Ssozi Javie's Posts - Urgent Evoke2024-03-28T14:33:45ZSsozi Javiehttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/SsoziJaviehttp://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2209185625?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1http://www.urgentevoke.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=1odmg3uqd4aoc&xn_auth=noEVOKATION - SECOND Drafttag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-05-18:4871302:BlogPost:1528082010-05-18T22:00:00.000ZSsozi Javiehttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/SsoziJavie
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Title:</span></span></b> Improving food access, income and general livelihoods for rural farmers and beyond!</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Presented by</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">:</span> Ssozi Javie…</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Title:</span></span></b> Improving food access, income and general livelihoods for rural farmers and beyond!</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Presented by</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">:</span> Ssozi Javie <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Date of Birth:</span></b> 02/May/1987</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Email:</span></span></b> ssozi.javie@gmail.com <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Address:</span></b> P.O.Box 28478 Kampala</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Location</span></span></b>: Bukoto, Masaka District, Uganda <b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Farmer Group</span></span></b>: Sanyu Ly’amaka Farmers’ Group</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Sanyu Ly’amaka (the group name) is derived from a vernacular word which means “Family Pride”. The group was formed in 2007 to empower rural farmers in the region. It started with 4 members.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Today, the Group is composed of 18 Farmers who work closely with over 100 rural farmers in their area. While most of them small scale farmers, others are trying to go commercial. They grow food crops like beans, soybean, ground nuts, maize, cassava, matooke (banana), sweet potatoes and vegetables.<br/>
On the side, they grow, coffee, keep poultry, small numbers of livestock and<br/>
others have small eucalyptus forests.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Each of these members has a family. The average number of dependants of each of these members is 6 children (most of them in the school going age) and at least 2 adults (either a wife or husband plus one member of the extended family).</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">The members are all from Kakunyu Parish, located in Bukoto Sub-country. They are distributed in three different local councils (LC1).</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Through the 18 members of Sanyu Ly’amaka Farmers Group our target is to reach out to over 300 rural farmers in the region.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">With the USD1,000 we intend to boost the group’s activities to reach out to the wider communities.</p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Aim: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 13px;">To ensure sustainable rural livelihoods for rural farmers through; sensitizing rural farmers on improved farming methods, encouraging group formation and knowledge sharing while ensuring environmental integrity.</span></span></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Abstract:</span></span></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Uganda's economy widely depends on the agricultural sector. Over 85% of the estimated 22 Million Uganda’s total population live in the rural areas and depend mainly on Agriculture. Most of the agricultural activities take place in the rural areas. With that fact, it only right to say that, Uganda’s food production base is widely dependent on the rural farmers. <br/> Many regions in Uganda are practicing subsistence agriculture - mainly because the land is owned by private individuals in small plots; so, the people choose what to do on their plots of land. Because families practice subsistence agriculture on small plots of land, their target is to produce enough food to feed their families until the next harvest. In many cases they fall short of their target. Often, the yields are not enough to feed the family until the next harvest leading to food shortages in homes. This has greatly been attributed to the poor farming methods (many farmers have chosen to remain local - NO diversity in their farming methods), prolonged droughts, pests and diseases. Since agriculture is the source of income, food and general livelihood for these rural farmers, under circumstances, they are faced with situations where they have to sell part of their produce to cater for emerging [basic] needs - access health facilities, pay for school fees, rent, and provide for their families – worsening food shortages. In many cases they sell their produce at very low prices because the market is not readily available plus the middlemen exploit them because they are desperate to sell.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">The rural farmers of Uganda have faced various challenges and these include the following factors among others:</p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Poor methods of farming</b>: While a small percentage of farmers remains particularly conservative and not willing to advance or modernize their farming methods, many rural farmers have not been sensitized about improved methods of farming. As a result, such practices like cultivating up and down the slopes leading to massive soil erosion, over cultivation - not giving soil enough time to regain fertility among others, growing the poor local breeds/ local crops - which cannot survive under poor weather conditions and more prone to pests and diseases.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">On the same note, modern farming equipments also remain very expensive for one subsistence farmer to afford.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Lack of access to the common market/ market support</b>: many rural farmers remain unemployed and they greatly rely selling on part of their agricultural produce to provide the basic needs to their families. This implies that they need a reliable and accessible market to be able to sell their products to earn a decent living.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">The land tenure system:</b> Because the land in Uganda is owned by private individuals, some people have no land at all (the tenants), some have very small plots and while others have very big plots of lands (land lords). Those who have small plots of land have big families. Usually these small plots do not provide enough space for them to practice large scale farming. As the families and communities expand, the rate of production remains the same and sometimes the yields become smaller due to natural factors. In essence, the produce is much less than the subsistence and market requirements.<br/></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Low productivity</b>: As stated earlier, the small plots of land and mentality of subsistence farming coupled with poor methods of farming can only permit low productivity. Farmers use labor intensive techniques using rudimentary tools like hoes, pangs and axes which limit their productivity. In addition many farmers don’t have access to crops and/ seeds at the beginning of the season. This is mainly because most of the seeds are either consumed or spoilt by the pests and often nothing is spared to be planted for the following season. This is a problem because the farmers cannot reach their full potential and as a result many rural farmers remain poor as they barely produce enough to feed their families.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Gender imbalance/ inequality:</b> Issues of domestic violence and gender inequality are still very common in many parts of the Uganda. The men in most cases dictate what the women grow on the family plots. As if that’s not enough, they want to be in charge selling the surplus of the total produce. This means that they control the cash flow in the families and in many cases they first full fill their needs – usually alcohol! Women farmers produce more than half of the food grown in the world. They lack access to land, lack of access to credit, and lack of access to education. This leaves the position of the woman in the family undefined! The abuse and/ violation of the rights of the women in various ways, such as work without pay or underpayment in comparison to their input.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Disease:</b> The rural farmers have been much vulnerable to HIV/AIDs. HIV/AIDs weakens its victims resulting in to decline in agricultural production and food production in particular. Malaria one of the leading killers has also greatly impacted on food production. In Uganda for example, there are seasons where 2 of every 3 family members are down with malaria. During this time, a lot of money (which is not usually readily available is spent on drugs and medication while the food producers remain very weak and bed ridden leading to a tremendous reduction in food production.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Lack to information</b>: here we mention lack of access to agricultural information. This has led to persistent infestation of pests and diseases and lack of planning. Only a handful of the total population of rural farmers is able to read and write. On another note, access to technology remains quite expensive – becomes worse when it comes to rural farmers. This makes information sharing among the rural farmers pretty hard.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">With the above mentioned problems, my proposal idea is:</b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">First of all, as an Urgent Evoke Agent, I intend to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">sensitize and enlighten</b> the rural farmers about changing their mind set as regards improved farming methods to ensure sustainable rural livelihoods while ensuring environmental integrity. This can be done by volunteers who go out in the field to teach farmers on the "grass roots”, peer groups, training of trainers, exchange visits to demonstration farms, also through agricultural organizations.</p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Together with Sanyu Ly'amaka Women's Group, we shall work closely with the rural farmers both in groups and as individuals.</p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Together with these farmers, we shall encourage the youth to participate in the project, assume roles in the project, use the resource centre for their information needs and attend our trainings. This opportunity will enable youth empowerment socially and economically as they will now have a chance to participate on the same platform to contribute to improve their livelihoods. We believe that by doing so, the food security base will shift from being supported by the elderly, to being supported by the youth who are more energetic, flexible and open to change. The enlightenment does not only affect the women, but also the men. In so doing, they both contribute to the desired changes, that is, improved farm yields, improved rural livelihoods, hence ensuring food security in rural communities and beyond).</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Get farmers to work together in groups</b> such as the tukole namwe womens group, Sanyu L’yamaka Farmers’ Group in Masaka district of Uganda. This will help reinvent the spirit of cooperative farming, helping individual farmers enjoy advantages like economies of scale and many others collectively.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Teaming up will facilitate improved information sharing among the rural farmer groups. We shall work closely with the youth. The reason for doing this is to ensure that the youth acquire the skills that we share with the farmers. Because most of the youth are now in school and have attained at least primary education, they will help the rural farmers digest some of these skills.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Grouping up will solve problems like low productivity, gender inequality and limited land for agriculture. Farmers in small and/ big groups should be able to produce agricultural products and create volumes from their numbers. Of course this will also involve training of effective group formation and management which wouldn’t be hard with the minds set.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">In addition, the problem of marketing would be easier solved. Because now the farmers have teamed up, they have more produce to carry to the market in bulk and now they can target bigger markets. The transport cost is shared among the group members or better yet covered using the group savings making the average charge per member affordable. In a group they have more bargaining power to reduce exploitation from the middlemen.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">In groups (small or big) farmers should also be able to acquire soft loans (for low income earners) from the available banks on group security. These loans usually come with low or no interest. The various commercial banks can be approached by these farmer groups. Such banks include Centenary Rural Development Bank, DFCU, Stanbic bank and Housing Finance bank, together with the Micro-finance Institutions. This way, the loan’s liability is split and shared between the various parties involved.</p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Strategy and Implementation</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·</span></span> Village meetings with the rural farmers to raise awareness of our upcoming project. Sanyu Ly’amaka Farmers Group [has promised] to take charge of organizing the village meeting.</p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·</span></span> Set up Demonstration Farm:</p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left:.5in">One fully equipped demonstration farm to be set up in Bukoto, Masaka district as a centre for training and perfection as the idea spreads to other district inside and beyond Uganda.</p>
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<blockquote class="webkit-indent-blockquote" style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;"><span><span style="mso-list:Ignore">I.</span></span> I have already identified three farmers from Sanyu Ly’amaka Farmers Group who are promising to donate small plots of land (up to 100ft by 60ft) to set up the demonstration farm.</blockquote>
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<blockquote class="webkit-indent-blockquote" style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">II. In the initial stages of the project we shall divide up the plot to set up small gardens to ensure growing of various crops. With time we shall seek expansion to setup a permanent structure – to act as the farm store with a training centre along side.</span></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="webkit-indent-blockquote" style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;"><span><span style="mso-list:Ignore">III.</span></span> The farm will be managed by the farmers from Bukoto central sub-county. These farmers shall meet to vote their leaders and decide on the structure of leadership they would want. Sanyu Ly’amaka farmers group has a committee already and we shall base on this experience to implement a desired leadership structure. However, all the community farmers intending to participate in the project will be advised to apply for membership. Membership will be free of charge. As members, the farmers will have equal liability to oversee and choose the proper direction towards which the project should be run with minimum supervision from the board of directors. The board of directors.</blockquote>
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<blockquote class="webkit-indent-blockquote" style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;"><span><span style="mso-list:Ignore">IV.</span></span> The farm will be managed and operated by the farm committee. The committee will seek and recruit employees on the farm as required.</blockquote>
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<blockquote class="webkit-indent-blockquote" style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;"><span><span style="mso-list:Ignore">V.</span></span> In the initial set up of the farm we shall rely on farmers and the youth as volunteers to do the necessary work with limited help from paid/ out sourced labour. The reason for doing this is mainly to ensure that the farmers take control of the project from the start to ensure a spirit of self confidence in the project. Often when you introduce an already made demonstration farm, the farmers tend not to feel confident while running it. The out sourced labour will be paid a little fee from the small seed grant.</blockquote>
