December 2013

CLIMATE CHANGE: What more will grassroots women endure?

As told to May Nakyejwe

My name is Betty Naluzze Mwanje, I come from a humble peasant family in one of the remote districts of Uganda in Luweero. I am now 52 years and God has blessed me with six children; three boys and three girls, all of whom are living and

responsible adults.As a young aspiring adult, I came

to live and work in the city in 1980. It is also during the same year that i joined my husband in one of the then suburbs of Kampala, in Ttula-Kawempe. As a person raised from a rural setting, i did not find any difficulties with my new environ-

ment because at the time of my re-loca-tion, nature was still flourishing and very welcoming. I could get every domestic input i needed. Firewood was readily available, the water from the swamps was plenty and the food was not a struggle, because it would easily grow from our garden since the land was very fertile and pest free. Most of the people in our com-munity were farmers and cultivators and it was typical to find poultry,

goats, cows and other animals in al-most every home. The gardens were stocked with all types of vegetables and fruits and you would easily find a well in almost every home situated in the valley.

When it came to transportation, we would walk comfortably for about two and half kilometers to the nearby main road.

Bore holes have now been sank almost every where in rural Uganda, even in areas where wells would ordinarily have been expected.

INSIDENGOs think of life after donor money...P.5

Local meeting places can bring change?...P.10

Turn to P2

Betty Naluzze Mwanje.

2 GWEN NEWS Volume 5 Issue 1 december 2013

Firewood collection is now a major task, when in the past it was one of the easiest chores.

GWEN Opinion

As we come to the close of 2013, the two most important things that have consistently featured in our work as partner orga-nizations under EAGWEN are: Enhancing / improv-ing systems, and the need to diversify our sources of income. Kristen Han-sen, the new NWF team leader blatantly put it: “Economies in Europe are crumbling, partners in the South need to build sys-tems, and work towards fi nancial sustainability”.

Becoming a fi nancially sustainable individual or organization clearly depends on the kind of systems you have in place. We the three partner or-ganizations have worked towards improving our-selves in those aspects, but with a lot more to do. As we enter 2014, we therefore promise to use the available resources to ensure that a lot yet more ground in this direction is achieved.

We are greatly indebted to our partners, Norwe-gian Women and Family Association (NWF) and FOKUS, and the Norwe-gian citizens for their un-tiring support as we strive!

Climate change: A tale from a rural woman

Embrace need to diversify income

Bicycles and a few taxis were basically the common means of public transport for those who could afford.

Our neighborhood was also very wel-coming. The people were very friendly and because of a small population of mostly natives of the village, everyone would get to know the daily happenings in every one’s home. As a community, we would be joined in good and bad times. We had a programme for community work which included cleaning the wells, clearing the roadsides, planting trees among others. And most uniquely from the Buganda Kingdom was a program termed as Bu-lungibwansi; in which on top of the roles mentioned above, was the duty to plant and manage what was called olusuku lwa Kabaaka (the King’s plantation), though done under the guise of managing a plan-tation for the king; was done to ensure that every household had adequate food.

In terms of the environment, Ttula vil-lage and the surrounding areas was quite bushy giving a very natural feeling. The place had different tree species all over and just at a glance; you would not miss to see the mivule, acacia, musizi, eucalyptus trees and a whole range of wild herbs. Thickets and other wild growth was common place in the area too. Down in the valleys were swamps covered with different types of swampy plants and in such places people took advantage of the swamp water to culti-vate yams, cabbage, and sugar cane, name it. Such an environment gave us a steady supply of water which we would obtain at no cost.

Everything was quite predictable. We were certain of an all year climatic conditions which offered both rainy and sunny season. We had two seasons of each in a row.

The first rains used to come from March to May followed by those in September to November. December to early February was commonly known for sunny conditions; but not the harsh ones we currently experience.

This kind of predictable climate enabled us to be certain that the second rains in March meant the onset of the planting season. And such an environment did wonders to us cultivators and farmers, she reminisces. We would grow a lot of maize, beans, ground nuts and other cereals which we found no difficulty in managing up till the harvesting season.

Our task was just to weed at least twice and wait for the harvests to come. This also meant that there were no pests to affect the crops. We would experience some weevils such as the banana and potatoe weevils but these were easily managed locally just by

Continued from P1

applying dry ash on the affected crops. Matooke or banana plantations planted together with coffee

(the Robusta type) was a typical scene in every home, as these two were known to thrive well together. Coffee was a major income earner and at least every child was raised knowing the value of coffee in a home. It was also regarded as gold mine in the Buganda region due to its high market demand.

