After having received training in India on Agriculture / Agribusiness and Sustainability on Eradicating Poverty in Rural Areas; we want to train as well as carryout community capacity building for young people aged 18 – 35 years to like agriculture and take it as a sustainable way of creating income and living.
AIDEST is requesting for Aid to support her establish a technical training centre to help young people become self-sustaining. We are currently running a life-skills training centre for the youth, targeting the unemployed, less skilled, school dropouts, orphans and ongoing students.
Africa Intercultural Development Support Trust (AIDEST) is a youth-led organization with a mission to give underprivileged Ugandan youth a chance for a better future by providing practical training and consecutive career guidance and improve their livelihoods. Youth cover nearly 71% of whom are unemployed due to lack of practical skills to become self-reliant. So AIDEST will continue covering this gap by empowering them with skills that they can reduce poverty among themselves in their home areas.
Reporter: Mr Herman Kizito
The agricultural sector of Teso region in Uganda faces major challenges which includes low levels of productivity, declining soil fertility, low use of improved inputs, high output loses due to pests, diseases and poor post harvest handling, poor quality standards for traded food and agricultural products, inadequate infrastructure and access for value addition processes such as marketing, storage and distribution. These challenges are grossly evident in all districts of Teso including Soroti, Ngora, Serere, Amuria, Katakwi, Kumi, Bukedea, Pallisa and Kaberamaido whose potential has been heavily disrupted by the two decades of civil conflict; this initiative has been proposed to address some of these challenges in this, with a pilot phase in Soroti district.
Despite several initiatives by the Government of Uganda (GoU) and partners, agricultural productivity in these areas still shows declining trends (although the area under cultivation is increasing, the livelihoods and incomes of small holder farmers is still low). Specifically, the staple crops such as maize, ground nuts and bean value chains suffer from the challenges noted in the Agricultural Sector DSIP 2010/11 -2014/15 plan.
To tackle these challenges with a goal of increasing household incomes, employment, food and nutrition security, there is need to address the contributing factors of low productivity, undeveloped farming practices, lack of capital, poor access to markets and market information, poor post harvest handling practices, low prices for produce and above all, improving the involvement of women with a gender perspective of building their capacity to engage in market oriented agricultural production since women represent the majority of the rural poor-up to 70% especially where migration, marital instability, male mortality, single parenthood and gender based violence have left them as heads of households.
Realising the efforts to increase production and improve productivity but, without significant improvements in market functioning, such increases will be an opportunity lost. For agricultural development to be sustainable in Teso, it is necessary to connect production zones with input and output markets and to endeavor to improve the functioning of those markets. It is critical to address the fundamental production constraints to increase output by raising awareness among farmers on the value of adopting improved agronomic practices, conceptualise farming as a business enterprise, facilitate access to post harvest handling techniques that reduce farmer loses and enhance quality standards, support farmer organisational institutions for collaborative and collective bargaining through utilisation of infrastructure for collective bulking and selling, facilitate access to investment capital by promotion of farmer saving and loan associations and linkages with finance institutions, access to market/price information and information on techniques to improve post harvest handling (cleaning, drying, storing).
Reporter: Mr Aongat Cuthbert
we are fabricators of post harvest and agroproccessing machinery. we are experiencing alot of post harvest loss in this part of the world . so our target is to help and elleviate this problem.
Reporter: Mr Ssebanakitta
Funding is needed to provide basic computer skills and ICT development among the less privileged youth to access knowledge thereby creating employment by themselves both in urban and rural areas, for the young farmers to receive knowledge and access online market for their produce. Show me how to grow cabbage, salads for instance, using appropriate technologies through learn-by-doing it yourself.
Reporter: Mr Herman Kizito
“One village Uganda project is a non profit organisation which helps the community or helps to transform poor/needy communities into a better life living through agriculture,education, tourism and the word of Christ for sustainable development.
We are therefore looking for funds for training in formal of education to peasants, supply of inmproved dry seeds and vegetables, medicines for crop care and prevetion as well as agriculture equipments.”
Reporter: Mr HERBERT BAGYENYI KAJOKI
“Helping hands 4 Africa is a Community Based Initiative that started way back in 2011 with the plight of transforming the disadvantaged livelihoods in eastern Uganda live a better life. We are situated in Jinja district, which lies 80kms East of Kampala city, Uganda’s capital working with the rural poor communities in our country.