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<blockquote class="webkit-indent-blockquote" style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;"><span><span style="mso-list:Ignore">VI.</span></span> When the farm is set and the operations begin, we shall seek to get some earning from the food and cash crops that will come from the demonstration farm. When this produce is sold, the income will be sold and the saving used for running the farm.</blockquote>
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<blockquote class="webkit-indent-blockquote" style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;"><span><span style="mso-list:Ignore">VII.</span></span> The committee members of the farm will be paid a small stipend [to compensate for their work done and time dedicated to the project] from the farm savings as agreed upon by the project members.</blockquote>
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<blockquote class="webkit-indent-blockquote" style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;"><span><span style="mso-list:Ignore">VIII.</span></span> Seeds availability and Seed security. For the seeds we are going to make sure that we provide seeds to those farmers who are in need. We shall have to put a condition that the seeds are provided to our members on agreed terms. For example once we give a member seeds, we expect the farmer we give the seeds to bring back the seeds after harvest with or without a turnover. The turnover we get from the farmers will be saved in the farm granary and saved for those seasons when there are shortages. For example, if we give a member 1 kilogram of soybean or beans, we would want them to bring back the 1 kilogram after harvesting - if they can give us some more than what we gave them, we save the extra seeds for them and for as long as they have enough, we can still redistribute these seeds to other farmers who need them. The cycle continues.</blockquote>
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<blockquote class="webkit-indent-blockquote" style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;"><span><span style="mso-list:Ignore">IX.</span></span> Link rural farmers with other organizations [both local and international] addressing agriculture and food security issues. We are already in touch with some of the organizations. A list of prospective partners has been provided below and we intend to seek more partnerships in the future.</blockquote>
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<blockquote class="webkit-indent-blockquote" style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;"><span><span style="mso-list:Ignore">X.</span></span> While most of the activities at the demonstration farm will not need fund, activities like training and farm visits will in the initial stages of the project will be funded from donations which we shall seek from our partners. We shall also use this proposal to apply for funds from other donor organizations.</blockquote>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left:.5in">The demonstration farm will act as a learning centre to spread practices like sustainable organic agriculture (organic crop production methods) and permaculture.</p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left:.5in">On the demonstration farm we shall show rural farmers how they can improve their farm yields regardless of the size of their farms, financial status or even level of education.</p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left:.5in">We shall depend mainly on use of the traditional tools which are easily accessible to the rural farmers like – pangs, hoes. However where possible [in the long run] we shall embark on introduction of improved farm tools and technology to make the work of farmers even simpler.</p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left:.5in">We shall plant a variety of the crops that the farmers in the area are planting plus a few other crops that the farmers will find necessary to introduce to their communities as they might benefit them economically or to improve on their diets.</p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"><b>·</b></span> <b>Trainings:</b></p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left:.5in">Conduct one day kick off seminar in Masaka for already established farmer groups, the youth and farmers in general to officially launch the project and to encourage the communities to use and consult from the demonstration farm, create new partnerships with other organizations and projects.</p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left:.5in">After the kick off workshop, the trainings at the demonstration farm will continue to be organized at the one a week or one every two weeks depending on the public request.</p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left:.5in">The trainings will also be arranged away from the farm on individual or group owned farms to make the trainings more accessible to as many farmers as possible.</p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left:.5in">We shall rely on both the indigenous knowledge from the rural farmers and expertise from organizations and agricultural specialists like National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), Kulika Uganda, St. Jude Family Project, Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Uganda, previous researches and institutions like the Ministry of Agriculture, Uganda Investment Research Institute, and Uganda National Bureau of Standards.</p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·</span></span> Setup a resource centre alongside the demonstration centre to facilitate information sharing. Basically we shall use a mix of traditional and modern information and communication technology tools to provide access to information. This information will be in form of; documentaries that promote some of the best practices of agriculture both from experience and research, picture books to demonstrate improved farming methods, resources on effective group formation, CDs and Cassette tapes for the farmers to listen.</p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left:.5in">We shall also rely on the internet widely to access resources that already exist, to network and to share our experiences with farmers all around the world.</p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left:.5in">The resource centre shall also provide general basic information like health, sanitation, financial and environmental information.</p>
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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·</span></span> Exchange farm visits. We shall partner with other demonstration farms all around the country to extend our reach to other communities. The aim for this is to ensure that our members learn from other farmer groups’ experience.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%">Way forward</span></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">1. The land on which a demonstration farm is to be set up will be donated by the farmers (3 of them have already promised to donate the land). We shall ensure that the demonstration farm trains more trainers from different areas around the district to ensure that the skills are dispersed widely such that the project benefits people beyond the targeted community as well - training of trainers. Knowledge and skills sharing is one of our core values.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">2. There will be a monitoring and evaluation exercise every three months. The evaluation will look at how the demonstration farms are working with the farmers to sensitize them and work as a learning centre, the general assessment of food access and rural livelihoods for the rural farmers – in terms of quality of diets and quantity. We shall also assess our modes of information and skills sharing see how best to improve them to increase on the rural outreach and to extend the benefits of the project to those that need it the most.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">3. Even though the project will look at promoting entrepreneurship, we shall encourage the farmers to start by growing enough food for their families. This will help to improve on food access in the families. On a side by side basis, we shall encourage farmers to produce as much as they can to promote the entrepreneurship aspect such that they can sell the surplus to earn a living to cater for their basic needs.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">4. Farmers will be encouraged to work in groups to reinvent the spirit of cooperative farming with its unsung advantages. Youth and women participation and membership will be specifically encouraged.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">5. We shall create connections and affiliate the farmer groups in our reach/ project with other non-profit organizations working in the field of agriculture both local and international – these include: Food and Agriculture Organisation, National Agriculture Research Organsiation, Dimitra, World Food Programme, Women of Uganda Network/ Kubere Information Centre, National Agriculture Research Organisation (NARO), NAADS, Plan For Modernisation of Agriculture and other already established demonstration farms in the country.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">We shall also seek partnership from other institutions like; Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Uganda National Bureau of Standards and Uganda Investment Research Institute.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%">Why this project will succeed over similar projects or where others have failed?</span></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">This project will succeed because we are going to start by breaking both institutional and cultural barriers that stop women and the youth from benefiting from general agriculture funding. We are going to achieve this through sensitizing our members about the gender issues. With the increased global advocacy for women emancipation, women’s incomes have improved. Women tend to invest more in education, nutrition and health of their families improving on the general livelihoods of rural communities. This is why our project particularly encourages women farmers and the youth to get on board.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">The beauty of our project is that it seeks to sensitize the farmers about ecology, economy and social concerns of agriculture in development as a sustainable approach starting with rural livelihoods inspired by the global food security.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">The project will succeed because it has clearly identified the needs of the farmers both the function, and the non functional. Right from information to the problems and identified the solutions for each of the problems as well as devising localized means of information sharing among the rural farmers.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">This project will succeed because it promotes solidarity among farmers. Solidarity is not a new idea, but indigenous. Our ancestors had this spirit and for some reason, it was eroded! Now, we are reinventing it, with more advantages for the rural farmers to enjoy the economies of scale. Of course here I have to mention increased bargaining power, more advocacy to stop land grabs through secure land rights.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">This project is going to succeed because it covers the gender gap between rural farmers. We are engineering a more gender sensitive approach to seek solutions to issues like seed security. In Africa, women have proved to be in a better position to ensure seed security. Often, the women are the ones who preserve the seeds for planting the next season. And they are also the ones who sow, weed and harvest in most cases.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Many projects have dictated on what the farmers should grow – often cash crops. This project is going to encourage the farmers to grow food crops for the start to ensure that the farmers ensure food security in their homes before they start producing on a larger scale. Many farmers grow cash crops which usually take too long to grow and ignore the food crops; this makes them spend a lot of money on food. And because of the immense poverty, some cannot even afford the food.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">This project will succeed because the bulk produce of the farmers enabling them to tap into the nearest markets they have in their reach; this will enable them to supply food crops to schools, hospitals in their communities and beyond. Farmers waste a lot of their time trying to break into external markets and ignore the nearest markets which would even cut on their costs of production through reduced costs of transportation.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Links to organization we intend to establish partnership with:</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color:black;mso-themecolor:text1">Prospective National/ Local Partners</span></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;mso-themecolor:text1">Plan for Modernisation of Agriculture:</span> <a href="http://www.pma.go.ug/"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black;mso-themecolor:text1">www.pma.go.ug</span></a></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; color:black;mso-themecolor:text1">One Acre Fund:</span></span> <a href="http://www.oneacrefund.org">www.oneacrefund.org</a></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; color:black;mso-themecolor:text1">National Agricultural Research Institute:</span></span> <a href="http://www.naro.go.ug">www.naro.go.ug</a></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; color:black;mso-themecolor:text1">Kulika Uganda:</span></span> <a href="http://www.kulika.org">www.kulika.org</a></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; color:black;mso-themecolor:text1">Ministry of Agriculture</span></span></p>
<br/>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; color:black;mso-themecolor:text1">National Crops Resources Research Institute</span></span> <a href="http://www.naro.go.ug/Institute/Namulonge/index.html"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black;mso-themecolor:text1">www.naro.go.ug/Institute/Namulonge/index.html</span></a></p>
<br/>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black; mso-themecolor:text1">Women of Uganda Network</span> <a href="http://www.wougnet.org/"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">www.wougnet.org</span></a></p>
<br/>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black; mso-themecolor:text1">Kubere Information Centre</span> <a href="http://www.kic.wougnet.org/"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">www.kic.wougnet.org</span></a></p>
<br/>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black;mso-themecolor:text1">Prospective International Partners</span></b></p>
<br/>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black; mso-themecolor:text1">Gardens of Gratitude:</span> <a href="http://www.gardensofgratitude.org/"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">www.<b>gardens</b>of<b>gratitude</b>.org</span></a></p>
<br/>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; color:black;mso-themecolor:text1">Food and Agriculture Organisation</span></span> <a href="http://www.fao.org">www.fao.org</a></p>
<br/>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; color:black;mso-themecolor:text1">Katine Village:</span></span> <span class="apple-style-span"><span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/">www.guardian.co.uk/</a><b>katine</b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%">Financial Plan</span></b></p>
<br/>
<p class="MsoNormal">Below is a summary of how the $1,000 will be spent.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><img width="672" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2234211912?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" alt=""/></p>
