Longer Story

The rainy season has hit the Kasese area bringing torrential rains in the mountainous areas leading to the overflow of huge rivers that burst their banks and took people, vehicles, crops and houses with them in their mad rush.

Over 7 000 people were displaced and it is unclear how many have died, but the devastation is very extensive. Bridges were swept away and the main roads had to be closed as larger vehicles made parts of the roads crumble as they were weakened by the raging water.

ADRA Uganda solicited funds from the ADRA network – ADRA International, ADRA Africa Regional office and ADRA Sweden responded and sent in money to purchase the most needful items. The Office of the Prime Minister paid for the renting of the lorry.

As the roads were impassable for such a huge lorry, the trip had to be altered to travelling through Mbarara and the back roads up to Kasese.

Many of the flooding victims have been housed in schools that are seen as “camps” and of course all who were able stayed with relatives or friends.

There were many smiles and thank you´ s as the bundles were handed out to the most vulnerable of the victims. One young man said “my family was devastated by the loss of their home and almost everything they had, they were struggling to survive and it seemed there was no help coming, but they were among the first to get assistance when ADRA arrived – thank you ADRA Uganda”.

ADRA Uganda had a weekend in the central SDA church in Kasese just about a week before the floods. They were impressing the members about the importance of the churches social responsibility and how they can work together with ADRA Uganda especially in emergency situations. The church members were the first to reach the flood victims and they continued to inform and document and were working together with ADRA Uganda in the distribution of the items.  ADRA changes the world – One life at a time!

ADRA Uganda has been working with support from FAO and ADRA International in training the refugees in the Rwamwanja settlement  for a 6 months project. The project that just has finished has been training farmer groups in farming skills, value addition,  post harvesting plus storage and marketing but also IGA and VSLA skills,  environmental awareness  peace  & reconciliation and  gender equality.  The farmers groups were given seed kits with different seeds for maize and beans but also kitchen vegetables and encouraged to keep seeds for the new season after the harvest.

The season was very good and the farmers got a real bumper harvest – many were able to feed their own families and some even had food to sell.

A new phase of the program has been granted by FAO and is soon to start, but many of the members of the farmers groups have saved seeds and have already planted maize and beans.  The rainy season has started and already many of the fields are already green with maize plants, giving the children in the settlement have a hope for a better future.

I am 25 years old, I have a husband and 5 children”. she and her husband Semucho Bonani  are the  parents  of a little girl who had sneaked out of the camp to pick some greens to supplement her family’s diet when ADRA Uganda first visited the Congolese refugees in Nyakabande Transit centre in Kisoro.

Yustine tells her story; “Our home, in Rugali, Rucuru  District in Eastern DRC is near a big forest. Armed men used to come rioting, rape women, beat up our husbands and kill those who resisted. My own husband kept in hiding until God gave us a chance to escape un-assaulted, but I lost one of my children on the way to Bunagana” tears welling up in her eyes.  She and her family arrived at Nyakabande Camp on the 23rd of February 2012 and were happy to be in a safe place away from the strife and terror back home.

Yustine on behalf of her family, received clothes for her and the children, soap, a Mosquito net, 2 blankets, sanitary ware From ADRA Uganda in addition to food and other Supplies from UNHCR.

Asked how she felt Yustine said, she felt safe and happy despite the conditions. Her only wish was to be resettled in a permanent place where they can engage in some livelihood enhancement activities. “God answers Prayers, because we were on the first transfer to Rwamwanja on 18^th April 2012. We were given land to start farming” she smiles as she takes the ADRA team to her temporary shelter on the plot of land the family had been allocated. ADRA Uganda had carried some more clothes from SDA Churches around Kampala and from the staff members and their families. Water containers and water Purifying tablets were also distributed.  The family had a small Potato garden and requested for seeds and farm tools to help them grow more food.