Climate changes emergeAs people started migrating to our area after the 1986 national resistance guerilla war, our village saw the influx of people from different parts of the country. Most of them were the Bakiga from West Nile who came in search of casual work, especially gardening since they were known for their energetic trait. Later, the forests and swamps were encroached upon as more people came. Gradually the wells were no more and the trees and bushes became a tale of the past. Eventually, we started getting problems with water. The rains became so scarce and the famous rainy seasons started to change. The rains would fall abruptly without a sign also changing the usual direction from the ones we knew. Sud-denly the weather conditions too started to get hotter.This greatly affected our planting seasons as we would not tell which months to plant. At many occasions we would plant in hope of rain only to be surprised with long spells of the drought. We had to introduce irrigation and pest control, farming methods which were strange to us. The gardens which used to rely on the farm composite manure, poultry droppings and others would not yield anything without mod-ern fertilization.

Continued to P6

GWEN NEWS 3Volume 5 Issue december 2013

By Sara Birungi

On December 15th, Fredscorpset marked 50 years of existence, the main celebrations taking place in Olso, with over 1,200 people from all over the world taking part.

Prior to the main event, continen-tal celebrations were carried out and in Africa, Uganda was chosen. Uganda Media Women’s Associa-tion (UMWA), a long-time partner to Fredscorpset, organized the event, attracting over 220 people including over 80 partner organizations that had since collaborated with Norwe-gian NGOs or agencies. The EAG-WEN member organizations were well represented. (Fredscorpset is a Norwegian word for peace corps, or volunteers. Fredscorpset now better known as FK-Norway or FK.

The FK golden celebrations in Uganda coincided with the Norwe-gian-Uganda cooperation which were also making almost 50 years.

The Norwegian Ambassador to Uganda, H.E. Thorbjorn Gaustad-saether said at the occasion: “It is particularly interesting that Uganda was the first destination in the world that a young and courageous group

of Norwegians Peace Corps took (1963). These indeed set the pace for Norway-Uganda diplomatic and bilateral relationship, of-ficially opening in 1964”.

The focus of the Norwegian current partner-ship with Uganda is cen-tred on good governance and human rights; Clean Energy and Oil for Develop-ment; Climate Change / Environment; and Women and Equality.

The FK Director General, Niita Ka-poor who also led a 5-member team from Oslo, said: “Uganda is a very special country for FK, as it is our longest beneficiary with over 900 Ugandans having been exchanged over the years”.

On the day’s theme: Youth

Leadership: Key to Development and Economic Growth, Niita Kapoor said: “A dynamic organization must keep moving. FK wanted to use our golden jubilee to look ahead, to keep contributing to the development challenges of our time. And that is why we are taking the opportunity to highlight the situation of young people”.

The UMWA Chairperson, Dr.

Patricia Litho appreciated Fredscorp-set and the Norwegian Embassy, for entrusting UMWA to organize such a high profile and big event. On behalf of UMWA, she pledged continued collaboration with FK, the Norwegian Government, and other partners.

UMWA, COWA and MAFA are partners with the Norwegian Women Farmers' Association, NWF.

UMWA organizes Fredscorpset Golden Jubilee in Uganda

The Norwegian Ambassador to Uganda, Thorbjorn Gaustadsaether (right) inter-acting with key partners while Niita Kapoor consults Margaret Sentamu, Director UMWA.

Niita Kapoor, Director General FK-Norway presents a gift to Dr. Patricia Litho, Chair-person UMWA.

4 gwen news Volume 5 Issue 1 january 2014

By Okello Billy Francis

COWA CVTS, Nsambya held its 17th graduation cer-emony last August, 69 young women and men passed with flying colours, at a function attracting about 300 guests including former students, and parents. Archbishop Dr. Cyprian Kizito Lwanga led the holy mass which curtain raised the graduation ceremony.

He was all praise of COWA CVTS and similar institu-tions that provide vocational training. Saying 20/30 years ago, many Ugandans were looking down upon vocational institutions, but today, such training is offered at higher institutions. He was happy to note that COWA provides a variety of skills which enables young people to establish themselves in the

employment sector, as jobs creators instead of being job seekers.

The youngest graduate of the day was Nabanoba Patricia, a 13-year old girl who graduated with a Certificate in Tailoring and Garment Making. Nabanoba left formal education in Primary Four after repeating it for two years. She felt she couldn’t manage that kind of education so she opted for a Tailoring course. At COWA, she concentrated on the practical training in Tailoring, and registered for the non-formal examinations in the year 2012. Patricia plans to continue with more practical training in Tailoring for one more year before she establishes her own business of a Tailoring workshop at home when a machine and other training equipment are

bought for her.In Uganda today, there are many

youths like Patricia who cannot proceed with the formal education. They need vocational training for practical skills training that can help them create jobs or even get employed to help in the fight against poverty.