<p></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; color: rgb(148, 54, 52);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Thanks to Agents:</span></span> <span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: white;"><a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ChrisDelamer"><span style="color:#788F94"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Chris Delamer</span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">,</span> <a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/JaneMcGonigal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Jane McGonigal</span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">,</span> <a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/SarahShawTatoun"><span style="color:#788F94"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Sarah Shaw Tatoun</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">,</span> <a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/NickHeyming"><span style="color:#788F94"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Nick Heyming</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">,</span> <a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/PatricioBuenrostroGilhuys"><span style="color:#788F94"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Patricio Buenrostro-Gilhuys</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">,</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: white;"><span class="apple-style-span"><a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/kiyash"><span style="color:#788F94"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">kiyash</span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">,</span> <span style="color:#788F94"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/TernuraRojas">Ternura</a> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(94, 94, 94); font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: white;"><a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/TernuraRojas"><span style="color:#788F94"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Rojas</span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">,</span> <a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/DarioSolina"><span style="color:#788F94"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">ob1</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="color:#788F94"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/BuffyB">Buffy</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(94, 94, 94); font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/BuffyB"><span style="color:#788F94"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">B</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">,</span> <a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/MicheleBaron"><span style="color:#788F94"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Michele Baron</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">,</span> <a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/JeremyLairdHogg"><span style="color:#788F94"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Jeremy Laird Hogg</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">,</span> <a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/UrsulaKochanowsky"><span style="color:#788F94"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Ursula Kochanowsky</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">,</span> <span style="color:#788F94"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ReidFalconer">Reid</a> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(94, 94, 94); font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/ReidFalconer"><span style="color:#788F94"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Falconer</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">,</span> <span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(148, 54, 52);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b>for your comments to my “</b></span><a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profiles/blogs/evokation-first-draft"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b>Evokation – First Draft</b></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b>”,</b> your comments have really helped me a lot to reach this far.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br/></span>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(148, 54, 52);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">If you think this Evokation can apply in your country, feel free to improve on it and use it as required.</span></span></span></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>2011 Presidential Election Monitoring: The Dark Site!tag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-05-13:4871302:BlogPost:1490412010-05-13T00:48:10.000ZSsozi Javiehttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/SsoziJavie
<a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/photo/albums/election-monitoring-dark-site">http://www.urgentevoke.com/photo/albums/election-monitoring-dark-site…</a><div><br></br></div>
<div><p style="text-align: left;"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2146485687?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="721"></img></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br></br></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"></p>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;"></div>
</div>
<a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/photo/albums/election-monitoring-dark-site">http://www.urgentevoke.com/photo/albums/election-monitoring-dark-site</a><div><br/></div>
<div><p style="text-align: left;"><img width="721" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2146485687?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" alt=""/></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br/></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"></p>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The up coming "2011 presidential elections" have raised a lot of "suspicion" and fear that there is likely to be violence should there be any sort of vote ridging or what has been previously referred to as "unfair practices" Apart from that, the voters are not confident that the history of unfair elections will not repeat itself.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;"><br/></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">For the above reason I believe that involving the local communities in watching, observing, gathering information and reporting all sorts of events that take place at polling stations in their communities on real time.</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;"><br/></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">And now we have a dark site which I have developed on a WORDPRESS platform to facilitate information gathering.</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;"><br/></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">Wordpress is one of the most powerful Content Management Systems today and I believe it would be a strong platform to perform this task.</div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;"><br/></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">Also Read : <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; white-space: pre;"><a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profiles/blogs/monitoring-2011-uganda">http://www.urgentevoke.com/profiles/blogs/monitoring-2011-uganda</a></span></div>
<p></p>
</div>EVOKATION - First Draft!tag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-05-12:4871302:BlogPost:1489632010-05-12T23:59:26.000ZSsozi Javiehttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/SsoziJavie
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%">Title:</span></b> Improving food access and livelihoods for rural farmers and beyond!</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Presented by</b>: Ssozi Javie</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal">For EVOKATION…</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%">Title:</span></b> Improving food access and livelihoods for rural farmers and beyond!</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Presented by</b>: Ssozi Javie</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal">For EVOKATION</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt">Vision</span></b></p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal">To help rural farmers improve on their livelihoods through improved farm yields, for sustainable
development.</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%">Abstract:</span></b></p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal">Uganda's economy widely depends on the agricultural sector. The biggest population of Ugandans benefits from Agriculture - both directly
and indirectly.<br/>
Many regions in Uganda are practicing subsistence agriculture - mainly because<br />
the land is owned by private individuals in small plots; so, the people choose<br />
what to do on their plots of land.<br/>
Because families practice subsistence agriculture on small plots of land, their<br />
target is to produce enough to feed their families until the next<br />
harvest. In many cases they fall short of their target. Often yields are not<br />
enough to feed the family until the next harvest. This has greatly been<br />
attributed to the poor farming methods (many farmers have chosen to remain<br />
local - NO diversity in their farming methods), prolonged droughts, pests and<br />
diseases.<br/>
Under circumstances, the farmers are faced with situations where they have to<br />
sell part of their produce to cater for emerging needs - access health<br />
facilities, pay for school fees, rent, provide for their families, name it...<br />
In many cases they sell their produce at very low prices because the market is<br />
not readily available plus the middlemen exploit them because they are<br />
desperate to sell.</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal">The rural farmers of Uganda have faced various challenges and these include the following factors among others:</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Poor methods of farming</b>: While a small percentage of
farmers remains particularly conservative and not willing to advance or<br />
modernize their farming methods, many rural farmers have not been sensitized<br />
about improved methods of farming. As a<br />
result, such practices like cultivating up and down the slopes leading to<br />
massive soil erosion, over cultivation - not giving soil enough time to regain<br />
fertility among others, growing the poor local breeds/ local crops - which<br />
cannot survive under poor weather conditions and more prone to pests and<br />
diseases.</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal">On the same note, modern farming equipments also remain very expensive for one subsistence farmer to afford.</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Lack of access to the common market/ market support</b>: many rural farmers remain unemployed and
they greatly rely selling on part of their agricultural produce to provide the<br />
basic needs to their families. This implies that they need a reliable and<br />
accessible market to be able to sell their products to earn a decent living.</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">The land tenure system:</b> Because the land in Uganda
is owned by private individuals, some people have no land at all (the tenants),<br />
some have very small plots and while others have very big plots of lands (land<br />
lords). Those who have small plots of land have big families. Usually these<br />
small plots do not provide enough space for them to practice large scale<br />
farming. As the families and communities expand, the rate of production remains<br />
the same and sometimes the yields become smaller due to natural factors. In<br />
essence, the produce is much less than the subsistence and market requirements.<br />
</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Low productivity</b>: As stated earlier, the small plots of land and mentality of subsistence farming
coupled with poor methods of farming can only permit low productivity. In<br />
addition many farmers don’t have access to crops and/ seeds at the beginning of<br />
the season. This is mainly because most of the seeds are either consumed or<br />
spoilt by the pests and often nothing is spared to be planted for the following<br />
season. This is a problem because the farmers cannot reach their full potential<br />
and as a result many rural farmers remain poor as they barely produce enough to<br />
feed their families.</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Gender imbalance:</b> of course we still have issues of domestic violence and gender inequality. The
men in most cases dictate what the women grow on the family plots. As if that’s<br />
not enough, they want to be in charge selling the surplus of the total produce.<br />
This means that they control the cash flow in the families and in many cases they<br />
first full fill their needs – usually alcohol! This leaves the women the<br />
position of the woman in the family undefined! The abuse and/ violation of the<br />
rights of the women in various ways, such as work without pay or underpayment<br />
in comparison to their input.</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">With the above mentioned problems, my proposal idea is:</b></p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">First of all, as an Urgent Evoke Agent, I intend to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">sensitize and enlighten</b> the rural farmers about changing their mind set. This can be done by volunteers who go
out in the field to teach farmers on the “grass roots”, peer groups, training<br />
of trainers, exchange visits to demonstration farms, also through agricultural organizations.<br />
The enlightenment does not only affect the women, but also the men. In so<br />
doing, they both contribute to the desired changes, that is, improved farm<br />
yields, improved rural livelihoods, hence ensuring food security in rural<br />
communities and beyond).</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Get farmers to work together in groups</b> such as the “tukorehamwe womens group” in Masaka
district of Uganda. This will help reinvent the spirit of cooperative farming,<br />
helping individual farmers enjoy advantages like economies of scale and many<br />
others collectively.</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal">This way, the problems like low productivity, gender inequality and limited land for agriculture will be solved. Farmers in small or
big groups would be able to produce agricultural products and create volumes<br />
from their numbers. Of course this will also involve training of effective<br />
group formation and management which wouldn’t be hard with the minds set.</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal">In addition, the problem of marketing would be easier solved. Because now the farmers have teamed up, they have more produce to carry
to the market in bulk and now they can target bigger markets. The transport<br />
cost is shared among the group members or better yet covered using the group<br />
savings making the average charge per member affordable.</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal">In groups (small or big) farmers would also be able to acquire soft loans (for low income earners) from the available banks on group
security. These loans usually come with low or no interest. The various<br />
commercial banks can be approached by these farmer groups. Such banks include Centenary<br />
Rural Development Bank, DFCU, Stanbic bank and Housing Finance bank. This way,<br />
the loan’s liability is split and shared between the various parties involved.</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt">Target Group</span></b></p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal">Rural farmers in Masaka District of Uganda.</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt">Implementation</span></b></p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">· <span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span>One demonstration farm to be set up in Masaka<br />
district as a centre for training and perfection as the idea spreads to other<br />
district inside and beyond Uganda.</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">· <span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span>Conduct one day seminar in Masaka for already<br />
established farmer groups and farmers in general.</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">· <span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span>The Masaka demonstration farm will be used as<br />
training centre to train more farmers in improved farming methods and sharing<br />
best practices.</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal"></p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%">Way forward</span></b></p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal">1. I hope that by completing the demonstration training centre we will have trainers to train other farmers.</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal">2. There will be a monitoring and evaluation exercise every three months</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal">3. Farmers will be encouraged to start by growing enough food for their families with a little surplus for sell.</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal">4. Farmers will be encouraged to work in groups to reinvent the spirit of cooperative farming with its unsung advantages.</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal">5. We shall connect/ affiliate these farmer groups with other non-profit organizations working in the field of agriculture both local
and international – these include: Food and Agriculture Organisation, National<br />
