Seed Award Announcement

Benjamin Chan

October 31, 2022

I am very happy to announce the result of the Seed Award Grant Applications of the first cohort of the Christian Social Development Training. The Seed Award Screening Team received 16 applications and 8 of them met the requirements. After the final interviews of the applicants via Zoom, the Seed Award Screening Team approved 6 applications.  Each awarded applicant will receive the grant amount of US$5,000. The awarded applicants’ names and their small business descriptions are as follows:

* Mr. Bangerchiba (Panger Ozukum) – Kulem Enterprise

To start a pineapple plantation and fishery business to provide jobs to unemployed youth

* Mr. K. Machungambou – Akhombou Piggery Farm

To establish a model farm to provide farming education and generate employment for economically backward rural communities

* Mr. Maongnungsang – Books on Wheels Social Enterprise

To train and provide mobile book selling jobs to the unemployed youth and to empower them to become positive contributors to the church and society

* Mr. Norbu Lama: Making Multipurpose Cooperative

To train and hire financially struggling families in their production and sale of their processed food business

* Ms. Senmi Imolangba Jamir – Common Ground

To train and engage unemployed and disadvantaged women in handicraft production and the sale of their handicrafts

* Mr. Temjenwati Jamir – Akan-Chi

To provide food security and sustainable livelihood to vulnerable communities through the cassava and azolla farming business

The awarded small businesses share the common characteristic of targeting social and financial disadvantaged people. A common goal is to equip those persons with work skills, training and education. Then they can experience opportunities to restore their dignity and to achieve a better quality of life.

This Training and Seed Award is a special project of International Ministries to respond to the economic and livelihood impact of the COVID pandemic and to be in partnership with the North East Christian University, Nagaland, India.

The Seed Award Team members are Benjamin Chan (convenor), Joseph Huse, Anthony Ng, Carole Sydnor, and James Williams.