The Guest of Honour was Tordis Merete Hovstad Aas, the Manager of Project Support National Oil Well Vargo – Norway. She was one of the eleven team-member of the Norwegian Women and Family Association (NWF) who

attended the 17th graduation ceremony. She reminded the graduands that they are some of the empowered youth in Uganda who now have the capacity to make a difference in their lives and that of others in the surrounding communi-ties.

He told the graduands that their suc-cess is the beginning of a new journey in life, therefore they should be faithful and committed in all their undertakings to make a difference in their work as they join the rest of the workforce in the country.

COWA graduates tipped on success

COWA instructors demonstrate how to do tie and dye on a piece of cloth

Patricia receives a certificate from

Meret.

gwen news 5Volume 5 Issue 1 december 2013

By EAGWEN Team

And what are your plans to ensure continuity after donor funding has been phased out? This, and similar questions related to sustaining project activities have become common with donor agencies or develop-ment partners before fund-ing is approved.

And true, the recipient, now commonly referred to as partner organiza-tions in the South are not leaving anything to chance. In addition to providing a sustainability plan within the project plan for funding, several voluntary organiza-tions (NGOs and CBOs) have initiated sustainability strategies to ensure con-tinuity of their institutions and activities after donors phase out.

Partner organizations that form the East African Grassroots Women Network (EAGWEN), too, are not left out. MAFA, COWA and UMWA have concentrated on building community or working with existing local structures.

Edith Tendo of MAFA says: “The com-munity structures include establishing self-help groups which are then facilitated to build knowledge and skills which they later share with the rest of the community”. She adds: “The self-help groups are also encouraged to start group ventures later introduced to and trained in village savings and loan schemes”. Pointing out: the trained group members have been able to improve their enterprises, the Village Saving Loan Associations (VSLAs) have also often attracted more people beyond those targeted by MAFA, which contributes to further sustainability.

COWA’s strategy is to target beyond the student/pupil by involving the parents and the immediate communities. These are also offered health knowledge, social relations and life skills apart from the usual cookery or computer skills.

For UMWA, the strategy is to work with and within the local existing structures such as women groups, CBOs, and the district or sub-county structures. Clothlida Babirekere, Program Officer, Domestic Violence Prevention Program says: “It is difficult and a lot costly for UMWA to have offices in all corners of

the country. We therefore recce the district of operation, for possible structures we can work with. We, as a must work with the local council structures, the district departments, and of course the NGOs, and other local groups that operate in the same thematic area.

This way, we’ve been able to exist a district, and then later get back with another project, and work with the same women groups that we worked with ten years ago! In the mean time, the district offices could also have worked with the same groups. We have also found out that the district budget, now takes care of some of the needs of the women groups that we introduced to them, some years ago!”

Another strategy is the use of contact people in the districts of operation. MAFA calls them change agents, and to UMWA, they are com-munity activists. These are representatives of the local communities, who live and work at the grassroots level. They are highly regarded, but not necessarily highly educated. Trustworthy, great mobilizers, and already with a proven vol-untary work experience in livelihood improve-ment or rights activism.

Tendo says: “It is important to sketch out in-dividuals who are willing to serve others. They should be fast learners who can offer leadership

as well. The change agents support others to adopt practices and ideas. They are the images of what the project intends to achieve and thus they act as examples”.

Babirekere concurs with Tendo: “The commu-nity activists are trained in a range of knowl-edge and skills, including gender analysis and rights, communication, advocacy, and counsel-ling. They are the first contact for the grass-roots communities, for the district officials, as well as the project team operating from the city. They are spokespersons of the project at district level. In a way, they also act as project monitors, thus reducing on the organizational costs that would have gone in that area.

The partner organizations, have also ventured in financial sustainability activities. UMWA this year, invested in training of four of its staff in a 2-week intense training in financial sustain-ability. The training touched on diversification of income, the need to work towards having multi instead of single-year projects. The need to ply into 'crowd sourcing' fundraising and the importance of an NGO to become a hybrid institution (getting funds from donors, but also from local income generation activities).

Life after donor moneyLocal NGOs plot sustainability structures

Women outreach programs will have to devise means of self-sustenance in order to last the test of time.