Agriculture Research Organsiation, Dimitra, World Food Programme, National Agriculture Research Organisation - Kawanda and other already established<br />
demonstration farms in the country.</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal"></p>Unveiling Evoke Season 2: In my Words!tag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-05-12:4871302:BlogPost:1489502010-05-12T23:51:52.000ZSsozi Javiehttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/SsoziJavie
Urgent Evoke Season 2 Episode 1<div>No man is an Island. Thats an old proverb. If we are to sold the grand challenges, we have to join hands!</div>
<div><br></br></div>
<div>Page 1</div>
<div><br></br></div>
<div>Panel A</div>
<div>Picture of people (Kalamajong - pastoralist tribe in northern Uganda) planting trees in Northern Uganda. In 2015 there were threats that this part of the country was becoming a desert.</div>
<div><br></br></div>
<div>Agent Javie, could you please give us a hand here? My fellow…</div>
Urgent Evoke Season 2 Episode 1<div>No man is an Island. Thats an old proverb. If we are to sold the grand challenges, we have to join hands!</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Page 1</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Panel A</div>
<div>Picture of people (Kalamajong - pastoralist tribe in northern Uganda) planting trees in Northern Uganda. In 2015 there were threats that this part of the country was becoming a desert.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Agent Javie, could you please give us a hand here? My fellow Agents are calling. Apparently we have to set up a nursery bed!</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Panel B</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Shows a couple of Agents recording a video conference.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Panel C</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Shows Alchemy addressing the Agents on a video call.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Alchemy</div>
<div>This is Alchemy, nice to see you have turned up in big numbers. Now, with out wasting time, lets get to work. Remember, that if you dont engage the communities is saving them from the long droughts, you will have achieved nothing - nothing! He Emphasizes.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Page 2</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Panel A</div>
<div>Shows the Agents addressing the people in Northern Uganda on a wide dry grassland.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Panel B</div>
<div>Shows pictures of the cows dying of hunger and lack of water.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Panel C</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>The Village chief is talking to Agent Ronald Kasendwa. The Chief is suggesting that if we dont act fast to find water for the animals, they are all going to die in just a few days!!</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Page 3</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>You can dance on the tunes of a drum of your own child! Adopted from an old African proverb which means that, even your child can give you advice and you take it.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Panel A</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Agent Ronald Kasendwa</div>
<div>Agents we have a more urgent Evoke now. Like you already know, the water crisis here is becoming worse. We have to get water for the animals, the village Chief says the animals are dying!</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Panel B</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>The look of confusing on the faces of the Agents.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Panel C</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Agent Ssozi Javie is using his Smart Phone to check google maps for the Places mapped with water. In 2010 the Students of Lacor - in northern Uganda used GRPS to map water access in their region. Agent Ssozi Javie explains that this information will help the Agents to trace the nearest water source.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>To be continues......</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div><br/></div>
<div><br/></div>Unveiling Evoke Season 2tag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-05-12:4871302:BlogPost:1489492010-05-12T23:51:13.000ZSsozi Javiehttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/SsoziJavie
Urgent Evoke Season 2 Episode 1<div>No man is an Island. Thats an old proverb. If we are to sold the grand challenges, we have to join hands!</div>
<div><br></br></div>
<div>Page 1</div>
<div><br></br></div>
<div>Panel A</div>
<div>Picture of people (Kalamajong - pastoralist tribe in northern Uganda) planting trees in Northern Uganda. In 2015 there were threats that this part of the country was becoming a desert.</div>
<div><br></br></div>
<div>Agent Javie, could you please give us a hand here? My fellow…</div>
Urgent Evoke Season 2 Episode 1<div>No man is an Island. Thats an old proverb. If we are to sold the grand challenges, we have to join hands!</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Page 1</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Panel A</div>
<div>Picture of people (Kalamajong - pastoralist tribe in northern Uganda) planting trees in Northern Uganda. In 2015 there were threats that this part of the country was becoming a desert.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Agent Javie, could you please give us a hand here? My fellow Agents are calling. Apparently we have to set up a nursery bed!</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Panel B</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Shows a couple of Agents recording a video conference.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Panel C</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Shows Alchemy addressing the Agents on a video call.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Alchemy</div>
<div>This is Alchemy, nice to see you have turned up in big numbers. Now, with out wasting time, lets get to work. Remember, that if you dont engage the communities is saving them from the long droughts, you will have achieved nothing - nothing! He Emphasizes.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Page 2</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Panel A</div>
<div>Shows the Agents addressing the people in Northern Uganda on a wide dry grassland.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Panel B</div>
<div>Shows pictures of the cows dying of hunger and lack of water.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Panel C</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>The Village chief is talking to Agent Ronald Kasendwa. The Chief is suggesting that if we dont act fast to find water for the animals, they are all going to die in just a few days!!</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Page 3</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>You can dance on the tunes of a drum of your own child! Adopted from an old African proverb which means that, even your child can give you advice and you take it.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Panel A</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Agent Ronald Kasendwa</div>
<div>Agents we have a more urgent Evoke now. Like you already know, the water crisis here is becoming worse. We have to get water for the animals, the village Chief says the animals are dying!</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Panel B</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>The look of confusing on the faces of the Agents.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Panel C</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Agent Ssozi Javie is using his Smart Phone to check google maps for the Places mapped with water. In 2010 the Students of Lacor - in northern Uganda used GRPS to map water access in their region. Agent Ssozi Javie explains that this information will help the Agents to trace the nearest water source.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>To be continues......</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div><br/></div>
<div><br/></div>My Evoke Manifesto!!tag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-05-12:4871302:BlogPost:1488912010-05-12T23:23:01.000ZSsozi Javiehttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/SsoziJavie
<ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.4em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; font-size: 1em;">
</ul>
<ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.4em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; font-size: 1em;">
<li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.4em; margin-left: 1.5em; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; font-size: 1em; list-style-type: square; list-style-xg-p: initial; list-style-image: initial;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">tab-stops:list .5in;background:white""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 19px;">Urgent Evoke is a Crash Course in changing the world. The world is faced by very many challenges today and not even one of us has the ultimate solution or solutions to these challenges.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000">Urgent Evoke was developed as an online game and as a social network and for the past 10 weeks, the Agents (members on the Evoke network) have submitted quests and worked on missions to find solutions to these challenges.</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000"><br/></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000">Evoke is open to everyone who can access the online network even though it was designed for specifically the African Students to Participate. These people join because they see the need to solve the challenges there faced with today. And they find Evoke resourceful.</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000"><br/></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000">An Evoke Agent should be ORIGINAL, the solution should come from the Agents themselves and their knowledge of the challenges and the world they are living in.</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000"><br/></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000">The idea of creating mystery helps to raise the curiosity of the Agents which makes them think and work harder on their Quests.</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000">Creating curiosity helps members work tirelessly because they are expecting something out of what they are doing, but they dont know what. This helps them to enhance their way of thinking - so they can digest thinks faster and provide working ideas in the shortest time possible,</font></p>
</li>
</ul>Culture + Family = Civilization!tag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-05-12:4871302:BlogPost:1488512010-05-12T23:01:39.000ZSsozi Javiehttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/SsoziJavie
Now that you are reading this article I am 100 years old! Maybe I am still alive or somewhere in the "next life". Anyway, I am not writing to talk to you about eternal life.<div><br></br></div>
<div>My children, grand children and grand grand children, I dont know how much longer I will live thats why I am writing this, such the even when I am gone you can always refer to it.</div>
<div><br></br></div>
<div>1. Take time to learn your culture and appreciate it. We have some cultural practices that we…</div>
Now that you are reading this article I am 100 years old! Maybe I am still alive or somewhere in the "next life". Anyway, I am not writing to talk to you about eternal life.<div><br/></div>
<div>My children, grand children and grand grand children, I dont know how much longer I will live thats why I am writing this, such the even when I am gone you can always refer to it.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>1. Take time to learn your culture and appreciate it. We have some cultural practices that we have found to violate human rights - such include female genital mutilation among others.</div>
<div>Culture is our foundation and without it we are like trees with out roots. Our culture not only talks about the people but also tells you about our cultural taboos. Protect our environment [y]our environment. Thats one of our major responsibilities which was God given.</div>
<div>Learning more about your culture will help you understand your country [and the world at larger] plus everything in it.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>2. Love and respect your family. Family is the place where and the people who have brought you up and taken care of you since you were born. Family plays a very important role in a child's up bringing.</div>
<div>Without family the world would be so empty for each and everyone of us.</div>
<div>In school we go to learn a lot, but if it wasnt for the initial mentoring we get from family as we group up, probably school would not be there today. Through your family you will learn about Human Dignity and the rights of a human being as you are now an ambassador and democracy advocate of your generation.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>So, I want you to understand the idea of civilization correctly and carefully. Civilization is achieved by organised cultures/ individuals who are very enthusiastic about preserving their values and norms, with a sense of humor.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Always keep this information and share it on to your generation so it can be kept for as long as the human race lives.</div>
<div><br/></div>A Shield in one Hand and a Spear in the other!tag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-05-12:4871302:BlogPost:1487692010-05-12T22:26:26.000ZSsozi Javiehttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/SsoziJavie
<p style="text-align: left;"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2234210761?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="721"></img></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br></br></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">I took this photo at Lesedi Cultural Centre in South Africa. In Africa a shield is a symbol of security or protections and it was used by the great warriors to protect the people and their kingdoms. In my culture, when an elder passes-on, his successor is given his belonging. If its a boy, he is given a spear and shield. If its a girl, she is given a basket and a knife. The shield…</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><img width="721" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2234210761?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" alt=""/></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br/></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">I took this photo at Lesedi Cultural Centre in South Africa. In Africa a shield is a symbol of security or protections and it was used by the great warriors to protect the people and their kingdoms. In my culture, when an elder passes-on, his successor is given his belonging. If its a boy, he is given a spear and shield. If its a girl, she is given a basket and a knife. The shield symbolizes protection for both family and nature, the spear symbolizes that the man should work hard to provide for his family.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br/></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">I would like to reinvent the same spirit, I give you a shield and spear, not to fight people around you. But to protect nature; both fauna and flora.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br/></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">It is your responsibility to protect our environment!!</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br/></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">As the generations come to pass, we have to keep our cultures growing, pass on the knowledge to the next generation and encourage them to do the same.</p>Floods in the City Part 2: The Resilience Plan.tag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-05-12:4871302:BlogPost:1487082010-05-12T21:51:08.000ZSsozi Javiehttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/SsoziJavie
