emphasis on wealth creation, Minister Babalanda urged residents to adopt the 4-Acre Model Concept, a household strategy championed by President Museveni to help rural families escape poverty using limited land intensively.
Acre 1: Coffee or cocoa as a long-term cash crop for stable income, Acre 2: Fruits such as oranges, mangoes, and passion fruit for quick returns and nutrition, Acre 3: Food crops including maize, beans, cassava, sweet potatoes, and vegetables for food security and surplus sales and Acre 4: for Animal pasture to support zero-grazing dairy and other livestock enterprises.
“A well-managed 4-acre farm can generate sustainable income, improve food security, and keep our children in school,” she said.
The Minister further encouraged households to take up backyard enterprises as guided by the President. These include poultry farming for eggs, particularly for Muslim and SDAs communities, and piggery for non-Muslim households, to ensure continuous weekly and monthly income.
The Minister called on the public to trust God in all endeavors.
“When you trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight: Proverbs 3:5-6. When you trust God, there are no regrets and no evil will prosper in your lives,” she stated.
The Thanksgiving ended with prayers for the family and a call for Kaliro residents to use the available Government programmes to build strong homes and a prosperous district.