Continued to P7

6 gwen news Volume 5 Issue 1 december 2013

Later, strange pests started affecting the plants, common among them being kayovu (banana bacterial wilt) and small caterpillars which would dry up the sweet potatoes plants. The maize too was affected with a strange weevil likewise the cassava. The yields began to lessen notwithstand-ing losing taste. For instance, the maize and sweet potatoes which were known for their unique taste became less tasty. For instance in the past, every region was known for growing various species of crops. As a remedy, some new drought resistant seeds of maize, beans and others were later introduced by government but not a match to the native ones.

The coffee and banana plants too which were known for their long gestation period of about 5 to 10 or years or more started to dry out. However, currently coffee is very scarce in homesteads not until recently when it’s been revived. The banana plant has been transformed into various species and one cannot easily tell whether they are eating Matooke or something similar to it. We just have to keep memories of the past to feel good, she adds.

Worries from the climatic changesWith the environmental disorder, Ms. Naluzze

expresses a lot of worries for her community and Uganda at large. She relates this to the immense change of things. To her, the climatic order has been immensely affected judging from all the natural beauty that is no more. She says.

If you take for instance today’s rains, they tend to be so hostile almost similar to the hurricane catrinas and others we hear about in the United States. Whenever it rains, Kampala and in neigh-boring places turn into floods claiming a number of lives. This is primarily attributed to the robust encroachment on swamps as all over Kampala (a place which was known to be a swampy city). Besides the floods, one has to worry about the emerging epidemics that come along with the floods such as cholera outbreaks in the city. The few remaining swamps and most of the drainage in the city has become a sewerage area. The wa-ter has become too risky for human consumption because nothing good can be expected to come from such water if the swamps which are helpful in distilling it have been overly misused.

Furthermore, the weather conditions have become very humid and harsh lately. The sun and wind are so hostile and too dry and everywhere is dusty causing more fear of blowing off the

roof tops due to absence of trees to arrest it. Also lately is the common occurrence of heavy lightning and thunder which has caused a number of deaths mostly in rural school.

At the community level, our relations with the people have degenerated. For instance, our family still has different plots of farm land (within our village which has transformed into a town); but we find it hard to reap anything from the gardens. Most of our food is stolen by people who lack where to cultivate. Some of our grazing land attracts community outcry. According to them, grazing land can easily harbor thieves! We often get confused and worried that we may fail to sustain our farmland because of these endless complaints. What irks me most is the community’s short-sightedness in appreciating us for preserv-ing the environment. Lately the environment is polluted with emissions but the people are not well informed about preserving their environment. The kaveera ( polythene bag) for its multi packag-ing purposes is eating away our soil both in terms of fertility and its water retention capacity. No wonder the floods are a common place.

Our worries continue for the wellbeing of chil-dren in terms of food and livelihoods. Today we find it very hard to feed our children and ourselves on a balanced diet as we used to. At times we

run short of food and are forced to live on one meal a day. It is quite demanding to meet food, health, education and other costs. .

Uganda is likely to turn into a very danger-ous place to live in if the situation is not addressed. We are likely to face more heavy floods such as those in the United States. The water levels might reduce drastically, wide spread hunger and famine is expected too. The harsh winds are likely to swallow us up because the houses are no longer firm on the ground.

And to me, these changes are happen-ing under our watch and we are entirely responsible for the eventualities. We are the sole enemies of development with all of our careless human activities to nature.

Possible solutionsMs. Naluzze was hopeful that despite the

environmental threat, a few things can be done to redeem the situation.

She recommends a national awareness raising campaign on environmental preserva-tion and the dangers associated to climate change. This should be done by making people appreciate their responsibility in preserving nature and not waiting for the government to take the lead.

"The government should also develop satellite cities to relieve the population absorption burden from Kampala", she says, adding, "This initiative will turn other places into cities with every service available and there would be no reason to scramble for Kampala, the city centre."

When nature strikes backContinued from P2

Students take care of the environment by sorting waste.

gwen news 7Volume 5 Issue 1 december 2013

Some of the participants at the EAGWEN annual conference at Namirember Guest House.

Enhance Systems for Sustainability

What next after donor money?

And for UMWA, Mama FM was singled out with great potential to generate income!

Joan Nankya, Program Officer, UMWA, says: “What UMWA needs is to turn around Mama FM into a social enterprise, and utilise its space for income genera-tion. And for this to happen, UMWA needs a Business Development Officer; who will sell the organization’s social value for funding”.

Tendo says: “MAFA started a demonstration garden as a study place for beneficiaries who pay a small fee. The crops and animals also gen-erate an income for MAFA. The demonstration farm will further be developed to fetch more income through tour-ism, and tree seedlings”.

