Capacity Building
Personal
Empowerment
RARUDO member activists are committed to challenging deeply oppressive
systems, most of which are rooted in years of culture and tradition
which makes it difficult to advocate for change.
Self-empowerment, self esteem and personal space are issues of concern
for African Activists. Examples of issues to be addressed will include:
- leadership strategies, self- development, balancing personal and
professional issues, time and self-management, Integrity, accountability
and transparency.
Organizational Development
RARUDO educates on the use of organizations or institutions to promote a
progressive agenda for community projects and advocates for fundamental
change. This also includes mobilizing and managing resources needed to
develop sustainable activities.
Organizational in this context is either autonomous and non-governmental
or governmental machinery set up to address issues such as effective
organization and business / management skills, conflict resolution,
strategic planning and networking, managerial writing skills, dealing
with power, influence and authority; records management and Motivation.
Improving performance through customer care, creativity and innovation,
achieving excellence in management by improving interpersonal
communication, social and professional etiquette, team work and team
building, problem solving and decision making are also part of the
program.
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HEALTH - HIV/AIDS Programs
The
Needs of the Target Population
Members at RARUDO, after a thorough baseline survey in this area,
understand that AIDS has greatly affected the community in this area.
Almost every home /family in the rural communities where RARUDO operates
have experienced the loss of a family relative to HIV/AIDS, This has
brought so much grief, fear and loss in that in almost every home or
family there are children orphaned due to HIV /AIDS, children caring for
parent who are sick or dying of AIDS or children infected by AIDS from
birth.
We at Rayland Rural Development Organization have come up with a program
designed specifically to provide support and care for these groups of
people.
In the past many communities / beneficiaries have not been directly
involved in the planning and implementation of HIV/AIDS policies which
is so important, since the burden of care for the infected and affected
persons heavily fall on them.
Therefore the community needs to organize mobilization programs (where
the widows are heavily involved) that have the potential to influence
society in decision-making or social norms to carry out behavior change
campaigns.
Stigma and discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS has threatened
the fundamental principles and rights at the work place and undermined
prevention and care efforts. This goes as high as denying the victims of
the diseased the right to property. There is loss of family income and
household productivity that exacerbates poverty.
There is an increase in female headed household and early entry of
children into active employment and early / forced marriage.
There is a shift in spending patterns where spending is shifted from
other family needs to meeting medical bills even to the extent of
withdrawing children from school, even with UPE still many children in
AIDS affected families are not in school caring for sick ones.
Purpose:
To improve the living condition of the people infected and affected by
HIV/AIDS especially in rural areas
HIV/AIDS Activities:
-Encouraging the local communities during home visiting, community
mobilization and Sensitization to go for Voluntary Counseling and
Testing VCT services.
-Training and Educating caregivers on improved nutrition and primary
healthcare services and long- term survival skills.
-Providing material support and social assistance to PLWHA.
-Encouraging income-generating activities for PLWHA and their
caregivers.
-Advocating for the rights of PLWHA and train them on Will-making and
other legal aspects.
-Providing community home base care.
-Supporting AIDS orphans and other vulnerable children.
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Economic Empowerment
Income
generating activities
RARUDO’s economic initiative is aimed at Income Generating Activities
with the goal of promoting Economic empowerment of the rural poor in the
development process. The main areas for intervention in this respect
include the initiation of the following:
-
Sustainable agriculture paving way for commercial crop production from
subsistence to Sustainable Commercial farming
- Animal
Husbandry
-
Micro-finance
-
Addition of value to Agro-produce
Sustainable Organic Agriculture
Sustainable
Organic Agriculture (SOA) is described as an approach to agricultural
production, which minimizes or excludes the use of agro-chemicals in
favor of using natural alternative products within an individual’s
farm, or in a farming community.
The major advantage of using organic products in farming include
minimization of adverse aspects associated with inorganic chemicals
e.g. retention of residues in food, avoidance of resistance of various
pests to chemicals as well as non encountering of exorbitant costs of
inorganic chemicals.
RARUDO is therefore achieving this through training and encouraging
peasant farmers/ communities to adopt sustainable organic farming.
Problem statement
Considering the nature of farming in Uganda and its agro-ecological
conditions, RARUDO believes that the livelihoods of the smallholder
farmers majority can best be improved through the adoption and
implementation of sustainable agriculture (SA) practices.
Currently the majorities of farmers are not practicing Sustainable
Agriculture and hence often face food insecurity and poverty leading
to environmental degradation while in search for food. This is largely
due to the following factors:
- Lack
of skills and knowledge E.g. what, when and how to grow.
- Lack
of information sharing and use.
