ROTARY CLUB OF KAMPALA NORTH – SERVICE PROJECTS PROFILE as at 15th August 2016
- GG25920 Nkondo Expanded Irrigation Project
Project Partners 1 (Districts) D9211; D5340
Project Partners 2 (Clubs) Kampala North; Escondido East; La Jolla Golden Triangle, Oceanside
Project value $42,400.
Focus areas addressed are
- Water and Sanitation,
- Economic and Community Development.
- Specific objectives of the project are:
- Harvesting rainwater &storage for domestic and irrigation purposes.
- Develop skills in community for rain water harvesting &storage.
- Empower Nkondo community to grow high-value crops during dry season.
- Avail cheaper water for domestic animals that enhance family incomes and better intake of animal products in the community.
- Enhance the community’s appreciation of better sanitation brought about by availability of water.
The Immeri community (and the recently formed WaterUser Committeein particular) who helped in identifyingthe locations ofthe valley water tanks,are taking the lead and support the hired contractorin the excavation ofthe valley tanks in the natural storm waterpaths. The excavated valley tanks will be lined so as toprevent water leakage. Atthe downstreamside ofeach valley tank a horizontal outletpipe placed about10cm from the bottomofthe valley tank and leading toa foot pumpoutside ofthe valley tank will be provided. There will be an overflow provision tolet excess water continue downstreamin the natural channel.
The landowners have written formally granting land. Contract awarded, one dam completed and three more to be done.
GG1526442 Maternal & Child HealthCare Education & Support – Phase 2
This second phase includes; exchange of Vocational Training Teams (VTTs), Drexel University to Makerere University, and then Makerere University to Drexel University); purchase and installation of Video Conferencing equipment; purchase to be done now that after Makerere VTT and Drexel VTT have agreed on the items to be procured , based on the assessment reports. Purchase and installation of additional medical and laboratory equipment at medical centers; final list prepared and will proceed with purchases. The Phase 2 also has training for midwife and medical officers for neonatal care on Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) and Helping Mothers Survive (HMS) focusing on the four beneficiary health units (Komamboga HCIII, St.Stephen’s Hospital Mpererwe, Namalemba HCIII, Namungalwe HCIII and other neighboring health units. There will be set up of the first Distance Education Midwife Course on Emergency Obstetrics, and setting up a series of trans-Atlantic Obs and Gyn/Neonatology video conference grand rounds between Makerere University and Drexel University. Set up first course. The water supply at Namungalwe HCIII is to be upgraded to piped running water system.
- GG1529974 Dental Prevention for Ugandan Dentists (RCKN & RC Raymond Alberta Canada) $116.500
The Rotary Club of Kampala North withdrew from the Project in March 2016
- G1068: SiribaAdopt a Community Project:
A community project in partnership with OPIT-KIC a widow’s group in Siriba, Kiryandongo
Project Partners 1 (Districts) D9211;
Project Partners 2 (Clubs) Kampala North;
Project value: $90,000
During the 20 years of conflict in Northern Uganda between the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the Government of Uganda, under the leadership of Joseph Kony, LRA targeted villages to mainly abduct and force children and youth to join rebels. This led to massive internal displacement: An estimated 1.8 million people the majority being women/widows and children/orphans whose spouses and parents respectively had been killed or were abducted, moved to camps for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Kiryandongo, then a relatively secure district bordering
Northern Uganda, is one of those districts that received a large influx of IDPs.
2.0 Problem Statement and Motivation for Intervention
The settlement of the IDPs in Kiryandongo created a set of complex challenges, not only amongst IDPs themselves but also to the rest of the community regarding resettlement and reintegration.
One of the biggest challenges was and remains inability to access and own land as an economic resource. The circumstances were extremely difficult especially for women/widows who needed toprovide for their families away from the IDP camps that they themselves were a severe challenge forthis group. Over time, those that owned land in the areas gradually realized the value of land andstarted renting it out to those that were homeless for the construction of temporary shelters andcultivation of food. On average, one acre of land is rented at 100,000 UGX ($27) per year, which themajority of the women cannot afford.
Today, one of the direct and compounding consequences of this kind of marginalization is failure to send children to school. Although Uganda has implemented a policy on free education for primary and secondary school levels, women/widows in Kiryandongo still face major challenges: much as the
education is regarded ‘free’, for a children to be able to go to school, every parent must be in position to provide most of the scholastic materials such as uniforms, books, pens and pencils – which this group cannot afford.
As a means to provide a durable solution to this problem, a group of widows decided to come together and formed a saving group, the OPIT-KIC Widows Group which is loosely translated to mean, ‘Let us feed the orphans.’ The core objective of the OPIT-KIC is to bring widows together, support each other, save money, invest and generate income to meet some of the need such as being able to afford to rent land for cultivation, buy scholastic materials for children and provide shelter, food and clothing for their families. OPIT-KIC consists of 130 members (mainly widows) and within the group; there are 4 different saving groups. The groups save and manage finances separately but are joined by a common cause of feeding orphans and improving household incomes and the community.
