Gov't Commends South Korean SMU For Fighting and Eradication Unemployment Through Agriculture

KAMPALA - The vice president of Uganda has today appreciated the south Korean based organization known as SMU for empowering the youths in Uganda through helping them to better their agricultural skills.

The South Korean Development Model, commonly known as the Saemaul Undong (SMU) was founded in south Korea in 1970 with the main purpose of recognizing a village as a unit of development which promotes self help and collaboration.

While celebrating the 13th annual convention at Buddo Junior School in kampala on Friday under the theme , "Empowering the Young Generation Through Mind Set Change by SMU."

The State Minister for kampala Hon. Kyofatogabye Kabuye represented the vice president of Uganda who was the chief guest retired Maj. Hon. Jessica Alupo and committed to render more support to SMU in her delivered speech.

She said, government shall make sure that organizations such as SMU operates in a condusive environment as it ensures orderly, formation, growth and sustainability.

Alupo described that SMU is persuing the program by offering specialized trainings to Ugandans at SMU centers in south Korea and in Uganda at Kampiringisa therefore as government they appreciate.

"For a number of years, the main challenge of farmers in Uganda has been low productivity, low quality of products and limited value addition however famers increasingly experience crop failure, poor yields and storage loses which would have been prevented through education and supervision," Alupo included.

Dr. Eng Ian Kyeyune the president SMU in Uganda said that there is need for Uganda to start development right from village levels, to parishes, to districts and then the whole country as people first consider the well being of their homes forexample clean water, income , good health and good roads .

According to Kyeyune, "We believe that everybody has a potential to help oneself fight poverty to some degree before government involvement, therefore it is wrong a wrong mindset for someone to wait for government create measures of employment without oneself taking any strategy to escape poverty," he said.

SMU targets the young generation to practice farming as they get engaged in the program by learning value addition on the products through mindset change, target sustainability of the products, value chain among others, Kyeyune noted.

Dr. Steven Kayongo the SMU international coordinator described to the audience that SMU is an organization that transformed south Koreans from the poverty line to being one of the ten most richest countries in the world with an agenda of moving together, it is expanded in 365 villages in Uganda since it's inception in 2009 and operates in 45 districts of Uganda with over 20,000 farmers involved.

Ms. Hwang from South Korea represented the President of SMU in South Korea Mr. Daehoon Kwak and delivered a speech on his behalf.

According to Kwak, " I express my gratitude to the Uganda Saemaeul Association president Ian and the quest who invited us to the event."

He however expressed further his deep gratitude to Kayongo and Emmanuel, Saemaul cooperation officers, for working hard to spread SMU in Uganda, thanked village leaders and village members, who are initiating and putting actions for SMU activities, Kwak included.

"Korea was one of the poorest counties in the world, where poverty was considered as destiny, but Korea took Saemual undong as an opportunity and took the spirit of “we can do it!” “We can live well too”, which innovated and awakened the people.

It was the saemaul undong that became the spiritual foundation of Korea, that changed Korea from one of the pooret countries to become one of the most advanced countries in the world and to become economically powerful country" Kwak described.