<p style="text-align: left;"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2234211286?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="721"></img></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The people in the above marked [ around Kampala city] areas have previously suffered a lot from the floods.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Over the years the city council together with the private individuals have designed an urban plan which has helped to improve on the drainage in these areas.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br></br></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The new strategic urban development plan has been quite…</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><img width="721" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2234211286?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" alt=""/></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The people in the above marked [ around Kampala city] areas have previously suffered a lot from the floods.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Over the years the city council together with the private individuals have designed an urban plan which has helped to improve on the drainage in these areas.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br/></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The new strategic urban development plan has been quite effective and now floods are very rare even in long rain seasons.</p>Emergency call to Action for YOU!!tag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-05-12:4871302:BlogPost:1485922010-05-12T20:30:42.000ZSsozi Javiehttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/SsoziJavie
During a pandemic, people are usually upset about the outrage. In such situations, you dont want to tell the communities to "watch out" as that will even cause more fear and panic.<div>We need activists who will listen to the people and tell them that "we will make it through together".</div>
<div><br></br></div>
<div>The local community health workers would do a great job in calming down the situation. Often, we have ignored the role of these community health workers. We have not given them the…</div>
During a pandemic, people are usually upset about the outrage. In such situations, you dont want to tell the communities to "watch out" as that will even cause more fear and panic.<div>We need activists who will listen to the people and tell them that "we will make it through together".</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>The local community health workers would do a great job in calming down the situation. Often, we have ignored the role of these community health workers. We have not given them the skills they need to give the people "psychological first aid". We have forgotten that they are the very first people to respond to such pandemics and that they are trusted in their communities.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>The teachers would also do a great job in calming the people down. Teachers are often respected in their communities, not just by the students but the parents of as well. They would gather information to share with their students and the communities where they work. They would also help in gathering aggregated data and sharing with the health workers online about the numbers of victims in their schools or communities.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>The cooks would get information about hygiene. This information would help them avoid the spread of the virus through sharing kitchen ware, and at the same time help them understand the importance of balanced diets in increasing a person's immunity.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>For the wider internet communities, we would request that you contribute all the information you find that might be important to the activists in this crisis.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>For the Journalists and Citizen journalists, we would request that you read about our online information material about "Crisis Networking" and "Communicating in Crisis" for the tips we have posted there. That would help reduce on the outrage that is likely to be caused by the news companies.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>We would count on each and everyone's support in realizing this objective.</div>Just a Citizen Journalist "Covering Risk"!tag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-05-12:4871302:BlogPost:1478102010-05-12T12:30:18.000ZSsozi Javiehttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/SsoziJavie
During a Global Crisis or Pandemic, good communication is key. Its very important that you spread the information with out creating panic in the people considering the uncertainty that the communities are experiencing at that time.<div>For professional journalists this could be quite simple as compared to the citizen journalists who often use their skills when reporting. So, what is the role of officials and journalists as they deal with both people’s strong emotions and emerging facts as they…</div>
During a Global Crisis or Pandemic, good communication is key. Its very important that you spread the information with out creating panic in the people considering the uncertainty that the communities are experiencing at that time.<div>For professional journalists this could be quite simple as compared to the citizen journalists who often use their skills when reporting. So, what is the role of officials and journalists as they deal with both people’s strong emotions and emerging facts as they communicate with the public? Peter Sandman, an expert in risk communication explains why risk truly has two elements—hazard and outrage—and why understanding them both is crucial to crisis communication as well as pandemic journalism.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div><b>Risk = Harzard + Outrage</b></div>
<div><div>The risks that kill people and the risks that upset people are completely different. If you know a risk is deadly, that tells you almost nothing about whether it’s upsetting. If you know a risk is upsetting, that tells you almost nothing about whether it’s deadly.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>• Let’s consider the technical side of risk—whether it’s likely to kill you, hurt you, or damage the ecosystem. Let’s call that “hazard.”</div>
<div>• Let’s take the other half of risk—the culture half of risk rather than the scientific half—that is, whether it’s likely to upset you, anger you, or frighten you. Let’s call that “outrage.”</div>
<div>• This makes the formula: risk = hazard + outrage.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>The public generally focuses on the outrage and ignores the hazard. The public, therefore, overestimates the risk when the outrage is high and the hazard is low, and underestimates the risk when the outrage is low and the hazard is high.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>The only real relationship between hazard and outrage is that they’re both called “risk” by different groups of people.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>When we look at the high correlation between outrage and hazard perception, the question we’re asking is this: Do people get upset because they think something is dangerous, or do people think something is dangerous because they’re upset?</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div><b>Precaution Advocacy</b></div>
<div>It is very important that you recommend precautions with out increasing outrage.</div>
<div><div>Low outrage equals apathy: people are not interested, they’re not concerned, they’re not upset, they’re not angry, they’re not frightened. They’re apathetic. As a result you’re going to have to:</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>• Keep your message short. Many people have short attention spans.</div>
<div>• Work really hard to make your message interesting, because apathetic people are easily bored. If you’re a source, you’ve got to try to make it interesting to the reporter. If you’re a reporter, you’ve got to try to make it interesting to the editor. If you’re an editor, you’ve got to try to make it interesting for the reader or viewer.</div>
<div>• Stay on message. If you’ve only got an eight-second sound bite, it’s got to be interesting, because people are going to tune out pretty easily. Pick your words very carefully and then stick to them.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div><b>Outrage Management</b></div>
<div>The objective here is to get people to calm down. Usually because they are upset, you have to listen to them. Outrage management is done largely with the ears; precaution advocacy is done exclusively with the mouth. Outrage management involves a lot of listening, and a very weird thing happens when you listen to people’s concerns—they become calmer. I’m not saying the outrage disappears. It’s not magic, but they get calmer. The other thing that happens is they start wanting to hear from you.</div>
</div>
<div><br/></div>
</div>
<div><div><b>Crisis communication</b></div>
<div>Crisis communication is required when people are upset and they have a right to be. That’s a third paradigm, along with precaution advocacy and outrage management. With the first one, the message is “Watch out!” And with the second, it’s “Calm down.” Here the message is, “We’ll get through this together.” And this presents yet a third skill set. The things you do in crisis communication are very different from the things you do with precaution advocacy and outrage management.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Where is pandemic communication in this scenario? It depends where you are in the pandemic and where you are in the world. If there is a pandemic, particularly if there is a 1918-like rather than a 1968-like pandemic, we’ll all be working on crisis communication.</div>
</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div><br/></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Read Details here:</span> <a href="http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/Microsites/NiemanGuideToCoveringPandemicFlu/CrisisCommunication/CoveringRisk.aspx"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Covering Risk</span></a></div>Milestone 2 Set: The Future of Evoke!tag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-05-12:4871302:BlogPost:1477732010-05-12T11:40:47.000ZSsozi Javiehttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/SsoziJavie
Evoke Season one has been a great success in my opinion. We have shared knowledge, interacted, participated, collaborated and used the our knowledge of the world today to identify solutions to some of the worlds Grand Challenges. For that alone we have hit the FIRST Milestone - thanks to the World Bank for their generous support. And I am really proud of you all.<div><br></br></div>
<div>This journey is just beginning. As we look up to Season 2. We have to set the Ultimate Milestone. Because in…</div>
Evoke Season one has been a great success in my opinion. We have shared knowledge, interacted, participated, collaborated and used the our knowledge of the world today to identify solutions to some of the worlds Grand Challenges. For that alone we have hit the FIRST Milestone - thanks to the World Bank for their generous support. And I am really proud of you all.<div><br/></div>
<div>This journey is just beginning. As we look up to Season 2. We have to set the Ultimate Milestone. Because in season 1 we have mainly worked on gathering information, ideas and solutions, now is the time to start going practical in all that we have achieve so far.</div>
<div>We have talked about Food Security, Water Crisis, Power Shift extra; and believe it or not we have gathered very decent solutions and ideas. Now we have to get our hands dirty. Lets try to apply [Y]OUR ideas.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Previously we Acted and Envisioned the future. Now we are seeking to get down to earth and start weaving and engineering the mechanisms that we think will best bring about sustainable development.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Evoke has helped to build some of the most important values in the lives of the Urgent Evoke Agents. These include; collaboration, courage, knowledge sharing, innovation and entrepreneurship. Evoke should continue to promote those values in the best way they could. To the Agents, I appeal that you continue the great work you have done and what you are yet to do.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Of course the Grand Challenges still stand and always threaten to deter development all around in the world.</div>
<div><ul>
<li>Food Insecurity is a very big problem in developing countries around the world</li>
<li>Access to safe water remains a very big challenge to over 80% of the worlds population</li>
<li>Environmental issues - Climate Change</li>
<li>Women Empowerment - with the increasing gender based violence and gender inequality</li>
<li>Disease - virus like HIV/AIDs, Malaria, Killer Flu and Ebola which have increased the mortality rate both in children and adults.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>Because of this and many other natural factors, Evoke should continue supporting the platforms that facilitate discussions like the ones we took in season 1.</div>
<div>These challenges cannot be solved by one person, country or organisation, but only through joint efforts. Because these challenges affect people, we can only trust and count on those same people to solve them. Therefore I appeal to Evoke to continue working closely with the wider communities to identify new grand challenges and also solve those that are existing already.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Because Evoke has been mainly English, many people who donot speak English have not had a chance to share the knowledge and contribute. If feasible [through I believe it is], we would like to see Evoke translated into many other local and international languages. For a start, we could have a few international languages like French, Spanish and Arabic added to the portal and later we count on Evoke Agents as volunteers to translate the content they find useful to their local communities into other languages. This will help increase on the spread of the missions around the world.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div><b>Building Evoke Networks:</b></div>
<div>Generally the Evoke networks are needed everywhere in the world. Both in developing and developed countries. The building of Evoke Networks in developing countries however should be given special priority, often these are poor countries where people dont even have access to information and the internet at large. In such countries, Evoke should support the few active Agents to spread to raise awareness of such challenges in both rural and urban communities. The online network should also be mentored and encouraged to ensure active and positive participation.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div><b>YOU should play season 2: Why?</b></div>
<div>One thing I have learned about season 1 is that even though some Agents have been less active, they have always made incredible contributions to the network to the best of their ability. I have always admired the power and spirit of almost each and every Agent. Some people are not practical but very good at ideas, others are not good at ideas but very good at implementing.</div>
<div>So, I think with Season 2, it would be nice if every one who can continues. Of course everyone who is willing to continue should understand the challenger ahead: - "Putting their Knowledge acquired from Season 1 to work". Which shouldnt be such a task.</div>
<div>It will take encouragement, collaboration and sharing ideas as we go practical, so I am sure each and everyone's input would be of great help.</div>
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<div><b>New Tools for Evoke Agents:</b></div>
<div>Personally I dont have any special demands for a tool(s) but, in this era of new media, it would be nice to make internet access for the Agents who have a problem of connectivity, also special training in social media and use of the available technologies for advocacy would probably be very useful to the Agents.</div>
<div>If possible, it would also be nice to compile a small manual or handbook for the Agent to share with their communities. In the manual we could have featured stories or even links to stories and evidence from season 1. This would help Agents stay more focused and also as a means of information sharing.</div>
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<div><b>I will Back for Season 2: Why?</b></div>
<div>The end of Season 1 is just the Beginning, Season 1 was just the theory - or at least thats how I see it. This time round, I want to borrow ideas from the book (Season 1 photos, videos and blogs). I want to reach the communities and confront these challenges together with other activists.</div>
<div>I would also like to continue contributing to and learning from the network.</div>
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<div>I cant wait to see YOU all in Season 2. Well done on season 1.</div>
<div><br/></div>Protect a Tree to Save a Gorilla : Involving the Communitiestag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-05-11:4871302:BlogPost:1467632010-05-11T20:44:04.000ZSsozi Javiehttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/SsoziJavie
Who plants the trees? - Communities<div><br></br></div>
<div>Who cuts down the trees? - Communities</div>
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<div>Who is affected most by climate change? - Communitie</div>
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<div>While natural forests exist in Uganda, many other artificial forests exist all around the country.</div>