On the other hand, UMWA has for the past two years developed life skills modules targeting students in holidays. The revenue collected is deposited on a fixed account to bail out the Association in the difficult times.

For COWA, contributions from parents towards their children’s fees is one of the ways of contributing to the sustainability of the scheme. Billy Okello, Computer Instructor says that in ad-dition to outside catering services, the scheme pro-vides services to the nearby and other communities. He regrets that the expected revenue from a new initia-tive, Maritanna Restaurant, has not yet come to pass.

In all, the three organiza-tions, have realized that donors or development partners are not here to stay, and have proceeded to raise income locally. It is not, however, a smooth road, and would therefore require all the needed sup-port, to help them invest in sustainability activities.

Continued from P5

By EAGWEN Reporter

It was again time to meet as a family! The East African Grassroots Women Network (EAGWEN) annual conference, was held August 30th – September 1st, 2013. The mem-ber organizations were each repre-sented by four staff. And as usual, a team from the Norwegian Women and Family Association (NWF) led by Anne Marit, participated.

The annual conference is an op-portunity for members to share and interact more, as well as identifying areas for improvement to sustain their program. But also to celebrate achievements so far made. And as such, the August /September conference highlighted the need to create / enhance systems within member organizations.

Kristen Hansen, the NWF team leader summed: “It was a pleasure for me to participate in this confer-ence. I have learnt a lot from the

presentations and discussions. I appreciate your contributions but I advise that you create systems that will make you sustainable because the economies in Europe are collapsing. Uganda needs to be sustainable”.

Presentations during the confer-ence among others, touched on the EAGWEN’s program and individual project progress, which indicated that all was on course despite some challenges including heavy dependency on unpaid staff, decrease in donor funding, and the high inflation now abound in the country.

To enhance organizational devel-opment, each partner presented on a topical issue. UMWA explained the financial sustainability challenge that faces voluntary organizations, recommending that the time for partner organizations to explore other forms of funding is now. Joan Nankya, Program Officer, UMWA

said: “The problem is exacerbated by the global financial crisis. We as NGOs in Uganda, need to diversity our sources of income by empha-sizing local revenue generation, and being more creative!”

MAFA presented on the biosafety and Biotechnology Bill, 2012 which Edith Tendo, Program Officer said: “It is intended to introduce geneti-cally modified foods into Uganda and most especially into the agricultural sector with an intention of reducing food insecurity.” Tendo however decried government’s rush to introduce GMOS without any safety procedures.

She said: “The Bill does not pro-vide for compensating farmers who might be affected by an accidental release of a GMO. It is also silent on who bears liability, whether jointly or severally, and fails to attach liability to the developing of the GMO”. Continued to P8

8 gwen news Volume 5 Issue 1 december 2013

Kristen advises EAGWEN at Annual ConferenceCOWA CVTS Principal, Romana Bilak Francesca presented on human trafficking. She noted that most of the victims are the vulnerable; and the traffick-ers are those in positions of power, and facilitating a well coordinated network, that would take a lot of political will and resources to crack. She said human trafficking in Uganda had become rampant, necessitating the relevant Act in 2009, though its implementation is facing a lot of challenges. It was noted that the general public in particular the vulnerable groups ought to be sensitized on their rights, while the government invests in poverty reduction programs to avert the alarming rate of human trafficking.

The highlight of the day was a presentation on service delivery in Uganda which noted that de-spite significant improvement, in particular the health sector, the situation needs far much more improvement.

Richard Mugisha from Pelum-Uganda noted that persistent policy and implementation remains a challenge. And as a recommendation to improve the situation, he proposed that access to information be

Continued from P7

improved, and government invests more in skilled manpower. That clarity on roles be made among the different stakeholders. He however emphasized the need for strong

civil society movement to monitor, and put to task authorities to ac-count for their actions.

Anne Marit, the outgoing NWF team leader said she was happy to

see new faces, and challenged the partner organizations to keep the fire burning, now that some results of the Program and individual proj-ects, are beginning to show.

EAGWEN participates in an Indigenous food fair at Lugogo. Inset is Francesca Romana Bilak and looking on is Edith Tendo from MAFA.

YOU want to bring about change? Save the Children shares some advocacy tips:1. Identify yourself: State your

name and identify yourself as a constituent. Share other informa-tion about who you are. If it is relevant to the issue (for example, if you are a parent, member of a civic organization, business owner, scientist, etc).