Uganda as a developing country is among other problems, afflicted by Civil wars, hunger, economic stagnation, extreme poverty, low literacy levels, and the AIDS pandemic that continues its deadly foray into every village. This calls for innovative actions that are designed and implemented to bring about change. Helping hands 4 Africa is actively pursing this at the grass roots.
As development partners, non-governmental organizations are proving to be more effective at grass roots where government hands cannot reach. Helping hands 4 Africa is one of the few grass roots organization based in the Eastern Uganda offering educational, medical and nutritional services to the rural communities as well as helping to facilitate their social, spiritual, Educational and economical well being.
We derive our support from the valuable services of volunteers, friends, sympathizers, well-wishers, Christian and non-Christian resources as well as our dear partners in-country and abroad who offer financial, moral, educational and material support to facilitate our activities.
The founders of the initiative are much concerned about the increasing poverty levels, high prevalence rate of HIV/Aids, increasing number of orphans without any assistance, high unemployment, lack of respect of human rights and high illiteracy levels within the community. This was realized after carrying out a baseline survey in Bulamagi sub-county as a sample project in August 2007 and the following were realized;
Eight-nine out of every 10 homes have been affected by HIV/Aids such as increased number of orphans and family members without any assistance.
The most vulnerable and affected are the women and children because of the African family setting yet they are the core of the households, at the centre of hunger, malnutrition, diseases, illiteracy and all other effects of poverty.
Four out of every ten of school going age can not attend school even when there is free universal primary and secondary school seemingly because they lack scholastic requirements such as books, uniforms, school fees, meals, etc
Even the free universal schools are few, in long distances, congested and poorly facilitated.
Most of these disadvantaged livelihoods often fall sick but don’t get proper medical treatment because they cant afford the medical bills in the recommended hospitals/medical centers, which are often in long distances despite the fact that the roads are in poor conditions and the means of transport is expensive.
The old going age (Elderly) is also in the centre of poverty, hunger, diseases, malnutrition, and all the other side effects of poverty as they are totally dependants.
Four out of every ten homes are single mother/children/widow/grand headed families without any support.
Eight out of every ten persons with disabilities (PWDs) are seen as a curse to the community/family, neglected under certain circumstances and even themselves are not aware of their rights as citizens of their mother country.
The rate of HIV/Aids tend to increase because of the high poverty levels within the communities for instance young innocent girls are enticed with smaller items like snacks/chapattis in exchange for sex.
Even older people going for sex end up going for unprotected sex because they can not afford to buy condoms, ignorant about condom use and the government free aided condoms are poorly distributed.
Eight out of every ten youth have lost hope and continued being vulnerable as they are un employed, uneducated, lack life skills, lack capital to set up businesses hence resorting to agriculture which is domestic and un productive due to poor soils, poor markets of their agricultural produce, landless, etc
Children’s rights are not properly observed in the rural communities due to ignorance of these rural livelihoods about their rights such as forcing young girls to marry at tender ages.
WAY FORWARD
We at Helping hands 4 Africa have realized the need to mitigate the social, economical and political causes of their vulnerabilities, so as to enable them live better lives through a way of providing and advocating for proper medical care, better nutrition, basic support, educational support, human rights, spiritual and moral support.
VISION
We envision at a self sustainable, healthy, educated and poverty free community with increased capacity to sustain themselves.
MISSION
To mitigate the social, economical and political causes of their vulnerabilities so as to improve on the life of the disadvantaged livelihoods in the community.
GOAL
To extend specific services to the disadvantaged livelihoods in the community.
OBJECTIVES.
To fight poverty through education of orphans and other disadvantaged members in the community.
Improve and support community based initiatives for reduction of poverty, illiteracy, HIV/Aids and any other as the situation as the situation may arise.
Initiate, promote and support community based initiatives for reduction of poverty, HIV/Aids, illiteracy as the situation as the situation as the situation may arise.
To identify and carry out community based initiatives for reduction of poverty.
To implement income generating projects aimed at creating sustainable income sources for vulnerable women and youth groups, the activities will involve: – high value crop production, bee keeping, piggery, poultry farming, fish farming, food processing (i.e. addition of value to agro-produce) and animal traction.
To train and support local communities in the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS through advocacy, prevention, support and care, home base care, training counseling aids and peer educators and information dissemination awareness to reduce its social economic effects.
To support orphans of AIDS, girl-child and vulnerable children through provision of educational facilities namely: better schools at rural based, vocational rehabilitation centers, school fees, scholastic materials, uniforms etc.
To promote respect for human rights among members especially promoting awareness of rights of children, women, disabled persons, youths and marginalized groups in the society.
