b'resultsActivities No. ofNo. of participants womenAccess to safe water 3,300Vocational trainingWelding 5Organic farming 61Establishing organic295farmsThe villagers enjoyed and benefited from a true120 women and girls in Long Tanyit, and 175 sense of community. Women set up committees,women in Kampung Gana, participated and creating rotas, taking turns to farm, cook, orbenefited from farming activities, look after children. Six project participants in300 men, women and children in Long Tanyit Long Tanyit, passed some of the skills they hadwere provided with clean and safe water, and in learned on to 20 other women in the village,Kampung Gana, more than 3,000 villagers now whilst the women of Kampung Gana, formed aenjoy a steady supply of water through the dry Womens Association, a cooperative, to manageseason.their farming activities. Soroptimists from Kota Kinabalu plan to help them open a bankFive Penan girls graduated with their diploma account, and offered advice on book-keepingin welding, and were supported by a mentoring and how to set-up a business. programme. They were able to give back to Byproviding access to clean water right to thetheir community by constructing the rainwater doorstep, women found opportunities to betterharvesting system. Each gained a job following utilise their time, previously spent travelling to,graduation, earning a monthly salary of RM and carrying water from the river. They engaged2000 (440euro) which was used to supplement in organic farming activities, and providingtheir familys income. healthy food for themselves and their families.35 women in Kampung Gana learned organic They took the time to learn and develop theirfarmingtechniques, including composting, understanding of marketing, determinedmaking organic fertilisers and pesticides, and to increase their opportunities to sell theirlearning the skills of crop rotation, from trainers products, and increase economic independenceat the Kivatu Nature Farm in Penampang. They and generate income.will also learn to produce foods such as yam and banana chips, chili sauce, and pineapple jam and how to package and market their products. Six women and a man in Long Tanyit completed a 10-day course in organic farming at the Frangipani Organic Farm in Gombak, Kuala Lumpur. They learned about composting, making organic fertilisers and pesticides, setting up a nursery for plants, and of a new system in planting padi - the SRI method (System Rice Intensification - a system that requires less water, that can double or even triple yield. soroptimistinternational.org 28'