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<div>In the past people/ communities used to exploit and encroach on the few natural forests that existed at the time.</div>
<div>Today, this is changing little by little…</div>
Who plants the trees? - Communities<div><br/></div>
<div>Who cuts down the trees? - Communities</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Who is affected most by climate change? - Communitie</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>While natural forests exist in Uganda, many other artificial forests exist all around the country.</div>
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<div>In the past people/ communities used to exploit and encroach on the few natural forests that existed at the time.</div>
<div>Today, this is changing little by little as the communities are taking charge of the conservation of their trees and forests. The communities are planting trees extensively on their own family plots.</div>
<div>People plant these forests in many cases not purposely to conserve the environment [as a direct cause] but for cases of individual benefits such as source of a living, timber for construction, fuel, extra.</div>
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<div>Two case studies were taken from Western Uganda, East Africa. Bwindi impenetrable forest - Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and Karuma Game reserve. The Bwindi impenetrable forest - Mgahinga Gorilla national Parks (Bwindi-Mgahinga Gorilla Parks) constitute some of Uganda's "protected areas". They are "protected" as a conservation measure, for Uganda's biological diversity. Even after designating the areas as protected areas, the communities continue to have vested interests and playing a leading role in terms of management and utilization of the areas. A scenario of forest utilization by traditional hunter-gatherers, the Batwa pygmies has also been presented. More importantly, these areas play host to the more than half (about 300) of the endangered mountain gorilla (Gorilla gorilla beringei) in the world. Karuma game reserve is yet another conservation area. It boasts of a successful resettlement scheme of formerly living inside the game reserve boundary.</div>
<div>Read Full Report : <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;"><a href="Community%20Involvement%20in%20Protecting%20Forests%20in%20Uganda">Community Involvement in Protecting Forests in Uganda</a></span></div>
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<div>Often these artificial forests, have become homes for wild animals like monkeys, Gorillas and among other wild animals.</div>
<div>The recent "Friend a Gorilla "campaign launched last year in Uganda which also involved planting trees aimed at fostering the homeless Gorillas and conserving their species.</div>
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<div>The National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) has also done a great job sensitizing the communities about the importance of afforestation and conserving the natural forests. They have also discouraged deforestation.</div>
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<div>The communities have really done great with managing small family and group owned forests. Because many rural families still use firewood as the major source of fuel for example, and also faced with the need to conserve the forests, people have learnt that they can plant their own forests to contribute to the cause of climate change. Now people can fetch firewood, cut timber and hunt in their forests with out necessarily endangering the environment because they as they cut the trees they plant more.</div>
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<div>The National Forest Authority has also been a role model in encouraging the planting of forests, this has been done/ achieved through planting forests in all districts of Uganda.</div>
<div><br/></div>Women Empowered 2020tag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-05-11:4871302:BlogPost:1463842010-05-11T16:30:00.000ZSsozi Javiehttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/SsoziJavie
In the year 2010 I wrote a blog <a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profiles/blogs/foster-girl-sports">Foster Girl Sports!</a> to inform the Urgent Evoke agents about the new sports academy/ club that my friend wanted to start to empower young girls in Uganda.<div>Apparently there was another project already seeking funds in Rwanda. I brought the network up to speed about the two project which I though would be good in building the teamwork, collaboration and self confidence in the young girls…</div>
In the year 2010 I wrote a blog <a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profiles/blogs/foster-girl-sports">Foster Girl Sports!</a> to inform the Urgent Evoke agents about the new sports academy/ club that my friend wanted to start to empower young girls in Uganda.<div>Apparently there was another project already seeking funds in Rwanda. I brought the network up to speed about the two project which I though would be good in building the teamwork, collaboration and self confidence in the young girls in and beyond Uganda.</div>
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<div>Over the years I have worked tirelessly together with civil society an well-wishers to fundraise for these projects. The sports club was started and with a couple of other ideas from here and there she has managed to operate it sustainably. I must say that it must not have been simple for her.</div>
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<div>Today she owns a gym where these girls can practice all sorts of sports. Both indoor and outdoor.</div>
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<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The Team in Rwanda which was empowered by the Global Giving Project is one of the most successful women sports team in East and Central Africa.</span></div>
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<div>The lives of these women have changed so much . Through sports they have learnt to collaborate, work in groups, encourage each other and now they contending in professional football leagues where they are paid. this has helped them to raise their families, start small enterprises and also participate in social, political development of Rwanda.</div>
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<div>At the end of their 10th Anniversary I must say that, they have achieved all they have ever dreamed of.</div>
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<div>Who knew that sports would be this important in raising the status of the woman in communities?</div>
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<div>I must say that the position of the woman has changed so much, and I must thank all of you who generously contributed to the development of this project, without your support, we probably wouldnt have succeeded this far!</div>Foster Girl Sports!tag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-05-08:4871302:BlogPost:1424732010-05-08T10:30:00.000ZSsozi Javiehttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/SsoziJavie
Recently I met a girl who is very enthusiastic about sports. She wants to start up a sports academy for girls to learn the different sports. The academy will also be open to boy even though she encourages girls to join in particular. Apparently she is tennis player.<div>When we talked, I felt so touched about her project that she intends to start. I encouraged her to take it on. She however told me that she needed some support to get the sports wear, and some basic equipment the girls will need…</div>
Recently I met a girl who is very enthusiastic about sports. She wants to start up a sports academy for girls to learn the different sports. The academy will also be open to boy even though she encourages girls to join in particular. Apparently she is tennis player.<div>When we talked, I felt so touched about her project that she intends to start. I encouraged her to take it on. She however told me that she needed some support to get the sports wear, and some basic equipment the girls will need to practice and learn the different sports (footballs, basket balls, jerseys, rackets, tennis balls, volley balls, net balls) . I promised to promote her project and see what she can make out of it. Thats one of the reasons as to why I am writing this article!</div>
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<div>I think sports is really a great activity for girls as it is for the boys. Helps build ones capacity mentally, physically and socially. Look at the element of team work, participation, courage and collaboration. Of course not forgetting the fact that it helps to build the talents of children.</div>
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<div>In Uganda sports is mainly dominated by the boys. What is Gender Equality them?</div>
<div>I believe that the girls need to be empowered through sports! Her project is set to change all that. :)</div>
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<div>I would love to hear what you think about this kind of project.</div>
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<div><a href="http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/train-100-football-women-coaches-in-rwanda/">I have seen a similar project in Rwanda on this website</a>.</div>
<div><br/></div>No woman should have to pay with her life to be a mother: HEALTH WORKERStag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-05-08:4871302:BlogPost:1424312010-05-08T08:04:07.000ZSsozi Javiehttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/SsoziJavie
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">Hundreds of thousands of women, nearly all of them in developing countries, die in childbirth every year, but this does not have to be the case, says Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, calling for global support for United Nations efforts to make motherhood safe for all.…</span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">Hundreds of thousands of women, nearly all of them in developing countries, die in childbirth every year, but this does not have to be the case, says Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, calling for global support for United Nations efforts to make motherhood safe for all.</span><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#333333" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><br/></span></font></div>
<div><p><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#333333" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;">“No woman should have to pay with her life for giving life,” he writes in an <a href="http://www.un.org/sg/articleFull.asp?TID=114&Type=Op-Ed" style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0); text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold;">opinion piece</a> published in the Turkish daily <i>Today’s Zaman</i> and several other media outlets, ahead of Mother’s Day, which will be celebrated in many countries this weekend.</span></font></p>
<p><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#333333" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;">Mr. Ban notes that saving mothers’ lives involves simple blood tests, a doctor’s consultation and someone qualified to help with the birth. The risk of death can almost be eliminated with the addition of some basic antibiotics, blood transfusions and a safe</span></font></p>
<div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#333333" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><br/></span></font></div>
<div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#333333" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;">In Uganda for example, health care services are still in a very poor state, mainly centered around the major cities and trading centers. People in the diaspora have to walk between 10 to 30 kilometers to access a basic health care unit like a clinic. Even though most of these are government owned, the facilities are not available in many of them. The private clinics are rather very expensive and with the immense poverty these are barely affordable.</span></font></div>
<div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#333333" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><br/></span></font></div>
<div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#333333" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;">This implies that roughly 80% of the pregnant women don't get access to proper health care during pregnancy.</span></font></div>
<div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#333333" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><br/></span></font></div>
<div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#333333" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><br/></span></font></div>
<div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#333333" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">In her speech at the healthy Mothers Healthy Nation Day organized by the Save the Mothers Programme at Uganda Christian University Campus Mukono on Saturday 6/03/2010 the First Lady of Uganda - Janet K. Museveni said that "the delays that lead to mothers dying include staying at home and delaying to take a decision to seek medical care, going to hospital at the very last minute and taking long to get appropriate care in the hospitals.</span></span></font></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">“None of these delays happen in isolation and the solution requires the entire community to become involved. Each one of us must play their role because saving mothers is beyond the doctors and midwives."</span><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><br/></span></font></div>
<div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">The First Lady Janet Museveni also said that most causes of Maternal Deaths can be prevented if everyone in the community plays their role to stop the delays encountered by mothers before they reach the hospitals.</span></font></div>
<div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><br/></span></font></div>
<div><p><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">On Wednesday, the First Lady, Mrs. Janet Museveni, launched the campaign for accelerated reduction of maternity, Newborn and Child Mortality in Uganda.</span></font></p>
<p><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">The drive, code named 'EVERYONE', was launched at Mandela National Stadium, Namboole, in Kampala. The ceremony was attended by the social affairs commissioner of the Africa Union, Biance Gawanas.</span></font></p>
<p><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">"There are indications that maternal mortality is reducing gradually. It is our responsibility to ensure that no other mother or child dies due to birth-related complications," Mrs. Museveni said.</span></font></p>
<div id="google_inset_b" class="google_ad float-right" style="float: right; text-align: center; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px;"></div>
<p><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">Citing her experience in community service, Mrs. Museveni said the causes of maternal and infant mortality are preventable.</span></font></p>
<p><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">Inadequate access to antenatal care, lack of sufficient knowledge on family planning and poor nutrition for pregnant mothers, Mrs. Museveni added, were the lead cause of mortality.</span></font></p>
<p><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">She urged heath workers to ensure that no woman dies in child-birth.</span></font></p>
<p><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">Mrs. Museveni, who is also the Karamoja affairs state minister, said there is need to strengthen the health sector.</span></font></p>
<p><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">She also noted the need to increase health workers' salaries and supporting village health teams.</span></font></p>
<p><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><br/></span></font></p>
<p><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The First Lady noted a very important point here. The need to increase on the number of Community Health Workers. This would help reduce on the number of mortality rate for expecting mothers and infants.</span></span></font></p>
<p><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><br/></font></p>
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<p><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">The Secretary-General notes that in poor countries, pregnant women often must fend for themselves, with no healthcare and nowhere to turn. They give birth at home, perhaps with the help of a midwife who most likely has no medical training.</span></font></p>