ADRA Uganda responded with support from FAO and the ADRA network through ADRA International and the refugees received seeds and agro – inputs. The harvest has been excellent and the family is doing well and will have some of their harvest to buy what the family lacks.

Bonani Yustine’s Husband who was a church pastor back home said the clothes will help them have a change so they can be smart when they go to church. He had mobilized  his friends to request for a piece of land where they can put a shelter for Sabbath worship. He appreciated ADRA’s intervention and vowed to reconcile his friends who were fighting over the plots of land in the camp.

Yustine and Bonan are part of the over 50,000 Congolese refugees now living in Uganda, who still need support especially with the education of their children, sanitation and improved livelihoods. The intervention of ADRA Uganda has supported around 7000 households with improved nutrition, NFIs and environment management skills. This is made possible by the generous contributions and support of ADRA’s partners around the globe.

God bless you

Yustine with her children in the resettlement Camp of Rwamwanja

Yustine with her husband in their new settlement in Rwamwanja
(Robinah, ADRA Uganda)

Right now she is taking care of 3 of her grandchildren who depend on her for survival. Yowanina is a strong woman, not afraid of a hard day’s work in the fields, she knew she could manage to give her grandchildren food and a roof over their heads – that was until the day the “landgrabber” came!

A big man came to the area one day. People had lived in this area for over 50 years and the laws of Uganda state that if you have lived 15 years on the land – you have the right to the land. But the man didn’t care – he had bought the land and he started going from one house to another – sometimes with armed men, to get the people to sign over the land that he said was his now! The amounts that he wanted them to accept were very low.

ADRA Uganda had been working with many of the people in the area. They had started an Adult Literacy class and then  made it into a CBO that had started Income Generating Activities, been trained in proposal writing, Advocacy, Human Rights, Theatre for Development, Community Dialogue, Savings and Loans knowledge and been given loan grants to support their small businesses. Things were looking bright for the people in the area and their group was called Bulwanyi (fighting for something).

Now they had something to fight for! The big man came to some of the homesteads and started pulling down their banana trees, chopping down their coffee plantations and even came with a bulldozer to crush the peoples houses.

Grandmother Yowaninas land had been sold – someone was building a house on the area where once her fine shamba had stood – how was she to cater for the children that she was responsible for? In her old age she should have had an easier life – now she had to fight even though she felt so weak!

Through their Advocacy training the group had learned who the duty bearers were. They started to take this matter up with their local leaders, with the support of the ADRA staff they went to higher and higher levels of the Government, pleading for justice to be met . In the end, the State Minister for lands – Aidah Nantaba came to the area to see for herself!

She took the “landgrabber” to hear the stories of the people who had lost their land – and after the “tour” – the man was jailed! But he had still caused so much trouble by in turn selling the land to others. Many of the new owners now had started building on the land, but they also had been cheated, as they had received false land titles! But what were the people to do – what was Grandma Yowanina to do?

The leaders of the CBO – Cathrine and Christine continued to encourage the group – they started working out an Advocacy plan, they had come so far, they were not going to give up! They had meetings often, going through what they had done and what had failed. They learned from their failures and made new Advocacy plans, writing them up and following their plans step by step.

When we talk to Catherine – she says “do you remember Madam Siri when you trained us in Human Rights & Advocacy, you showed us paper money – we were told about where the value of  money comes from and you showed us that we as human beings also have value and even if we are wrinkled, dirtied or stepped on – just like the value still was in the money.That lesson helped us realize our worth, we didn’t give up”!

“One day the unbelievable happened – in February of this year – the President himself came to visit our homes – he told us all to take back our land, he has put a committee in charge of these land grabbing issues and he promised even food compensation to all the people who lost their crops”.

Grandmother Yowanina was told to go and plant on her land again – by the President himself! What a victory for the people, justice has prevailed!