To promote advocacy and networking between the various development partners and carry on consultancy in all fields for learning.
To promote the preservation and the protection of the environment, and to raise funds from donations, grants and investments to further the objectives of the organization.
To improve rural livelihoods of the communities through enhanced adoption of improved agricultural practices and modern technology as well as encourage addition of value to agricultural produce in order to improve the social economic status of the people through increased productivity, enhanced human resource development and natural resource management.
To improve the standard of living of the people by enhancing proper use of natural resources as will be indicated by the ability to meet their basic needs in life namely – adequate food, decent housing, clothing school fees, medical bills etc.
To support and foster improved life skill training and knowledge on Sustainable Organic Agriculture among local communities for improved nutrition and household incomes.
Provide participating farmers with improved seeds, improve market research for the processed and unprocessed produce, practice-improved technology such as irrigation systems, small-scale agro-processing industries, processing food using solar dryers to promote increased income at household as well as organizing.
Establishing and adopt micro credit and saving scheme among rural community to maximize income at grass root with the overall goal of fighting poverty.
To mobilize, sensitize and involve vulnerable youths and women in project activities and adopt rural micro entrepreneurship; increase opportunity for the homeless to acquire affordable housing, decent clothing, etc.
To carry out capacity building training as strategies to improve the performance and output of the members”
Reporter: Mr Bogere Ali
Tooro Development Initiative is an indigenous NGO. It has been formed to bring together all Categories of people including the women, youth, men, and the disabled people to mention but a few. The organisation will be working to break the tradition that tended to treat them as objects of charity. This will initially be done through:
1 Advocating for equalization of rights and opportunities amongst them.
2 Uniting women, youth, men and the disabled through formation of groups and associations.
3 Promoting effective service delivery for the women, youth, men and the disabled people.
Reporter: Mr Bogere Ali[/spoiler2]
Kanabulemu Orphanage Organization is a proposed project to cater for most of orphaned children and vulnerable children due to deaths of one or both parents due to HIV-AIDS epidemic and also due to poverty in that some parent can not afford to provide the basic needs to their children
Reporter: Mr Godfrey Segirinya
“Uganda has a rampant school dropout problem, according to Stomme Foundation report 2013, 70% of students drop out before finalizing secondary level. Most leave school because they can no longer afford it. There are few alternative education pathways for youth and very few employment opportunities for school dropouts. Youth unemployment is 68% and since 70% of Uganda’s population is under the age of 20 years, this is one of the country’s biggest challenges. To solve it, there needs to be another option between traditional schooling and vocational or training programs.
Although the issue of school dropouts and youth unemployment is particularly damaging in Uganda, this issue is important world-wide. Governments, foundation and international organizations like the UN and the World Bank are working to find solutions. The program at Kyusa has been developed with scale in mind and can be easily replicated in other locations.”
Reporter: Ms. Noeline Kirabo
“For the rule of law to prevail in the democratic setting of Uganda people need to be civically informed. The scope and definition of civil rights in Uganda remains largely unclear to many Ugandans which greatly curtails the rule of law particularly in the rural settings. For several years the rule of law has been undermined with human rights variously violated. There has been a marked intimidation and harassment of journalists, human rights groups and opposition group members by the army, police and politicians.
In August 2003 police arrested a popular radio talk show host on grounds of sedition with charges based on criticism of the president’s leadership. During the same year, the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) also warned media outlets against publishing and broadcasting classified information, subjecting abetting soldiers to punishment, including the possibility of court martial. In 2009 during the September Buganda Riots, the Kabaka was placed under house arrest, radio talk show hosts were arrested with 4 Radio stations closed for broadcasting news on the controversial Buganda kingdom’s cause and proposed visit of the king to Bugerere. Police in Uganda continues to vigorously involve in violating the freedoms of association and assembly with opposition political rallies routinely blocked and peaceful demonstrations violently dispersed. The Media and Civil organizations in Uganda has not been a guarantee for democracy despite the existing legal/institutional frameworks and international advocacies to guarantee their respect and independence in promoting and protecting human rights. On top of this, the enjoyment of civic rights and exerting civic duties in Uganda has often varied with gender, implying that men and women of different categories have been affected differently with respect to their civic rights and responsibilities. While most citizens are ignorant about their civic rights others are not even aware of the existence of these rights. But sovereignty resides within the people who then should be involved in determining who, how and by whom their resources are allocated.”