- Lack
of research back up
-
Gender inequity
-
Little advocacy in Sustainable Agriculture
- Few
marketing opportunities (information, skills and outlets)
- Lack
of access to credit facilities
- Lack
of input supply and poor availability resources
Strategies
The
organization uses the following strategies to address these
constraints to solve the earlier problem statement with rural
communities as the target:
-
Capacity building for Sustainable Agriculture
-
Advocacy program
-
Lobbing (raising) funds
Capacity building for Sustainable agriculture
The
capacity need for peasant farmers and the organization are in
particular:
-
Production techniques
-
Marketing (farm planning and agribusiness)
-
Organization development
-
Advocacy skills
Capacity building for production techniques
The
main aim of the organization is to increase income of the rural
peasants and other vulnerable groups from subsistence farming to
commercial farming. We target peasant farmers, vulnerable
community members and Trainers of Trainers (TOT’s) and will
consist of participatory, demand driven and objective oriented
training with the support to participatory gender sensitive
monitoring and evaluation.
The
content is based on environmental sustainability, soil
management, water
conservation, making and application of organic manure, crop
production technology , food security, seed multiplication &
distribution, agro-processing and
preservation, post harvest handling, as well as livestock
Management market
orientation and optimal available resource use
Within marketing, capacity building is based on a practical and
gender sensitive approach. The major contents are
developing a farmer based market based information system for
domestic and export market, facilitate the introduction of
alternative income generating activities, facilitate the
formation of small holder business associations to trade
linkages and research on appropriate and economically viable
facilities of added value.
The
main focus within the Organizational development support is on
strategic planning and exploring innovative ways of the
organization to collaborate and enhance impact. It
consists of facilitation or training.
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Advocacy program
The
advocacy program contributes to the community empowerment to
actively participate in planning and budgeting processes at
local government level.
This results in sub counties allocating adequate resources for
sustainable agriculture activities.
The main activities within this program are stakeholders’
consultative meeting, awareness workshops at community level,
training local government and local leaders in participatory
gender sensitive planning and budgeting, gathering and
information dissemination through research reports, policy and
policy dialogue meetings.
Lobbying (Raising) Funds
The
purpose of raising funds in the RARUDO is mainly for
implementation of the planned activities to benefit the
beneficiaries, to facilitate initial capacity building
activities with in the targeted communities and the
organization.
For long term funding, the organization will establish direct
contact with the funding sources who are willing to support the
organization financially and also in any other area that deem
fit for RARUDO members.
Commercial farming
The
organizations long-term plan is to initiate commercial farming
activities. This is basically for sustainability as well as expanding
its programs, of which its lessons will be carried throughout rural
areas for campaign against poverty. This ensures increased income
at grass root levels to improve the livelihoods of the rural poor
particularly focused on women, orphan /child headed families.
Components
This
includes four major activities that involve the following
components:
-
Commercial Crop production:
The following crops have been selected to be grown
organically: Maize, Sunflower, Sim-sim, and Soya beans,
Pineapple, Passion fruits, Mangoes, Oranges and Vegetables.
The selected crops are processed into maize flour, vegetable
oil production / oil extraction, and maize brand for birds and
animal feeds.
Selected fruits are processed using solar dryers.
Juices, jam and wine to be preserved, packed ready for
consumption.
All the seeds are tested at the Uganda Seed Scheme Laboratory
for germination prior to planting.
Irrigation systems will be adopted for unpredictable weather
to help in crop production during drought in one demonstration
garden.
-
Animal husbandry
This will greatly support the practicing of sustainable
agriculture mainly in the area of manure making which include
the following: - cows, goats, birds, pigs and bee keeping
It is the plan to support the members by giving every five
families one cow, one goat, one pig and some few poultry. The
methods will be that one family has a cow, the other gets a
goat etc and after the giving birth of any of these, the
offspring will be given to one member in the five family team
at random until the entire five members have acquired all the
different category of animals. This will help the community in
organic farming practicing thus alleviating poverty.
-
Micro-finance Program
The organization runs a micro finance scheme to help the rural
communities fight poverty through Micro Credit and Saving
Initiative.
It is the goal to provide micro credit and saving services to
transform the livelihood of the rural active poor into
economically viable and sustainable living.
Mission.
The micro finance mission is to economically empower rural
communities particularly women who are economically
disadvantaged through the delivery of awareness creation,
saving mobilization and giving out small easy loans.
The organization will render these services in a manner that
will safe guard its self-reliant and financial sustainability
as a project.
Objectives
The main objective of the micro finance is to provide easy
financial services to its clients by giving them accessible
micro credit manageable by rural community who do not have
access to commercial banks to acquire loans due to high
interest rate and lack of collateral/ security.
The specific objective of the project include:
-
Providing capacity building workshop for Training of
Trainers to be able to train others, coordinate and support
capacity building programs to manage micro finance related
activities.
-
Identifying, sensitizing and raising awareness to adopt the
better methods of using the loans so as to avoid default and
alleviate poverty.
-
Advocating and lobbying for favourable environment which is
in line with the needs and aspiration of the micro-finance
intuitions and local community.
-
Enhancing transparency and accountability to stakeholders
through improved performance, monitoring and reporting
inline with the national micro finance best practices.
-
Increasing access and participation of the rural poor
particularly women to appropriate financial services
-
Developing and strengthening the operational and management
skills of partner organizations and target clients through
provision of financial and non-financial assistance.