It is a combination of both the challenges and this community effort to self-help that has motivated the Rotary Club of Kampala North (RCKN) to plan supportive interventions. RCKN proposes to pitch its community empowerment and service interventions through the OPTI-KIC Widow’s Group over a period of at least 4 years.
3.0 Community assessment
According to the 2014 National Housing Population census, Kiryandongo district stands at a total population of 268,188 with a geographical area of 3,624.1km2. It consists of 4 Sub-counties, 30 parishes and 22 villages. The OPTI-KIC Widow’s Group is stationed in Siriba village located on the main Gulu high way in Kiryandongo district, North-Western Uganda. It is 225 kilometers from Concept Note Version 2, Revised February 2016 2 Kampala and takes approximately 3 and half hours’ drive by road. The Southern Ward Parish which consists of two villages, Nyakadot and Siriba has a total population of 7,658 of which 3,722 are Males and 3,936 Females.
While conducting the community assessment (enclosed), a wide range of resources that would help the implementation of the project were identified. These include: Land for agriculture (this has to be hired), community labour by both women and men including the youth; electricity (Hydro Electric Power); free space to construct storage facilities within reasonable distance; semi-skilled labour and health workers e.g nurses and clinical officers who are mostly children of the OPIT-KIC members.
The key challenges were identified as:
Lack of capital to boost the revolving fund; Lack of funding for income generating activities particularly agriculture; Low yields from agriculture; Limited healthcare services; Limited water sources and no safe drinking water; Low soil fertility; Lack of financial management and record keeping skills; Lack of technical training for youth; Poor access to land ownership; and poor access to education particularly for orphaned children and youth..
4.0 Interventions agreed with the community:
4.1 Agriculture.
- Provide training on improved agricultural methods as well as implements like ox-ploughs; and awareness of and access to markets
- Strengthen loan facilities through training and capitalization (skills, equipment, and capital).
iii. Secure communal land for the OPTI-KIC that shall be used for agricultural projects.
- Build capacity in crop value addition through training and construction a communally
owned grinding mill and storage facilities (actual construction funded outside the grant)
4.2 Healthcare.
- Training in health-seeking behaviour along with supportive sstablishment of primary
healthcare facilities
- Guide the development and training of Village Health Teams (VHTs).
iii. Support inputs activities and inputs for disease prevention and treatment.
4.3 Water and sanitation.
Implement a comprehensive Water, Sanitation, and Health (WASH) for the community (training, potable water sources; pit-latrines; sanitary habits; village water and sanitation committees).
4.4 Education
Work with the two selected primary schools to mount programmes that will lead to improved quality of education (based on learning outcomes); health; higher school attendance; and improved academic performance.
5.0 Preliminary Budget
The preliminary budget, subject to further discussion with Rotary partners and the community, is USD $90,000. (Kampala North would contribute $5,000 to the project, and D9211 DDF $10,000.
District 5890 has pledged $4,000).
- ROTARY YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP CENTRE (The Toto &VijanaPoa Centre)
This is the Club’s flagship project that seeks to establish a Rotary Toto &Vijana Entrepreneurship Centre, a children’s and young people skills support Centre. We are fundraising for an initial $500,000.
The overall project concept has three major components: the central component is the VijanaPoa Center, taking unemployed youths through intensive training that addresses mindsets, practical skills, and equips them with entrepreneurial skills. This center will, where needed, also provide start-up equipment and tools for micro-enterprises. A school will be associated with the VijanaPoa center as a demonstrator for Uganda’s educational institutions that it is possible to produce work-ready youth, regardless of the stage at which they exit the educational system – a reality we face as Ugandans. We can create a productive life for the youth by equipping them with practical and entrepreneurial skills at all levels of education. For the Children, we must take all steps to ensure that our future youth will lead national development at all levels of enterprise. The third component that is a children’s village: it is the social responsibility of any initiative addressing youth unemployment to also address the challenge of orphans.
Progress: The Rotary Club of Kampala North has to-date purchased 20 acres of land at Busunju, 50km from Kampala along the Kampala – Hoima Road, and fundraised over 400 million shillings in cash and commitment pledges. We have also, from our membership, acquired donated professional building design and construction supervision services estimated at USD150,000.
VIJANA POA – Youth Into Work
Support 8 Youth entrepreneur groups for youth led job creation and economic &livehood improvement
- Dental Camp.
Focus areas addressed are Disease Prevention and Treatment.
The dental camp is a semi-annual event for the Rotary Club of Kampala North. The goal of the project is to expand availability of oral health care to the disadvantaged peri-urban communities of Kampala. Each camp lasts for 5 days where patients receive various types of dental treatment including dental examinations/checkups, oral health education, both surgical and simple extractions, temporary and permanent fillings and tooth cleaning/scaling and polishing, including provision of dental drugs for oral infections.
This project has also brings on board corporate sponsorship. National Social Security Fund (NSSF) has funds approximately 50% of one camp budget and has now committed to double their sponsorship starting this rotary year.