VENUE: Kira Town Council grounds

Date: 8^th March 2013

Guest of Honor:  Prof Maggie Kigozi- Former Director Uganda Investment Authority

Women’s Day

Several of the members from Twekembe CBO (Community Based Organization), Kyosimba Onaanya Bulwanyi and Nyonjo CBOs together with ADRA staff in Wakiso celebrated the Womens Day by participating in a 1 kilometer march from Kyaliwajjala to Kira Town Council and then took part in the exhibition that exposed them to different people that could see and buy the different products and produces  that the CBOs have made as Income Generating Activities.

The Guest of Honor – Professor Maggie Kigozi, former Director of Uganda Investment Authority held a speech where she highlighted women that hold high positions in government but also women’s efforts at grass root level and how they contribute towards National Development.

She emphasisted that they should work towards:

• self-employment, starting with the little they have
• Seeking government support through government programs like CDD, NAADS and lobbying for assistance from NGOs and/or individuals who are willing to give support.

Uganda has many opportunities to utilize

• The good climate that allows crop production-Grow crops for local and international markets in Juba and  Congo
• Women in towns where land is scarce should engage in buying food crops, add value to make larger profit
• Security and development go hand in hand: Utilize the prevailing peace to engage in productive ventures
• Tourist attractions should be promoted In Wakiso district and Uganda at large. The cultural sites, Uganda’s history and in Wakiso ,Kira town council has the catholic and protestant martyrs’ shrines in Namugongo.

Most important, as women work hard towards development there is need for engagement of all people, men inclusive and together should participate in development ventures and at the same time;

• Protect the environment by protecting existing trees and planting more trees
• Protect the water bodies by not cultivating near these resources and only catching mature fish
• Educate the girl child

Of course there are Challenges  for women trying to make a living, but it should not hinder women from trying self-employment:

• Fear to initiate projects: There should not be fear, start small, and look for information, knowledge and skills to move on. Approach local government offices to access the available opportunities
• Low education levels among many Women: The Guest of honor encouraged women to make use of government adult literacy programs, joining vocational schools, hair dressing, seek for information to gain confidence, enroll  for short courses, working in own businesses together with family instead of employing other people will costs of production. Women who have been inspired should go back to school to attain formal education
• Difficulty to raise startup capital: Women were advised to work in groups and not as individuals
• Lack of land: Start small to mobilize funds and buy own land, establish a garden where possible, construct a house and establish a business.

The Guest of honor informed the celebrants that much is expected out of women and together all women should move forward to attain development.

The event was concluded by awarding CDD cheques to different women groups in Wakiso district and a word of prayer.

Report prepared by:

1. Luyemba Patrick the overall  Coordinator of this event
2. Nakintu Alice-as the events Welfare assistant
3. Maturu stella- SCALE Wakiso Navigator
4. Nalunga Esther as events’ camera woman 

Glimpses from PREEP in Luweero

During 2nd and 3rd of October a meeting took place in Luweero. The purpose was to share information, discuss the progress of the Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and Saving And Credit Cooperative Organizations (SACCOs). Also, it was discussed how to proceed forward with the projects.

The CBOs were formed to reduce the poverty in specific areas of Uganda. Because of the civil war, many adults had not gotten the opportunity to get an education. With the help of ADRA Uganda, people in the districts of Wakiso, Luweero, Kamwenge and Nakaseke have been taught to read, write and count. With this basic knowledge they can start taking control over their lives and economies. They now also have an increased chance to get employed or to become employers.

Poverty reduction with the help of ADRA Uganda:

People have the possibility of going for further education within the CBOs or in the normal school systems. They are also trained in how to start their own business. This will generate a higher income and make it possible for families to become food secure and be able to pay school fees for their children. When people in the villages get a steady income they will be able to start saving money. This is when the SACCOs come in. Through these, people can get loans to start projects or businesses. When they have begun to earn money they will pay back the loans to the SACCOs, which can then give a loan to someone else. In this way, people are involved in their own development and in time poverty can successfully be reduced. Nanna Holmgren      

RWAMWANJA EMERGENCY FOOD SECURITY AND LIVELIHOOD PROJECT

Implemented by ADRA Uganda

Uganda is one of the countries that boarder with DR Congo, that has been affected with a high influx of the Congolese refugees. This is a result of civil war between the Congolese government forces and armed militia. Most of the refugees have been temporarily supported in Kisoro District that boarders with DRC, but this worked as a transit camp.

