A group of women from Elombe Village received a one-day jam-making training at Ongwediva offered by officials from the Urban and Rural Development Ministry.

The one-day jam-making process focused on value addition, where rural people are empowered to produce food from their local produce that is easily accessible to them.

This time around, they gathered under the tree to receive training on how to make jam from marula, a plentiful seasonal fruit accessible at almost every rural household in the north.

Jam can also be made from wild berries, eembe, and melons produced by subsistence farmers in the north.

"We just want to educate them that local natural resources products are important instead of wasting or throwing them away, so they must produce something that can generate income or help them make a profit," Bilha Iipumbu, Communication Officer at the Ongwediva Rural Development Committee, explains.

The training also aims to contribute to food security, promote food self-sufficiency, and encourage healthy family nutrition in the community.

Laimi Shikongo is a trainee from the Elombe village, and she thanked the organizers on behalf of the trainees. "As a member of the community, I am so grateful for this training we received, and I think from here, with what we have learned today, we will be able to make jam for our families and for the community. Some of us can go into business so that we can fight poverty and stop the jams from the shops."

The Ministry also offers horticulture development training and poultry management training, as well as assists local people in collecting second-hand items and distributing them to the needy in rural areas, especially the marginalized.