RURAL PEOPLE IN ACTION FOR DEVELOPMENT – RUPAD
P.O BOX 50 KAGADI
Email:ruralpeople@yahoo.com
ANNUAL REPORT 2012
Message from Executive Director
I am privileged to share with you our performance for
the year 2012. RUPAD’S intervention this year continued to be directed by our
mission and vision. We have continued to contribute to community welfare
through coordinating with various partners and donors. We have renewed our
membership to the kibaale District civil society organisations network –KCSON,
Uganda land alliance, Uganda Cooperative alliance and seek to join other networks in 2013.
Our success this year was a result of a kind partnership with
development agencies who supported our activities all year through. I would like
on this note to acknowledge financial support from Tools for Self
Reliance-TFSR, The Civil Society Fund, the independent development fund (IDF) and
individual partners. It is this support we have utilised to create impact and
effect change in our rural communities.
I would like on this note to commend the positive contribution from the
Kraus nick-Neo shadow community in Germany. EIRENE in September 2010 allocated
to us one of the most hardworking volunteer Johannes Heideman. RUPAD will
always acknowledge the great support received from Johannes. A very committed
and open gentle man who was always willing to work with us and with his moral
support we were able to get support from Germany towards the installation of
solar power to the office, Tailoring room and Girls dormitory.
I would like on the same note to acknowledge support received from Katherine
Heide and the neo-shadow and Kraus nick
community for their contribution towards construction of the boys Hostel
and subsequent power installation.
I would like to commend the work done by the Board, staff and Volunteers
towards the realisation of the 2012 objectives. It has not been easy without
combined efforts. RUPAD has continued to serve being guided by its Guiding
Principle of rural transformation using the people and priorities set together.
We have continued to intervene under the Gender, Human Rights and Appropriate
Technology, Vocational skills training, Nutrition and Agrarian Production,
Enterprise development, HIV/AIDS Sanitation and Rural Health Training and
Lobbying and Advocacy.
KYAMANYWA ROBERT
1.0
Introduction
The information in this report is a summary of RUPAD’S
intervention for the year 2012 as guided by the interventions in the seven
thematic areas outlined in the chairpersons’ message. We have
continued to contribute towards the realisation of our vision and mission.
RUPAD
VISION
The people of Kibaale understand that they are key to
their own development and are part and partial of their own community
transformation.
RUPAD
MISSION
To facilitate an integrated and self generating and
sustainable development of rural communities and their economies.
ORGNISATION’S
OBJECTIVE.
1-To equip rural communities in Uganda with knowledge , information,
skills and technologies that enable them to develop as they sustain nature and
protect Biodiversity.
2-To provide an opportunity to the rural women, girls, youth out of
school, orphans and other vulnerable children to develop their potential and
exploit their resources to the full through equipping them with vocational
skills.
3-To mobilise resources for supporting sustainable economic security of
rural communities.
4-To uplift the social economic status of the disadvantaged groups
through training and provision of income generating activities at family level.
5-Advocacy,training and financial support to rural people targeting
holistic rural intervention and human rights issues.
6-To sensitise and train rural communities in sustaining environmental
components especially soils, wetlands, forests and water bodies.
7-To train rural communities in organic and sustainable agriculture to
facilitate them access better crop markets and food security especially among Orphans and Vulnerable Children, People
Living With AIDS’s, People With Disabilities and other vulnerable groups
8- To instil a culture of hardworking, creativity and innovativeness
among rural communities especially the youth and women through institutional
development
9- To sensitise rural people in advocacy and lobbying skills so as to
address issues like Human rights, Gender disparities, social conflicts and protecting the beauty of our mother earth for
the future generations.
Thematic Areas
RUPAD is Rural People in Action for Development. It is a registered
organisation both at local and national level and has worked with various
national and international agencies. We are affiliated to various networks at
District, National and International levels especially those who cherish our
ideologies of rural transformation and sustainable development .RUPAD has seven
thematic areas which guides our services delivery.
These include :-
1-Gender, Human rights and Appropriate Technology.