- Polio Immunisation
On a weekly basis we do carry out Immunisation against polio for children at two health centres. On average 150 children are immunised every week. Focus areas addressed are Maternal and Child Health, and Disease Prevention and Treatment. New components include door-to-door community outreach for immunization and health education.
- Rotary Family Health Days
The Club participates in the Rotary Family Health Days in three different sites across the country
Upcoming Projects:
- GG1634886: Monde Love and Hope Village
Project Partners 1 (Districts) D9211; D2450
Project Partners 2 (Clubs) Kampala North; Limassol Amathousia Cyprus (Contact person PDG TassosTelevantides (2008/9)
The Project value is $100,000
The project is located in Southern Uganda, Luwero District, Katikamu Sub-county, Tweyanze parish at a place called Monde village. The project aims at enhancing five key Rotary focus areas which include Water and Sanitation, Basic Education and Literacy, Disease Prevention and Treatment, Maternal and Child Health, Economic and Community Development.
Through these focus areas the project shall achieve the following:
A health unit shall be equipped with medicine to enhance capacity for quarterly medical outreaches in the community.
A science laboratory and library for Monde Secondary School shall be set up. The library shall be stocked with the Uganda curricular text and story books, and the laboratory shall be equipped with the necessary equipment and materials in order to improve students’ performances in the science subjects.
A Vocational school shall be set up and equipped. This shall improve illiteracy and as such give the youth in the community an economic potential to sustain their daily livelihood since most are unemployed.
Under Water and Sanitation Component, 2 Water harvesting Tanks shall be procured and put up
The significant problems are access to a health facility that is close enough, improvement of secondary education facilities and enrolment, access to clean water, unemployment, and enhancement of community welfare and wellbeing.
The project shall engage the community in all the activities. The community shall contribute land and build the vocational school, the laboratory and health centre. They shall send in more learners to the secondary school and shall participate in mobilizing the neighbouring areas in quarterly medical camps. They are ready to take on full ownership and responsibility when Rotary hands the project over to them. The fact that the community members shall have contributed toward the project financially or in-kind, will ensure that they guard it jealously and will ensure that sustainability measures are in place.
The Monde Love and Hope village initiatives are being run professionally by the chief promoter Fr. Antonios and his Board. There is a Board and the Chairman is from the community Hon. Mustapha Mutyaba. Hired and qualified professionals run all the institutions that are doing a great job. The community pays for all the services although in many cases at a subsidized or cost recovery rate. The good corporate governance of the village institutions coupled with the communities’ willingness to pay for the services guarantees sustainability beyond the program.
- ADOLESCENT HEALTH EDUCATION PROMOTION IN UGANDA SCHOOLS.
PROBLEM:
About 52% of the female population is of reproductive age and most of them are menstruating every month. The majority of them have no access to clean and safe sanitary products, or to clean and safe sanitary private space in which to change menstrual clothes or pads and to wash.
Research confirms that the onset of puberty leads to significant changes in school participation among girls. Menstruation which is the most dramatic sign of girls puberty affects girls socialization with family and community and may have a significant impact in their education. Girls suffer stigma due to
- Inadequate preparations for young girls approaching puberty.
- Lack of or inadequate water to clean and wash up
- Lack of materials for managing menstrual hygiene
- Absence of private space and wash rooms
- Physical and psychological pains during menstrual periods.
Girls are married off at an early age in some cultures, many are kept at home when they start menstruating either permanently (drop out) or temporarily during the days they menstruate. Most girls cannot afford sanitary products and these impact negatively on their right to education.
GOAL: To create a healthy and safe learning environment for the girl/boy child in schools.
OBJECTIVES:
- Build the capacity of teachers, school management committees, local leaders, pupils and students in menstrual hygiene management.
- Provision of low cost user friendly sanitary products in schools.
RATIONALE OF THE PROJECT:
The project is justified on grounds that it will contribute to creating a healthy and safe learning environment for the pupils/ students which will result to improved general health, and academic performance,
BENEFICIARY OF THE PROJECT:
8 government aided primary schools and 2 government secondary schools in kyegegwa town council Kyaka District.
Statistics on dropout rate of girl will be captured using attendance records.
LOCATION :
170kms from Kampala. Three hours’ drive to reach there.
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES:
The following activities will be carried out in hygiene and sanitation promotion.
- Planning meetings with the leaders, school teachers and school management committees. All the details of this project will be discussed so that the focal persons in these schools understand them. The Rotary club of Kampala North will use these meetings to seek for the leaders, teachers and school management committees for support and commitment towards the implementation of the project.
- Sensitisation/training of the school administration, senior female and male teachers local leaders and parents about the need for menstrual hygiene management.
- Education/training of Pupils/Students.
Training will be conducted targeting the pupils/students. It will be participatory in nature where discussions, role plays and games will be used.
- Formation of school committees / health clubs.
Sanitation clubs will be formed in each school to promote menstrual hygiene management in schools.
5. Distribution of user friendly sanitary products in schools. This activity will be spear headed by a senior woman teacher or patrons of health clubs in schools in collaboration with the members.