-
Developing special projects and functions that can generate
income thereby reducing over-dependence on external funding
that is inline with micro-finance industry standard.
-
Providing Value adding, gender sensitive, cost effective
demand driven and sustainable services to members and to
stakeholders.
-
Building strong pro-active network that promotes and impacts
on micro-finance clients in line with national MF best
practices.
Strategies
The organization uses the following strategies to address
these constraints to solve the earlier problem statement
with rural communities as the target:
-
Capacity building for micro finance sector players
-
Advocacy program
-
Lobbying (raising) funds
-
Micro credit services
Core Values
-
Community focus
-
Transparency and accountability
-
.Team work
-
Hard work
Target Groups
The Program has a positive impact on income generating
activities in the area by promoting economic growth
through provision of credit facilities, promoting
non-traditional saving and also focusing on skills
training especially in financial management and
entrepreneurship development.
The beneficiaries include: - women, youth, and widows
and. People with small-scale business in Tororo
District.
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Plan of Programme Activities
Program Activities include the following components to
achieve its goal and objectives.
-
Capacity building Training
The organization conducts workshops for the recruited
staff to be trained and work with the program plan
along with RARUDO board members and equips and
provides the management team with facilities to
effectively run the program.
Runs once weekly education and sensitization meetings
to the micro-finance client formed into groups of 10
to 30, providing them with basic knowledge in managing
their business, savings and loans.
This is done to safe guard dropouts, default and
identifying factors that may lead failure to pay back
the loan.
Micro finance clients are trained in best practices in
managing records, finance and reporting
-
Saving
The facility is under membership scheme.
Eligibility criteria.
*Person from the age of 16 years can apply for
microfinance membership
*Should provide a letter of recommendation from
his/her Local Council leader(s).
*Form group of 30 members.
*Membership fee of Ug.shs. 5,000 payable once on
registering.
*At least save Ug.shs. 1,200 monthly and can withdraw
on leaving the group
*Give a notice of one month to management team before
withdrawing the saving
*Bring three passport size photograph and Ug.shs.1,
000 a passbook
-
Credit
This will be available for person(s) above 18 years.
Eligibility criteria
*Formed into group of 30 people 70% must be women.
*Loan Applicant must save at least 30% of the
loan-required security for three months.
*The group, its members should be operating within 20
km radius from the operation center offices
*Each member guarantees each other in case of default
the group must pay for their member balance and or
their savings is deducted to offset the loan amount.
*The loan applicant must have been operating an income
generating for at least six months.
The project must be economically viable
Loan Size Ug.shs Loan period
1st Loan 100,000 4 months
2nd 150,000 6 months
3rd 250,000 8 months
4th 400,000 12 months
Repayment Frequency
Grace period none
Repayment period monthly.
Interest rate 4% per month on declining balance.
Stationery fees 3000.
Loan processing fees 5%
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Education Programs
The Education vision
To
provide quality and affordable education in order to equip pupils with
appropriate knowledge, skills and principles necessary to achieve success in
both academic and social life thus our Educational motto
“OTHERS CAN I CAN DO BETTER”
Mission
To educate, care and develop a total person.
Objective
- Provide quality
but affordable education
- Prepare pupil to
God fearing
- Molding pupil to
respect oneself and others To set up academic
standard to fit the competitive education
environment through quality teaching, testing,
debates discussions, seminars and quiz, so that a
child can develop sound and logical reasoning
- Ensuring that a
pupil who goes through RARUDO can attain skills,
which can help him or her later to live self
reliantly.
The Need
RARUDO from 1999 to date has needy 140
orphans of AIDS, 40-girl child and over 60 vulnerable children and only 60 out
of 240 have benefited from one our partners Community HIV/AIDS Initiatives (CHAI).
This leave the rest of 180 children without hope and the suffering continue
due to limited resources. Some are in primary and secondary education.
There is great need for the organization to plan and provide some classrooms
and dormitories to cater for these children and also providing them with the
following: accommodation, meals, scholastic materials, medical care, bedding,
school uniforms and sanitation package.
Vocational Rehabilitation Center
With support from River Fund, the
organization is constructing a classroom for vocational training students of
whom some were school drop outs and others are handicapped due lack of
recourses.
The ongoing classes are tailored to about 15 students. The organization is
planning to expand this to accommodate even more and to introduce other
courses like catering, Tie and Dye, carpentry and joinery, brick laying,
music, dance, drama, and MDD motor vehicle mechanics.
This will impart knowledge and skills to youths, young women and adults there
after which they will be able to create jobs for themselves.
Adult Education
The organization supports the middle age
group of adults who never continued with their education and to have adult
classes as well to help the aged who did not have a chance to go to school, at
least so they can learn to read and write through this program.
Challenge
- High vulnerability
among children being left behind by their dying
parents
- Increased number
of children demanding / wanting our support and care
- Lack of funds due
to UN predictable funding sources and limited source
of income for furthering organization plans
- No logistic and
infrastructure for carrying out planned activities
- The majority of
the community still living in absolute poverty
(below poverty line)
Programs and Activities