2-Vocational skills training.
3- Environmental Protection
4- Nutrition and Agrarian production
5-Enterprise Development
6- HIV/AIDS and Rural Health Training.
7- Lobbying and Advocacy.
Gender, Human Rights and Appropriate Technology.uuu776u7 777hgthggbyhyh46a
During 2012, RUPAD strengthened its support towards Gender training,
Child rights Education and appropriate technology. With support from the Independent
development fund various child rights
education training meetings, meetings targeting access to justice and land
rights were arranged in Kibaale District. The focus area was Mugarama Sub
county. This activity was implemented in conjunction with other partners like
police through the Kibaale District civil society network. The coming year we
hope to reach many communities.
Community fora meeting held at imara trading
centre in Mugarama Subcounty 2012.
Various child rights training were also organised at some selected
primary schools. During these meetings various human rights issues were
highlighted and child given the opportunity to share their experiences.
Below our volunteer Johannes Heide-man discusses
the realities of the children rights in Europe.
Vocational Skills training. RUPAD has remained focused towards socio-economic
transformation of rural areas by equipping the youth and other group’s
especially vulnerable groups with vocational skills. At the beginning of the
year 2012, fifty apprentices were enrolled for various trades of carpentry and
joinery, Tailoring and knitting and business management. In the same year RUPAD vocational centre
received many visitors both from within and outside to study and share with us
about the training programmes and selection. We have always insisted on the
principle of the most vulnerable to benefit first as a guide to our selection
criteria.
Asiimwe Okello one of the Vulnerable child doing his final practical
skills exam
Pendo Jackline one the Tailoring apprentice during one of the practices.
Above one the RUPAD Graduates KAJUNGU carrying home his sofa set.
However during the year 2012 both the carpentry section and Tailoring
section greatly improved. We have
however continued to hire the knitting machines and our apprentices are being
trained in groups of six or seven which takes the training sessions late into
the evenings. We shall try to struggle and acquire at least one knitting machine
for training purposes.
Environmental protection component
This year 2012 our emphasis was still on rejuvenating Biodiversity as we
did in the year 2011. Kibaale District is experiencing the worst wave of
natural forest destruction ever recorded in its history. Daily the national
forest authority is engaged in running battles with encroachers. Kangombe one
of the biggest forest reserve in the area is almost extinct. Other forest
reserves like Gurama are extinct and National Forest Authority seem to have given up. The year 2012 received
the worst wave of immigrants from Rwanda and Kigezi and this was equivalent to
the level of destruction. Destruction of the remaining forest cover is still ongoing.
Urgent steps should holistically be put into pace to avert the situation. As
RUPAD, we have continued to organise community sensitisation meetings but this
was not easy. Often a lot of arguments would arise during these meetings and
conflict of interest between parties i.e. local politicians ,civil society
organisations and National forest Authority staff continued to be a major
weakness in this struggle. RUPAD continued to encourage Natural tree species like
Maratha intea (here known as misambya), Cardia Africana Gukyali Mukebu, Exotic
Mivule, Musizi, Gravellia and pines although unlike 2012 tree seedlings were not
distributed due to lack of funding to acquire seeds from Namanve. The coming
year we also hope to introduce the community environmental Educational project
were communities will be trained on how to raise tree seedlings and supported
with seeds from Namanve.
Nutrition and Agrarian production.
This year 2012 we continued to
expand on nutrition and agrarian production, we have reached the ground and
created change through increasing production and surplus. It is vital to note
that the today’s economic powers like USA, Britain and a few others expanded
their economies out of increase in total production. Actually slave trade was
thriving due to the much needed profits from sugar. The challenge with rural economies
is little total production were communities have little surplus to take to the
market. As a result of this there is little market participation. Even the few
who produce at a large scale cannot reach the international standards due to
poor varieties, Poor Harvesting technologies and preservation. This year we
continued to supply improved pineapple suckers to the communities. Our project
to Naads is still a major hope towards commercialisation of pineapples and
value addition. We shall continue to pursue this until we achieve large scale
production and marketing. Cabbages and onion seeds were also distributed to the
communities. Rice seeds of nerica iv were distributed with the same support
from the civil society fund.
