By Norah Owaraga | Project Leader and Managing Director
Two young adults, beneficiaries of our mentoring programme, have trully come of age as innovators against poverty for their respective rural communities. With guidance from our lead mentor, our two budding innovators, did participatory action research and consultations within their respective communities and on that basis authored a project proposal each.
The first one, "500 women of Ochelakur Sub-County access finance," is an affirmative action project that will facilitate households of a disadvantaged and traditionally fishing community that is no longer permitted fishing livelihoods due to government fishing restrictions on Lake Kyoga to transition to other livelihood options and to improve their quality of life. Five hundred women will access finance and financial literacy training sessions; be able to start and to operate viable businesses through which they will earn a living; and be able to meet the basic needs - food, water, clothing, shelter - of their respective households.
The second one, "Welding apprenticeships for 25 youth in Pader Town Council," will contribute to youth of a marginalized disadvantaged rural community to attain sustainable artisanal livelihood skills that are necessary to reverse the poor quality of life their community endures, due to livelihood crisis adduced to effects of the Lord Resistance Army insurgency, climate change and marginalization by the Government of Uganda. It will equip 25 youth with life skills and knowledge to become welders and to earn income which they can use to meet the basic and the genuine needs of their respective households – they will be able to provide their households with food, water, clothing, shelter, as well as to pay fees for healthcare services and schooling.
Both projects have been approved for fundraising on the GlobalGiving platform. This has really excited and energised our innovators. Our lead mentor continues to work with the two innovators, horning thier fundraising skills. With effect from 1st June 2022 it is expected that the two innovators will work full-time as their respective project team-leaders, under the direct supervision of the lead mentor; and with mentorship from other CPAR Uganda staff. The two innovators will be responsible for ensuring and assuring the implementation of their respective projects.
Thank you to our donors for the moral support and financial contributions that are enabling us to contribute towards the building of healthy communities by the communities themselves - stimulating self-reliant participatory development. Your support and contributions make it possibile for us to produce rural innovators who will positively impact the lives of hundreds of households in their respective rural communities. Our journey continues in the right direction and we look forward to what this next step that we have taken shall bring.
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