The Power of Household Plan Development
Omara Emmy, aged 45, is a married man with five children residing in Ojul-Tekidi Community, Ojul Parish, Awei Subcounty, Alebtong District. For many years, Emmy struggled to manage his household resources effectively. He recalls that he “used not to bother about jointly planning with his family, especially during agricultural production and when using income earned from farming.”
Due to the lack of proper household planning, Emmy’s family faced financial uncertainty and continued to live in a grass-thatched house from his youthful years into adulthood. There was no clear evidence of how household income was utilized, resulting in slow progress in improving their living conditions.
The INSPIRE Project (Integrated Sustainable Productivity, Income, and Resilience Enhancement) aims to empower rural households to become self-reliant through Participatory Integrated Planning (PIP). The project supports communities to plan for both their current and future desired household situations, focusing on improved production, income utilization, environmental protection, and resilience building.
During a PIP training session facilitated by the Field Extension Officer (FEO), Emmy and other community members were introduced to the concept of Household Plan Development. This training emphasized the importance of involving all family members in setting a shared vision for household transformation.
Inspired by the training, Emmy and his family sat together to draw up a Household Development Plan focusing on the following goals:
- Construction of a semi-permanent house
- Planting flowers around the homestead
- Establishing poultry keeping as a source of income and nutrition
- Starting a kitchen garden for household food security
After developing their household plan, Emmy and his family took immediate action. They began constructing their semi-permanent house using bricks that they had initially planned to sell but decided to utilize for their own development.
“Recently, I have been involved in maize and sunflower production to help raise income for roofing and finishing our house,” Emmy narrated joyfully.
Today, Emmy’s family enjoys improved living conditions and a sense of direction in household management. Planning has become a priority tool in their home, significantly reducing unnecessary spending. Emmy proudly mentioned that “many community members have been coming to find out how we managed to make progress after many years of struggle. Our humble answer has always been: the power of joint planning.”
Emmy thanked the INSPIRE Project for playing a great role in encouraging community members to embrace household planning as a key driver for development through strategic production, marketing, and responsible use of income—while also promoting environmental protection, soil health, and sustainable productivity.