Rwamwanja settlement was re- opened in April 2012 to handle high numbers that have been swelling week by week. This settlement is located 350 kms away from Kampala (the capital city), in Kamwenge District, South Western Uganda. The camp sits on 41.9 sq miles of land with each refugee household allocated 1.25 acres for housing and agriculture. By end of July 2012 this resettlement had received 18,400 refugees who form around 7500 households. However there is evidence that the number is still increasing as found that on 1^st August during ADRA’s mission in place another 13 bus convoy arrived.

Picture above: New arrivals transported to their plots

According to the needs assessment carried out in Rwamwanja camp by the different stakeholders ADRA Uganda inclusive, it’s indicated that the refugees faced a number of challenges in the areas of health, livelihoods/food security, water and sanitation and education of children and youth.  In the areas of livelihoods and food security it was found out that the refugees required support for both farm inputs (seeds) and farm implements (hoes, pangas, slushers etc.

All refugees in this settlement site are new arrivals and receive 100 percent WFP ration on a monthly basis. The major food source is food aid given that these refugees arrived in the middle of the first planting season of 2012 and thus could not engage in cultivation. The Government of Uganda through the Office of the prime minister has allocated 1.25 acre pieces of land  to each refugees household and they are currently engaged in land clearing to establish their homesteads and cultivation but they lack seeds and other planting materials. Each household was provided with 1 hoe, yet this was not adequate for opening land fast enough as it can only be used by one member of the household at a time. World Food Program (WFP) is providing food items (including maize floor, beans and cooking oil) to the refugees and FIDA provided the refugees with 2,000 bags of cassava stems for planting.

Picture above: Refugees receiving non food items

Above picture: A beneficiary has a ready cultivated garden awaiting seeds to plant.

Basing on the identified needs according to the assessment of May 2012, ADRA Uganda in partnership with UN FAO and ADRA International network have started implementation of an emergency Food security and livelihood project. This project started with effect from 1^st August 2012. Appreciation is extended to FAO and ADRA International network for they committed budgets of US$ 46,000 and 115,922 respectively. This intervention mainly targets a total of 7,500 households and 100 households from the host community. The main goal of the intervention is to improve livelihoods for the civil war displaced Congolese refugees.  Currently ADRA Uganda has started implementation of the six month Project where the beneficiary members will have access to high value and quick maturing vegetable and cereal seeds and basic farm inputs like hoes, watering cans, and plant health protection materials.

There has been a lot of developments since the resettlement of refugees started in April.

Table 1. Below is the current status of refugee settlement:

Table 2. ADRAs plans and status as of 6^th August 2012.

The activities of the ADRA’s newly started food security intervention includes: community mobilization and sensitization, distribution of farm implements and seeds, training and capacity building in basic farming skills; in addition there will be training in other cross cutting issues eg HIV and AIDS, Environmental awareness, Gender related issues especially gender based violence, and Child protection. The project also intends to cause sustainable empowerment by supporting group formation, collaboration with stakeholders, and creating of linkages for local resource persons and groups,

Nine new employees have been added to the staff in Kotido.

We got a new name – Refugees

Uganda being one of the countries that boarder with DR Congo, has been affected with a high influx of the Congolese refugees resulting from the current civil war between the Congolese government forces and armed militia since November 2011 after the presidential election.

ADRA Uganda through the ADRA Network and contributions of used clothes from the SDA churches around Kampala did a first intervention in April 2012 to the Nyakabanda refugee reception center. The intervention targeted the most vulnerable including people with disabilities, un-accompanied minors, the elderly, expectant mothers and mothers with newly born infants.