Below-Training farmers on rice growing at RUPAD
and rice Bags in office
Above banana
suckers being distributed to communities
Enterprise
Development Component.The Guiding philosophy behind this
component is to enable rural communities acquire skills of selecting
appropriate enterprises and sustain them at Household level. This we believe
could be done by encouraging rural communities to save and access credit and also
to put small income generating activities at a house hold level. Under this
component we have strengthened the RUPAD farmers savings and credit cooperative
society to enable our farmers save and invest. However our sacco still need
support both technical, capacity building and financial for meeting staff
expenses. The SACCO has enlarged with now 157 members. We were not able to
acquire a loan from micro finance support centre but we still have the hope.
HIV/AIDS , Sanitation and Rural Health Training.
Under this
component a lot of achievements were registered. New innovations emerged and a
lot more challenges arose. We continued to provide health services through
community health training programmes. We have continued to lobby for support
towards the construction of a health centre but this is not yet realised.
Under
sanitation our target for this year was to increase the number of pit latrines
to 50 and put the same number of water harvesting tanks at selected families. We
registered tremendous achievements but a lot more is lacking. It is surprising
to many especially those of urban background that people in rural areas have no
toilets. Well as many do not know the dangers, some simply lack advice and
empowerment to make them start. With support from the civil society fund twenty
five families were reached but only those with orphans and widows. This we
realised in 2010 under the CSF OVC mapping. With kind support from CSF, 25 pit
latrines were sunk in Nyamarunda, Muragama and Bwamiramira sub counties. Below
are some of the toilets sunk under the CSF support. With support from the Neo
shadow community widows and orphans in Mugarama and Nyamarunda sub counties
were supported with mosquito nets.
Widows from
selected households were also supported with san plats for pit latrines. The
challenge however is that most vulnerable homes do not have recommendable pit
latrines. Most of them range from 10 to 15 feet.
The water
project persistently remain a challenge both to our beneficiaries and us as
RUPAD. Our children have no water at all. They have to endure the long lines on
only one shallow well and I must say we have lost many of girls to defilers due
to the water problem. We have tried all efforts to secure at least one water
source but our efforts are still futile.
This year due to lack of water we sunk out an old style one with
Carpentry students but this is dangerous because the water is not clean. We use
it strictly after boiling as the good source of water is quite a distance and
frequent movements for far away water sources puts girls in constant danger of
rape and defilement as mentioned above.
Above some of
our apprentices sinking a water source and below testing the flow of water
Lobbying and Advocacy
RUPAD as a
civil society has continued to lobby and Advocate for the rights of the marginalised
groups. This year in Partnership with Kibaale District Civil Society Organisations
Network RUPAD continued implementing a child and women rights project Funded by
the Independent Development Fund IDF. We
shall throughout the year 2012 continue to lobby for conducive policies and
equal rights and opportunities for marginalised groups.
Challenges
As usual
every intervention goes with a few challenges. Most particularly is lack of
appropriate funding. Most donors tend to believe in organisations that are
either too big with billions of budgets or have an international background.
Well as this is good most native or local organisations who may know the target
groups and the local environment better cannot favourably compete for funding and
this factor continue to impact negatively on funding opportunities for community
organisation with no marching grants or big budgets.
Secondly is
the raising cost. All most every budget was affected by unstable price
increases and this divergence affected our schedules of implementation as every
budget decision has to be approved by the donor.
Another
challenge was lack of wood work equipments for use in our workshop for training
of apprentices. The training is seriously affected by lack of these equipments.
Probably our performance would have been different with these equipments in
place. For any design we have to hire a vehicle and take the timber to big
towns like Hoima or Kagadi.
Lastly Water.
Every community needs water. Lack of water both for use at organisation level,
community and apprentices is a very great challenge. The source of water we
have was sunk by our apprentices and the quality of water is shameful. We shall
continue to lobby for any possible support towards this problem.
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