<p><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Last month, the UN launched a joint action plan with governments, businesses, foundations and civil society organizations to advance safe motherhood worldwide. Reducing maternal mortality by three quarters is among the ambitious targets world leaders have pledged to achieve by 2015, known as the Millennium Development Goals (<a href="http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/" style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0); text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold;">MDGs</a>).</span></font></p>
<p><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', Tahoma, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Mr. Ban, who himself was born not in a hospital but at home in a small village in his native Republic of Korea, urges that everything be done to make motherhood safer for all and to end this “silent scandal.”</span></font></p>
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</div>Introducing : The Community Bank!tag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-05-08:4871302:BlogPost:1424112010-05-08T07:21:03.000ZSsozi Javiehttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/SsoziJavie
Over the years, poverty has been a song in many parts Uganda. With more than 70% of total population living on less than $2 a day!<div>Today I am breaking good news from my sources. A new Bank is set to start operation in just a few weeks. The launch is set for May 14th, 2010.</div>
<div>Ladies and Gentlemen, this bank name is: Community Bank!</div>
<div><p style="text-align: left;"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2234206549?profile=original"></img></p>
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<p style="text-align: left;">"We took a survey in 2007 and…</p>
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Over the years, poverty has been a song in many parts Uganda. With more than 70% of total population living on less than $2 a day!<div>Today I am breaking good news from my sources. A new Bank is set to start operation in just a few weeks. The launch is set for May 14th, 2010.</div>
<div>Ladies and Gentlemen, this bank name is: Community Bank!</div>
<div><p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2234206549?profile=original" alt=""/></p>
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<p style="text-align: left;">"We took a survey in 2007 and another one in 2008 to identify some of the major loop-holes in our monetary system and we found out that the money flow currently poor. Many people don't have access to small loans to help them start small businesses - mainly because they don't have security to cover the loans! At the same time people 's saving habits are poor", said the manager Community Bank in a telephone interview.</p>
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<p style="text-align: left;">Apparently the Community Bank has been <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">formed for the people by the people</span>! The bank is reinventing the cooperative groups in rural communities. Because of the prevailing poverty, many people cannot afford a security for a loan, as a group, it becomes easier to acquire a loan. The bank is going to focus on issuing very low interest rate - development loans to small and big groups of people. Of course these groups have to convince the bank that they will be able to service the loan.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">We shall also issue savings accounts to these groups and individuals.</p>
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<p style="text-align: left;">The bank is set to operate in all districts around Uganda with at least one branch per district. Branches around the country are set to start operating this week.</p>
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<p style="text-align: left;">"We are mainly setting our roots in the diaspora, we realize that the people at the grassroots need immediate rescue from poverty. We promise to work closely with all social entrepreneurs in the country. Agriculture is the leading sector in generating revenue in the country and we have a special plan to modernize agriculture through issuing "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">agriculture modernisation loans to farmers and farmer groups</span>" added the Manager Cooperative Bank.</p>
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<p style="text-align: left;">The major target of this bank is to eliminate poverty through educating social entrepreneurs on how to save, spend and invest wisely. The bank will also issue low interest rate loans to individuals and groups in the diaspora and provide a rescue/ development fund as required.</p>
</div>Floods and Kampala City: Inside Ugandatag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-05-03:4871302:BlogPost:1326772010-05-03T11:47:13.000ZSsozi Javiehttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/SsoziJavie
Kampala is the Capital of Uganda. The city is surrounded by low-lying areas which turn into big lakes when it rains heavily.<div><br></br><div>Most of these low-lying areas are extensions of the city and because accommodation and cost of living are lower, many people are settled there and this has turned these places into slums. Most of these are wetlands and slums. They are heavily affected by heavy rain - water gushes everywhere into people's houses, shops and the road are covered by over 3 feet…</div>
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Kampala is the Capital of Uganda. The city is surrounded by low-lying areas which turn into big lakes when it rains heavily.<div><br/><div>Most of these low-lying areas are extensions of the city and because accommodation and cost of living are lower, many people are settled there and this has turned these places into slums. Most of these are wetlands and slums. They are heavily affected by heavy rain - water gushes everywhere into people's houses, shops and the road are covered by over 3 feet of water eroding people's property and forcing people to abandon their homes.</div>
<div>The shop keepers in these areas suffer huge losses because they deal in merchandise like sugar, cement, beverages, and food stuff which are easily spoiled and eroded by the floods. On the other hand the transportation system is impacted heavily as its usually very hard to cross from one side of town to the other because of the flooded roads. The schools also close because the classrooms are flooded and the roads are impassable.</div>
<div><p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2234204155?profile=original" alt=""/><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2234205287?profile=original" alt=""/></p>
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<div>Over the years people have discourages their colleagues from settling in areas such as Kalerwe, Nansana, Bwaise, Ndeeba and Kireka because these are the areas that are more affected by the floods. The hygiene in these places is very poor and it gets worse in the rain season because you will not differentiate a dirty water from sewage! Which lead to the outbreak of deadly diseases like cholera.</div>
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<div>Residents of these areas have also been advised to relocate to safer places. But of course everyone cant just relocate like that - relocating means a new beginning [from scratch] which is not affordable to many of the people in these areas as they have already established homes and businesses. So they have resorted to resilient plans.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>The drainage system in these areas is very poor, the water channels have been blocked by rubbish.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>What are these plans?</div>
<div>Residents use basins and jerricans to drain their houses.</div>
<div>Even though most of the businesses come to a stand still in times of floods, such times are good times for the umbrella street vendors as the demand for umbrellas are usually on high demand.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>The residents of these areas are trying to be more careful and trying to solve this problem. On several occasions these residents have communally cleaned the drainage water channels, they have also realized that dumping rubbish everywhere is not good so they are trying to be more careful this time round.</div>
<div>The newly built houses have also built with higher verandahs. The newly constructed structures have been built stronger to withstand water damage.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>The residents have also called upon the government and city council to improve on the drainage system.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Floods remain a very challenge in these areas even with these efforts - the struggle continues!!</div>
<div><p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2234205432?profile=original" alt=""/></p>
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</div>Monitoring 2011 Uganda Presidential Elections: Deploying USHAHIDI.tag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-05-01:4871302:BlogPost:1118142010-05-01T20:00:00.000ZSsozi Javiehttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/SsoziJavie
Uganda provides national elections for the president who is elected for a 5 year term.<div><br></br></div>
<div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Overview of the Previous Elections in Uganda:</span></b></div>
<div><p class="root"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; border-collapse: collapse;">The first national election in Uganda was the…</span></p>
</div>
Uganda provides national elections for the president who is elected for a 5 year term.<div><br/></div>
<div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Overview of the Previous Elections in Uganda:</span></b></div>
<div><p class="root"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; border-collapse: collapse;">The first national election in Uganda was the <a href="http://wapedia.mobi/en/Uganda_National_Assembly_elections,_1962" style="color: rgb(22, 41, 127);">Uganda National Assembly elections of 1962</a>. An alliance between the <a href="http://wapedia.mobi/en/Uganda_People%27s_Congress" style="color: rgb(22, 41, 127);">Uganda People's Congress</a> (UPC) and <a href="http://wapedia.mobi/en/Kabaka_Yekka" style="color: rgb(22, 41, 127);">Kabaka Yekka</a> (KY) won the majority of parliamentary seats, and formed Uganda's first post-independance government with with Obote as <a href="http://wapedia.mobi/en/Executive_(government)" style="color: rgb(22, 41, 127);">executive</a> Prime Minister <sup><small>[1]</small></sup></span></p>
<p class="root"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; border-collapse: collapse;">A period of dictatorship and political strife, including the tenure of <a href="http://wapedia.mobi/en/Idi_Amin" style="color: rgb(22, 41, 127);">Idi Amin</a>, meant no elections were held until the presidential election of December 1980. Obote was pronounced the winner amid bitter dispute and allegations of <a href="http://wapedia.mobi/en/Electoral_fraud" style="color: rgb(22, 41, 127);">electoral fraud</a>. <a href="http://wapedia.mobi/en/Yoweri_Museveni" style="color: rgb(22, 41, 127);">Yoweri Museveni</a>, one of the presidential aspirants, declared an armed rebellion, and waged a guerrilla war (the<a href="http://wapedia.mobi/en/Ugandan_Bush_War" style="color: rgb(22, 41, 127);">Ugandan Bush War</a>) against the government of Obote. Museveni's <a href="http://wapedia.mobi/en/National_Resistance_Army" style="color: rgb(22, 41, 127);">National Resistance Army</a> (NRA) took power in 1985, making him President.</span></p>
<p class="root"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; border-collapse: collapse;">Museveni and his <a href="http://wapedia.mobi/en/National_Resistance_Movement" style="color: rgb(22, 41, 127);">National Resistance Movement</a> (NRM) created a form of "<a href="http://wapedia.mobi/en/Non-partisan_democracy" style="color: rgb(22, 41, 127);">no-party democracy</a>", banning political parties from fielding candidates directly in elections. <sup><small>[2]</small></sup> In the "no-party" presidential election in 1996, Museveni defeated <a href="http://wapedia.mobi/en/Paul_Ssemogerere" style="color: rgb(22, 41, 127);">Paul Ssemogerere</a> and <a href="http://wapedia.mobi/en/Mohamed_Mayanja" style="color: rgb(22, 41, 127);">Mohamed Mayanja</a> by a landslide. Although international and domestic observers described the vote as valid, both the losing candidates rejected the results. <sup><small>[2]</small></sup> In the following presidential election, held in 2001, Museveni won by a substantial majority, with <a href="http://wapedia.mobi/en/Kizza_Besigye" style="color: rgb(22, 41, 127);">Kizza Besigye</a> as the only real challenger. Despite a protest against the results, citing massive voter intimidation and rigging, the outcome was accepted by the <a href="http://wapedia.mobi/en/Supreme_Court_of_Uganda" style="color: rgb(22, 41, 127);">Supreme Court of Uganda</a>.</span></p>
<p class="root"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; border-collapse: collapse;">In the <a href="http://wapedia.mobi/en/Uganda_multiparty_referendum,_2005" style="color: rgb(22, 41, 127);">2005 constitutional referendum</a>, Ugandans voted to restore a multi-party political system, lifting the 19-year restriction on the activities of political parties. The <a href="http://wapedia.mobi/en/Ugandan_general_election,_2006" style="color: rgb(22, 41, 127);">The Ugandan general election of 2006</a> were the first multiparty election in 25 years. Museveni won 59% of the presidential vote, and his party, the <a href="http://wapedia.mobi/en/National_Resistance_Movement" style="color: rgb(22, 41, 127);">National Resistance Movement</a>, won the majority of parliamentary seats.</span></p>
<p class="root"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; border-collapse: collapse;"><a href="http://wapedia.mobi/en/Elections_in_Uganda">READ MORE HERE</a>:</span></p>
<p class="root"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; border-collapse: collapse;"><br/></span></p>
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<div>To many Ugandans, especially in the opposition, the past Uganda Presidential elections have been referred to as unfree and unfair!</div>
<div>Even the efforts made by international election observers have not counted much to the eyes of the locals because more often than not, these observers do not avail their reports for the wider communities in Uganda to assess the election in reference to what happened in their areas during the elections.</div>
<div>At the same time, the international observers have missed a lot of data in their observations.</div>
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<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The up coming "2011 presidential elections" have raised a lot of "suspicion" and fear that there is likely to be violence should there be any sort of vote ridging or what has been previously referred to as "unfair practices" Apart from that, the voters are not confident that the history of unfair elections will not repeat itself.</span></div>
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<div>For the above reason I believe that involving the local communities in watching, observing, gathering information and reporting all sorts of events that take place at polling stations in their communities on real time.</div>
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<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b>How do we achieve that?</b></span></div>
<div>I have identified a very powerful tool - Ushahidi and yet easy to use and because its open source, anyone can improve it in the best way that fits.Ushahidi also enables people to get access to critical information at anytime! Ushahidi has already been used to monitor elections and I believe it would be a great tool to use in Uganda as well.</div>
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<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b>What we will need to make it work in 2011!</b></span></div>
<div>Because we are basing on the communities to gather information and report it using their cellphone, computers and smart devices, training will be very essential. The communities will be volunteers of peace!</div>
<div>This means that we train all Ugandans on how to submit their information. We shall train as many people as we can including students (the youth).</div>
<div>A small group of representatives per district will be given more advanced training on how to filter the content before its sent to the major data centre where further filtering and aggregating will be made.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>There will also be need of equipment, we shall need access to internet and computers [laptops]. It would be nice if the volunteers can provide their personal computers to work on if they have. Otherwise we will need to improvise. We shall need three types of volunteers; highly skilled volunteers (data analysts and information technology personnel), semi skilled volunteers (the youth and students to filter and translate information/ data to English and local languages as used in Uganda) and general volunteers (wider communities).</div>