After the Rwamwanja settlement was re- opened, ADRA Uganda went in with more clothing, Jerry cans, water purifying tablets and wheel chairs targeting those that had been relocated before the Nyakabande intervention. The team also carried out an assessment of the general situation at the settlement in collaboration with Government and other stakeholders

To date (26^th July), UNHCR reports that over 33,000 refugees are already in Uganda with 8,000 of them still at the transit centre in Nyakabande; Kisoro. National resources which are usually inadequate are more than strained. Rwamanja Refugee settlement has big issues with water and has limited facilities and services to support an ever increasing number of refugees. The camp is situated on 41.9 sq miles of land with each refugee household allocated 1.25 acres for housing and agriculture. Different NGOs are working together to address the most urgent needs and ADRA together with FAO will be working on the Food Security part of the program in the Refugee settlement.

According to the assessment carried out by ADRA Uganda, The office of the Prime minister, the Uganda Red Cross and the UNHCR in the month of May 2012, it was discovered that the refugee camp is faced with several challenges in the areas of food security, environment threats (as the refugees are cutting down the trees in the area for firewood and charcoal burning), health, water & sanitation, plus education and recreation for the children,.

The follow up emergency response will be implemented by ADRA Uganda in the Rwamwanja refugee settlement camp found in the  Kamwenge district where the Congolese refugees are being resettled from Nyakabande reception camp by the UNHCR together with Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) of the Ugandan Government.

This intervention mainly targets a total of 7,500 households (counting an average of 4 members per family).  The main goal of the intervention is to improve livelihoods for the civil war displaced Congolese refugees.

ADRA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with FAO to implement a 3 months project in which the refugee community will have access to high value and quick maturing vegetable and cereal seeds provided by FAO. For a successful intervention, ADRA Uganda has assessed and identified some gaps that are not included in the FAO response, including the need for farm tools, protection of crops and an office/storage for purposes of being able to support and monitor the work effectively and efficiently. ADRA Uganda has interviewed and employed personnel for the intervention and the staff are already on the ground in Rwamwanya.

ADRA Uganda is planning the intervention to continue for 6 months so as to be able to do a thorough job and not just go in with a quick and non-sustainable input. After the 6 months there will be a new assessment done by ADRA Uganda to see what the basic needs are and how to work with the refugee group in a more development oriented way.

 The project will benefit a total of 7,500 households providing the beneficiaries with seeds, equipment and knowledge in planting and growing their own food, there will also be given technical support for sensitization and monitoring. The project will also provide seed and equipment storage as well as office facilities for the implementing staff.

 The activities of this intervention shall include: community mobilization and sensitization, distribution of farm implements and seeds, training and capacity building in basic farming skills. In addition to this there will be training in other cross cutting issues among the community members, HIV and AIDS,  Environmental awareness, Gender related issues especially gender based violence, and Child protection plus conflict resolution. ADRA will be working with other NGOs in the area who are specialized in some of the above areas. There will be group formations, collaboration with stakeholders, and assistance in creating linkages of resource persons and groups.

During the implementation of this follow up emergency project ADRA Uganda will use her experience and lessons learnt in implementing livelihood emergency interventions from 1987 up to date.  In addition to that, ADRA Uganda is currently implementing a Poverty Reduction and Economic Empowerment Program in Kamwenge district targeting the Tanzanians Expellees who were resettled in the district, ADRA was part of the initial interventions, which has been seen as a very successful one by the Government of Uganda and the Community in the area. This puts the organization at an advantage while implementing this emergency response intervention because the organization is already oriented to the area setting and is very well known by the local leaders in the community.

Please see the following link to view a short film clip from the refugee camp in Nyakabanda, where the refugees are first registered before coming to Rwamwanya, and where ADRA Ugandas first interventions were done.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkYg7Ck0yu8&feature=relmfu