2. Be specific: Include the name and number of the relevant bill. Clearly describe the issue and state your goals.3. Make it personal: The best

thing you can do as a citizen advocate is to give the issue your individual voice. Use personal examples and speak in your own words.

4. Be confident: Your official job is to represent you. You may

also know more about the issue than your elected official. That is why it is a good idea to offer your-self as a source of information.

5. Be polite: Always work on the basis that the government and your opponents are open to reason and discussion. If you are rude, your message will not be received.6. Be brief: Communication that

focuses strongly on one argument is the most effective. Keep it to one issue. Limit written documents to one page.

7. Be timely: Your message is more likely to be considered if it is immediately relevant.

8. Be factual: Use facts and statistics. Make sure the informa-tion you provide is accurate.

Compiled by Edith Tendo

Tips on bringing about change

By Edith Tendo

Despite the several advantages that come with the production of improved foods and animals, some sections of researchers and practitioners have worked against abandoning traditional farming and indigenous foods.

According to Edith Tendo, Program Officer with Maganjo Farmers Association (MAFA), despite the introduction and government’s promotion of improved varieties that yield a lot in a short time, our commu-nities are struggling with food insecurity mainly because these varieties negate the traditional practices like seed saving as most of these cannot be re-placed”. She notes: “Our grand-

parents depended on indigenous foods, and never lacked food. The seedlings are almost free of charge for the local communi-ties, and are planted with local knowledge, and are easily sus-tained”. She says that despite the advantages that are said to come with the hybrid seeds such as being more productive and high yields, it will be unpro-ductive for Uganda to side-line the indigenous foods as we will also be losing our heritage.

She says: “Foods are part of culture: are prepared on special ceremonies, marriages, child naming, circumcision, or burials. And with continued shadowing of such foods, our rich heritage risks going down with the current trend”.

'Neglect of indegenous foods has brought suffering'

gwen news 9Volume 5 Issue 1 december 2013

By Ruth Nazziwa and EAGWEN Reporter

SEVERAL grassroots women in Lu-weero District had not planned to join Maganjo Farmers’ Association (MAFA). But years on, they say this was the

biggest chance that came their way, because now, their lives have been transformed tremendously.

Says Agnes Mulabi, Kisozi Zone B: “I joined a women’s club at the village level after a friend informed me that it is developmental oriented, and offers assistance to women of low income and literacy levels. One day MAFA officials from Kampala and addressed our club. I was impressed and later subscribed to MAFA. The rest is history because I have acquired knowledge and skills which I have used to transform my life. I’ve been able to pay school fees for my children and have a better house. The single most thing that I learnt is that even with very little land, you can use it productively.

I chose to rear pigs, among the several income generation activities that we were introduced to. They are easy to manage and require relatively very small space as com-pared to the birds.

With the two piglets I got from MAFA, they have now grown into eight. I’m now able to sell each piglet at UGS 40,000 – 50,000 but if they mature to nine months, they fetch me UGS 400,000 each!”

Little financial support but solid gains

Elizabeth Muwunga, also from Kisozi says: “Since we joined the project, we are like sisters. We share and learn from each other. Sometimes I get banana plants from Agnes Kabuye, and she gets piglets from me at a fee, but sometimes we do barter! I’m so happy with this project”.

Agnes Kabuye says: “Life is getting better each day as compared to the old days when I was so stressed, no income, and

my children had dropped out of school. Today, I can single hand-edly provide for my children, and feed them well.

After the training, I was given 25 banana plants, now trans-formed into 50! I sell the biggest bunch of banana at UGS 20,000 and the smallest at UGS 10,000. This is good enough, moreover supplementing the income by growing vegetables and rearing a few pigs. It is so interesting

that I do not waste any material from my small farm, because the dung I collect from the pigsty is used as organic fertilizers on the crop farm.

All the women talked to by this reporter say, they have plans to expanding their farms, and all praise to MAFA and who they call their Norwegian friends, for the technical and financial support.”

Agnes Mulabi Agnes Kabuye

Agnes Mulabi feeding her pigs.

10 gwen news Volume 5 Issue 1 december 2013

By Clothilda Babirekere

It is a hot sunny afternoon as the villagers slowly start to gather around the mango tree. Some sit, others stand, and eventually they are all settled. I notice that Margaret Nassiwa has not yet arrived, but she finally emerges through the crowd.

She stamps the ground with heavy strong footsteps, her big body swaying left and right, and heat held up high. Suddenly, there is total silence, and only the sound of birds chirping from the nearby trees can be heard as she takes her seat next to the village chief. Nas-siwa is a woman leader in Mulagi Sub-County, Kyank-wanzi District, Uganda.