Reporter: Mr Butalejja & Bugiri
We have over 100 people in our location who do need help,They leave without full meals just because they depend on the little salaries given to the head families in police barracks.Therefore we would like to open a youth development project whereby we teach them how to save and we give them a revolving fund against what they have saved after a period of time,then we also give them skills on how they can keep chicken,goats and pigs own their own to fight poverty. Reporter: Ngobi Ronald
help HIV/AIDS and vulnerable OVCs in these local areas affected by poverty in their households and as result cannot go to school,have basic necessities of life,live in total neglect lives
Reporter: Mr AINEBYONA RONALD
“At RYPEI, we believe that Agriculture and the youth are the backbone of many economies in Africa and Uganda is no exception. The sector is dominated by small scale farmers, majority of who are the rural poor. The farmers are faced with low productivity and production, unfavourable policy environment and low incomes. Their situation is made worse by the uncoordinated actions and conflict of interest by key organisations and government institutions leading to poor service delivery.
Rural Youth Poverty Eradication Initiatives (RYPEI) is one of the few civil society organisations in Uganda whose work increases youth ability to improve their livelihoods through promoting sustainable development by linking environmental conservation with living standards and a better quality of life.
We promote activities that alleviate poverty by supporting smallholder youth groups to undertake initiatives geared towards livelihood improvement and natural resources regeneration and conservation. Since 2006, RYPEI has enabled the youth to improve their livelihoods by equipping them with skills in sustainable farming practices, access to renewable energies, youth entrepreneurship training and access to ICTs for development. Through our growing numbers of youth groups, we reach over 5,000 youth in Wakiso and Mbarara districts in Uganda; 65% being the girls.
Despite the above achievements, we are experiencing a number of challenges. With your support and collaboration, we anticipate reaching more youth for enhanced food/income security and improved livelihoods. Please join us as we promote youth empowerment for sustainable livelihoods.”
Reporter: Mr Joseph Mutaaya
The districts bordering and sharing Lake Albert shoreline include; Nebbi, Buliisa, Hoima, Kibale and Ntoroko in the western Uganda, have large populations living in remote and hard to reach fishing villages. These districts have widespread HIV/AIDS prevalence among poor, vulnerable and marginalised lake dependent communities. Data from selected sentinel sites around fishing villages on Lake Albert indicate HIV prevalence rates in ranges of 21.9% – 34.9%, (NSP midterm review report, 2014) which is significantly higher than the national average prevalence of 7.3% (AIS, 2011). A number of issues are responsible for this increasing prevalence of HIV/AIDS, which include but are not limited to; 1) poor and in some cases non-existent, health and HIV/AIDS services, 2) high levels of mobility and interaction among lakeshore communities, 3) predominance of sexually active age groups i.e. the majority are young people, 4) fluidity of ‘marital’ relationships i.e. men and women engaged to many partners, 5) inadequate infrastructure i.e. isolated and inaccessible e.g. poor roads, 6) limited livelihood diversification (fishing is the main income), and 7) lack of support programs on HIV/AIDS prevention targeting the fishing communities, and 8) a lack of and non-availability of cheap and affordable financial service i.e micro-credit scheme, and 9) limited engagement, lack of information and organisation of communities into collectives of social transformation and change . While fishing communities have been identified by the National HIV and AIDS Strategic Plan 2010/11-2014/15 as among the vulnerable and most at risk populations in Uganda, policies have not been put into practice and resources for HIV/AIDS interventions among these largely isolated communities have not materialised despite widespread recognition of high HIV infections and AIDS prevalence rates. This undertaking responds to priorities informed by LAKODO’s increased interactions and engagement with lake dependent communities operating in these hard to reach villages over the last three months since November, 2014. This undertaking should address this challenge by increasing knowledge, information and raising awareness on issues of HIV/AIDS, prevention, and rights; access to micro-credit, building capacity of community institutions to advocate for their needs and entitlements; raise awareness with service providers and local authorities regarding needs of communities; build organisational capacity of community institutions and LAKODO to engage in advocacy at multiple levels. These actions together will create a multi-level advocacy effort which will result in a community-owned response to HIV/AIDS including improved HIV/AIDS services.
Reporter: Mr Mawazo Yusuf
“GENDER; The roles and responsibilities of women and men and the relationship between them.
The way behaviors and identities are determined through the process of socialization.
Roles and expectations are:
Usually unequal in terms of power and control over decision-making, assets and freedom of action.
Change over time
Gender mainstreaming Is the process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies and programs in all areas and at all levels.
