Local uses grant to improve community

RACHAEL Albert, owner of the Lama Potato project, is an Oil Search employee and a member of the Oil Search Foundation’s (OSF) Champions of Change Small Grants initiative.
According to OSF, this initiative was launched last year to help Oil Search employees to apply for grants of up to K5,000 – to assist them deliver projects that improve their communities, with a focus on areas such as agriculture, sanitation, health and education. With grants having already directly benefited 6,000 people in 13 provinces and 45 different communities, the Lama potato project is an example of how a small amount of funding can grow into a project which now supports the livelihoods of an entire community.
The Lama potato project was started by Albert with the aim of promoting sustainable agriculture to a small village in Ialibu, Southern Highlands.
While most of the people within Ialibu initially depended entirely on growing their own food, over time the passion and respect for farming and agriculture has gradually declined as more youths turned to other activities to earn money.
Inspired to make a change, Albert envisioned the Lama potato project as a way to create opportunities for her community to earn an honest living.
“I wanted to encourage young men to abandon their negative activities and instead focus on farming in a more sustainable way to generate income,” Albert said.
Motivated to provide a way for single mothers and widows to earn an income, Albert recruited support from the Fresh Produce Development Agency and OSF’s small grants to contribute towards building materials, potato seeds and training for existing and new farmers.