The meet-ing starts, and soon it is

time for Nassiwa to speak. She fumbles with her long dress and stands up. She walks to the centre of the crowd where she seems to contemplate her next move. Finally, in a quiet shy voice that goes against her usually strong authorita-tive character, she testifies before the large village crowd. As she starts to speak, her eyes show her inner feelings, a mixture of sadness and happiness. “My husband beats and kicks me. He scratches my thighs and back”, she says. A tear rolls down her cheek, but it is still

evident that she is a strong woman.

This is the moment she has always dreamt of, but never had the courage to carry through. For decades she had accepted domestic

abuse in fear of her

par-

ents and society’s reaction to the revelation and most of all the loss of the respect and dignity the commu-nity has for her. But now, because of the Domestic Violence Prevention Program launched in her com-munity by Uganda Media Women’s Association (UMWA), to sensitize and encourage people to report and speak out against domestic violence, Nassiwa has broken the silence about her suffering.

But within seconds of her testi-mony, her neighbour’s relatives and friends have disowned her! They abuse and ridicule her for disgrac-ing them. Her husband wonders in disbelief as she narrates to the village meeting what he regards as bedroom affairs. The local lead-ers too rebuke and accuse her of poisoning a ‘peaceful’ community by speaking the “unspeakable”.

After the meeting, she was determined to continue speaking out than die quietly. She volunteered to sensitize community members

on domestic violence as she clinged on to her role of woman leader. She wanted to become a role model for her community

and indeed she became one. Soon, women came one by one and started confiding in her about the abusive experiences they have endured. Then, men too, put aside

their male pride and confided in her. As the number of voices increased, there arose a need for a space where people could be listened to, guided and counselled. This was to be a place where people felt safe, and comfortable enough to open their hearts. The Local Council (LCI) in her village (Kasimbi) collaborated by constructing a temporary shelter (half wall) to be used as a village court where people go and report abuse. Community members were encouraged to attend the proceed-ings.

A Sub-County Court (Local Council III Court), in charge of civil and referring criminal cases in the community, which had not been functional for a long time, was re-placed by the Sub-County Domestic Violence Court, which is operated by Nassiwa’s followers.

A renowned domestic violence perpetrator, who later reformed was appointed to head this court. Other opponents including religious, cultural, and opinion leaders became collaborators and used their plat-forms to speak about and condone domestic violence. They also gave Nassiwa’s followers an opportunity to share their experiences and to encourage others to change and disapprove domestic violence. Com-munity members are now reporting domestic violence.

The voices are amplified on Mama FM where Nassiwa and others have become panellists. Presenters and volunteers on Mama FM are good to go. Thanks to the rights awareness they have undergone under the NWF / FOKUS support.

Not only men reduced on wife beating in fear of being reported, but they are also reporting the abuse they face. As a result of the many successes of Kasimbi authori-ties, leaders are now taking do-mestic violence as a crime, rather than asking couples to settle their differences at home. Church leaders are providing platforms for cam-paigns against acts that undermine women’s dignity. The Sub-County Police Post is now accepting their responsibility and using the law to help abused people.

The mango tree, a local village meeting place, became a place where the village transformation began…..........

Under the mango treeLocal meeting place where village transformation began

Big dreams often start as small ideas! Grass-roots women meet under atree to map out strategies for own development. Inset is Margaret Nassiwa.

gwen news 11 Volume 5 Issue 1 december 2013

As told to UMWA Project Staff

I come from a humble peas-ant family in one of the remote districts of Uganda, Kyankwanzi. I am the second born out of eight children, most of them boys, born of the same parents. Tradition-ally a big family in my community is a sign of prestige and social status, but unfortunately this had a great bearing on our education, as most of us were not given that much of an opportunity. For this reason, at about 9 years of age, I was personally stopped from going to school to give the opportunity to my younger siblings to get some education as well. As a girl, groomed to be submissive to my father, i had no voice to contest the decision. My father is the final decision maker in the home.

Three years ago I learnt about a certain project dealing with domestic violence prevention implemented by a media women’s association, also targeting youth. My goal was to ensure that I join the program since i had been restrained from participating in any community activities, let alone meet friends.

One day I made all the efforts to go to the venue where a training workshop on domestic violence was organized for children out of school. I was able to sneak out of home to attend the five day workshop, and this was my turning point. We were sensitized about our rights, the forms of domestic violence, the causes and effects. The most practical message for me was discovering that domestic violence is a crime and punishable by law, our rights as children to education, to be free from abuse or torture and child labour. The workshop also made me realize that, my own mother was facing all the forms of domestic violence on a daily basis. She was physi-cally beaten and sexually abused by our father before our own eyes. And little did we know that what he was doing to her was a crime. He would also spend all her proceeds from the garden on drinking alcohol on top of bringing his concubines along with him in my mother’s house!