Gender mainstreaming:
As a strategy for making women’s as well as men’s concerns and experiences an integral dimension of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programs in all political, economic and societal spheres, so that women and men benefit equally and inequality is not perpetuated.
The ultimate goal is to achieve gender equality by transforming the mainstream
Reporter: Ms. Kabatabazi Patricia
education:lack of scholastic materials,fees,mobilization to go to school due to poverty caused by unemployment and previous armed conflict
Reporter: Mr AINEBYONA RONALD
General Need
We need to promote the capacity of individual citizens and community people to utilise social services,engage in eonomically productive income generating activities and contribute to social development in line with the MDGs.
Purposes needed agently.
Mainly this is the increase of the percentage of girls and boys who enroll in primary 1 at the age of 6 from 53% to 63% nationally and from 46% to 56% in districts of additional emphasis.
The application of child friendly and gender responsive procedures for all girls nd boys in contact with the law (Child victims,witnesses and offeders) by justice systems in all focus districts in order to ensure service and protection in line with national and international norms and stardards.
Increased youth acess to vocational training opportunities including IT Maintenanc,solar power installation and maintaince,online training opportunities.
Learn how to read and write increase in percentage of children on a 21st Century education system.”
Reporter: Mr Ngobi Ronald
There is a presure need to sensitize community to conserve the environment.
Reporter: Mr Benard Banturaki
Uganda green charcoal is concerned with the global environment that has drawn attention on different platforms, highlighting the devastating effects as unfriendly actions continue to exert pressure on the green nature.
In Uganda, only 10% of the populations have access to electricity while the rest use firewood for cooking and other power requiring activities (NEMA 2013). As a result, deforestation is occurring at an alarming rate of 1% approximately 90,000 acres of forest cover annually at the center of deforestation is the lucrative trade, commonly known as “”black gold””. This problem is compounded by the high population growth rate of more than seven live birth per adult female. As a result, the country has been plighted with deforestation at a magnitude beyond comprehension.
To this, realizing the environmental challenges affecting our country, we the founder members resolve to form a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) known as UGANDA GREEN CHARCOAL”
Reporter: Mr OKECH MCADAM
Uganda green charcoal is concerned with the global environment that has drawn attention on different platforms, highlighting the devastating effects as unfriendly actions continue to exert pressure on the green nature. In Uganda, only 10% of the populations have access to electricity while the rest use firewood for cooking and other power requiring activities (NEMA 2013). As a result, deforestation is occurring at an alarming rate of 1% approximately 90,000 acres of forest cover annually at the center of deforestation is the lucrative trade, commonly known as “black gold”. This problem is compounded by the high population growth rate of more than seven live birth per adult female. As a result, the country has been plighted with deforestation at a magnitude beyond comprehension. To this, realizing the environmental challenges affecting our country, we the founder members resolve to form a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) known as UGANDA GREEN CHARCOAL Reporter: OKECH MCADAM
Development Aids Support is needed to provide biogas units to at least 200 rural households and/or farmers in Bukomansimbi District for them to access cheaper and sustainable energy source, to reduce spending on firewood and charcoal, cover electricity gap, protect environment and health benefits.
Reporter: Mr Herman Kizito
“Founded in 2012 as a non-governmental organization, Mukono Lifecare Development Coalition (MLDC) involved in networking, collaborating and implementing capacity building programs with various organizations, local and national authorities, local and central governments in Uganda at the grassroots.
MLDC is an umbrella of over 70 CBOs, NGOs and farmers’ co-operatives now in Mukono District, going national next year. For the past two weeks, MLDC team has been reaching communities through CBOs and NGOs to monitor and evaluate their activities, considering the transparency and accountability process, where the central and local governments have been supporting to ensure proper service delivery at the grassroots levels. The findings will be compiled starting 22/12/2014, and reports are to be submitted to all concerned bodies including the governments.
This is a voluntary services initiated by the Director MLDC, to find out how these community based organizations and co-operatives in villages have been performing, since they were registered, what support they have received or not, and why not?, where the support is needed. This has been done through cross-exchange of ideas, knowledge and resources, questionnaires and interviews to their leaders, local leaders and community members. Exercise is ended 21/12/2014. Findings are that, these groups/community development organizations are their but some not functional, some operational but financially incapacitated, not because the government does support their ideas but due to corrupt leadership at national and local levels the services don’t reach them. Some yes, since their founding, they haven’t received any support be it material or financial, however though resources are limited. Full report will be generated by MLDC team later
Reporter: Mr Godfrey Segirinya