As children we also got several beatings from our father in the

event of trying to protect our mother form the abuse. At times our father could deny us food. Ours was endless torment and emotional unrest. After the training, I decided that I must do something to put an end to this misery.

Back home I shared the same message with my mother, using the Community Activists manual as a reference. I also showed her our uni-form. She was so happy with me. I noticed some sign of hope in her facial expression, but was reserved to say much but encouraged me to share it with my father too.

I strategically placed the training manual on my father’s table. I did this intentionally to get an entry point, and the bait worked out! Momentarily, he invited me to elab-orate the message in the manual which I gladly did. I educated him about our rights as children to education, basic needs and others and how it is a crime under the country’s laws to deny children such rights. He was so impressed with this kind of information and

asked where I had got it from. I was glad to tell him about the Uganda Media Women’s Associa-tion, UMWA.

Although I was not able to get enrolled back to school, I was satisfied with the changes that ensued at home. My father apologized to my mother for all the wrong doings and he promised before me never to mistreat us again. He also pledged to give my younger siblings an opportunity to education and he officially gave me permission to participate fully in the domestic violence prevention programme.

This gave me more zeal to ap-proach more children who were in

a similar situation. Through chats with my fellow peers, I was able to visit their homes and talk to their parents. Although it was a challenging job in the beginning, I was able to gain more confidence from the different encounters I had with different couples. Some time I would be asked by some adults; “what stake do you have as a young girl in marital affairs?”And i was confident enough to use my identification card, manual and uni-form as proof that I was a trained peer educator to sensitize people on domestic violence.

Before participating in the UMWA project, I was a very timid girl who could not express myself in public just like my mother. I am now looked at in my village as an empowered girl. Though it’s quite strange for a girl of my age, 14 years to talk about marital issues, I now find it as an obligation to intervene in domestic violence cases. I strategically intervene through mediation of my fellow peers but end up discussing about the parents’ obligations towards their children. The continued sup-port by the project has given me more confidence to continue with the fight!

How UMWA Domestic Violence project helped me reconcile my parents

UMWA activ-ists consult and distribute mate-rial on Domestic Violence to cyclists

and vendors.

12 gwen news Volume 5 Issue 1 december 2013

Centenary Vocational Training School (COWA)P.O BOX 24754Kampala-Uganda

Tel: +256 414 267 206Mob: +256 722 426 537

Email: cowacvts@gmail.com

Maganjo Farmers' Association (MAFA)P.O BOX 11682, Kampala Uganda

Tel: +256 (0) 752604396Email: mag-farmersassociation@yahoo.co.uk

Uganda Media Women Association (UMWA)Plot 226 Kisaasi, Kampala

P.O BOX 7263, Kampala UgandaTel: +256 414595125, +256 (0) 772 469 363

Fax: +256 414 543996Email: umwa@umwamamafm.co.ug / umwa@infocom.co.ug

Gender and Development Centre (GADECE)P.O BOX 1588, Kisumu, Kenya

Tel: 254 (0) 572020827Cell: 254 (0) 722 745 773

Email: gadecekisumu@gmail.com

GWEN NEWS is a publication of the four East African grassroots women NGOs: Gender and Development Centre (GADECE) in Kenya, Maganjo Farmers' Association (MAFA), Centenary Vocational Train-ing School (COWA) and Uganda Media Women's Association (UMWA), supported by NORAD and FOKUS through the Norwegian Women and Family Association (NWF). The publication seeks to facilitate networking among the participati-ing organisations, who once a year convene to share best practices and plan together to take on an otherwise dynamic world.

This edition has been made possible courtesy:Managing EdiTor: Margaret Sentamu MasagaziCoordinaTor: Billy Francis okelloConTriBuTionS: May nakyejwe, Edith Tendo, ruth nazziwa, Sara Birungi, Margaret Sentamu, Clothilda Babirekere, Billy Francis okello, dESign and LayouT: John WeeragaPrinTErS: Forward arts LTd.FinanCiaL SuPPorT:FoKuS, norad and The norwegian Women Fam-ily association, nWF.

Nakiyingi Dorcus in a Catering practical lesson provided by COWA.

Community activists planning for the next step.

Part of the EAGWEN team

at the

indegenous food fair.

U M W A t e a m conducts c l imate c h a n g e w o r k -

shop.