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<div>We shall also need Ushahidi to work closely with our volunteers - help provide technical support as required for example to monitor the servers and any other kinds of technical faults on the system.</div>
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<div>Because SMS is quite expensive for the local people, would be nice if we can have a Toll Free SMS line for people to submit the information and data.</div>
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<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b>Information to Collect:</b></span></div>
<div>Basically what we would like to cover during this period is all sorts of comments that people may have/ wish to share with the world.</div>
<div>This includes but not limited to: Real time reports on events taking place at the polling stations, result, complaints, complements and comments made by the voters, presidential candidates and authorities.</div>Friends' MONEY CIRCLES!tag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-04-29:4871302:BlogPost:1083482010-04-29T14:57:21.000ZSsozi Javiehttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/SsoziJavie
<div>A few days ago I joined a savings circle. People (friends in most cases) form a group which saves money an lends it to one of the group members. Our group is made up of 6 members - [and still open to those who want to join]</div>
<div>Every month, each member contributes UGX 50,000 (roughly US $24). So, a total of USD144 is collected from the 6 group members every month. [ 6 time 24 = $144.] The money is then given to the first group beneficiary (money is given to the group members in…</div>
<div>A few days ago I joined a savings circle. People (friends in most cases) form a group which saves money an lends it to one of the group members. Our group is made up of 6 members - [and still open to those who want to join]</div>
<div>Every month, each member contributes UGX 50,000 (roughly US $24). So, a total of USD144 is collected from the 6 group members every month. [ 6 time 24 = $144.] The money is then given to the first group beneficiary (money is given to the group members in turns). The Beneficiary chooses what they want to do with the money -maybe invest in a small business or take care of their immediate needs.</div>
<div>The money is like a loan even though its literally not. This teachers the group members how to save money as the circle rotates.</div>
This idea would fit perfectly well in my previous blog post - such that the farmers can borrow part of the money from the Cooperative to improve their farms. Read more about it here "<a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profiles/blogs/grow-the-money-lend-it">Grow the Money - Lend it - Harvest it!!</a>" I determined a more sustainable money circle for my small community. I tailored it for the community so, as I implement it I will have to contact the community to see how best it can be implemented. I can see a lot of barter trade and foreign exchange on top of the cash.<div><br/></div>
<div>Lets take a quick look at Foreign:</div>
<div><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2234226315?profile=original" alt=""/></div>
<div>This is a picture of the different currencies that I have in my wallet.</div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Whats funny is that UGX 1,000 is an equivalent of US $0.50.</span></div>
<div>So this is what I have in my wallet:</div>
<div>R100 [South African Rands]</div>
<div>US$1 [US Dollar]</div>
<div>KSH100 [Kenyan Shillings]</div>
<div>Rwanda Francs100</div>
<div>UGX1000 [Uganda Shillings]</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>I am keeping that money so I create my own money map!! I have to create currencies from as many countries as I can to do this. :)</div>
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</div>Grow the Money - Lend it - Harvest it!!tag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-04-29:4871302:BlogPost:1083142010-04-29T13:50:16.000ZSsozi Javiehttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/SsoziJavie
Here is my comment to an article "The Future of Money" written by Agent <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(54, 54, 54); font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/DanielBlanchard" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0) !important; font-weight: 400 !important; font-size: 1em;">Daniel Blanchard</a> who has just joined the Evoke network:…</span>
Here is my comment to an article "The Future of Money" written by Agent <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(54, 54, 54); font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/DanielBlanchard" style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0) !important; font-weight: 400 !important; font-size: 1em;">Daniel Blanchard</a> who has just joined the Evoke network:</span><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#363636" face="Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br/></span></font></div>
<blockquote class="webkit-indent-blockquote" style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;"><blockquote class="webkit-indent-blockquote" style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(84, 141, 212); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">I like the way you reason this out. "Money - a Necessary Evil" remains one of the major driving forces of our economies.</span><br/><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(84, 141, 212); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">Everyday I wake up to see people working so hard -
what are they working for?</span><br/><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(84, 141, 212); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">To earn money, to live a better life.</span><br/><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(84, 141, 212); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">Money DOESNT not complete life in any way - Even
the rich cry but all in all we seek for the money!</span><br/><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(84, 141, 212); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">The Necessary Evil!</span></blockquote>
</blockquote>
<div><p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#548DD4" face="Arial, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><br/></span></font></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(54, 54, 54);">Let me start from the grassroots. In many developing countries like Uganda most of the people are farmers. In many of these communities people live on less than $1 a day. With less than $30 income as revenue generated from the different small ventures the family ventures in.</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#363636"><br/></font></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#363636"><img width="721" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2234204842?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" alt=""/></font></font></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#363636"><br/></font></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#363636">Now, because these people own [small] plots of land where they can grow crops and sell, each family should be able to generate its own income - this can be done either on a family basis or in a small community based cooperative. The members of this cooperative have either limited liability or equally liable.</font></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#363636">Because the farmers are growing food and cash crops they feed their families and when they sale their surplus to the communities and other emerging markets, they generate income.</font></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#363636">Now each member of the cooperative has a share on this income - which will be determined by all the members of the cooperatives depending on the members contribution. Equal Efforts Equal Shares.</font></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#363636"><br/></font></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#363636">Now that the farmers (cooperative members) have generated some income. What NEXT? What are we using the income for?</font></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#363636">Most of these cooperative members are parents. Meaning that they have children who they need to teach social innovation and how to make money on their own. HERE IS OUR SIMPLE PLAN</font></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#363636"><br/></font></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#363636">The youth from these communities will identify other fertile ventures that need to be invested in. They write proposals to the local cooperatives to fund their projects. The social ventures of the youth will aim at solving other social problems while contributing to development but not be limited in any way; Water and Sanitation, Education, Technology, Entertainment, Agriculture, Art and Craft name it...</font></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#363636">Now after the proposal are written, the local cooperative will review them and fund those that they find more appealing depending on the needs of the community.</font></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#363636"><br/></font></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#363636">For each of the proposals, the youth should clearly indicate how they are going to generate money out of the proposed venture and how it is going to lead to positive development in their community.</font></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#363636"><br/></font></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#363636">For example if the social venture is about Promoting Talents for Students in Schools through providing sports equipment, extra, the project leaders ( youth) should indicate the importance of their venture to the school children and how they intend to make money out of it. For example they can set up football competitions for schools and the people who want to watch the matches will pay a small fee for entry as a contribution to the development of the children's skills.</font></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#363636"><br/></font></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#363636">Once we achieve this:</font></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#363636">The COOPERATIVES will be the MONEY GROWERS,</font></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#363636">They LEND OUT THE MONEY to the YOUTH GROUPS</font></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#363636">The YOUTH GIVE back the MONEY to the COOPERATIVES.</font></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#363636"><br/></font></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#363636">The chain remains quite long because the money also benefits the wider communities directly and indirectly. The major players in this money circle are the Farmers, the Cooperatives and the Youth.</font></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#363636"><br/></font></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#363636">This is all aimed at helping the communities control the cash flow and use the money more wisely to benefit their communities while teaching the young generation how to manage the</font></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#363636"><br/></font></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#363636"><br/></font></font></p>
</div>Making Water Crisis a MYTH! - World Water Day 2020tag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-04-27:4871302:BlogPost:1065572010-04-27T19:53:53.000ZSsozi Javiehttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/SsoziJavie
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Quick REWIND</span></div>
Over the years, access to clean and safe water has been a very big challenge in developing countries. Many organisations, joint communities and individuals worked tirelessly to make this a myth.<div><br></br></div>
<div>10 years ago, Evoke Agents from different corners of the world joined hands and combined heads to discuss the water crisis. Through blogs, photos, and videos the agents shared experiences and…</div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Quick REWIND</span></div>
Over the years, access to clean and safe water has been a very big challenge in developing countries. Many organisations, joint communities and individuals worked tirelessly to make this a myth.<div><br/></div>
<div>10 years ago, Evoke Agents from different corners of the world joined hands and combined heads to discuss the water crisis. Through blogs, photos, and videos the agents shared experiences and ideas upon which communities have built the brilliant solutions that are sustainable.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Today I am still living in Uganda - a developing country. Well, I have to say that, water access has improved a lot and on average 90% of the house hold in developing countries have access to clean water sources [wells mainly].</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Fast Forward::</span></div>
<div>Today we are celebrating the World Water Day 2020.</div>
<div>We are NOT just celebrating the improved clean water access, our major objective is to remind the communities the importance of water and sanitation around the world.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Planned Events:</span></span></div>
<div>- I specifically request the youth [students] to use their cultures, art and talent imaginations to come up with plays, paintings, take photos and videos demonstrating the status of water access from the past and how it is at present.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>- For a period of one week preceding the World Water Day, communities should make field visits to share best practices and to enable them improve on their water repositories/ sources.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>- Community Leaders to carry out tentative training sessions for the community to continue sensitizing the communities about sustainable water and sanitation projects.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>- Evoke Agents all around the world your role is to report on events taking place in preparation for the World Water Day, post your photos, blogs and videos on Urgent Evoke, use social networks like Twitter, Flickr, You Tube and Facebook to promote your posts and to reach out to the wider internet community.</div>
<div><br/><div>- Dress code is Blue and White to represent the colours of water. :)</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div><br/></div>
</div>Building Community - Managed Water Projectstag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-04-27:4871302:BlogPost:1061122010-04-27T12:27:56.000ZSsozi Javiehttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/SsoziJavie
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><font color="#000000"><font face="Calibri">Access to clean/ safe water still remain a very big challenge in many developing countries. Piped water remains limited to major trading centers, towns and big cities. The wider communities living in the rural areas and on the country side have resorted to exploiting the unprotected water sources; swamps, lakes, rivers and ponds.…</font></font></span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><font color="#000000"><font face="Calibri">Access to clean/ safe water still remain a very big challenge in many developing countries. Piped water remains limited to major trading centers, towns and big cities. The wider communities living in the rural areas and on the country side have resorted to exploiting the unprotected water sources; swamps, lakes, rivers and ponds. </font></font></span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><font color="#000000"><font face="Calibri">Of course there are not many options, the borehole constructed by the government in conjunction with international NGOs breakdown and are not serviced as required. This basically makes the maintenance of these boreholes very hard and unsustainable.</font></font></span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><font color="#000000"><font face="Calibri">Well, I am not saying that the boreholes have not helped people. In my home village, all the three boreholes that were constructed broke down after just one year. Why? A borehole is a machine. It used regularly and as a result, technical failure is expected. But what happens when it breaks down? It should be serviced. And who is going to service it? The people (contractors) who installed did not put this in consideration. The locals who use it were not trained on how to fix it should it have any problems.</font></font></span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><font color="#000000"><font face="Calibri">A quick flashback on the communal wells:</font></font></span></b></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><font color="#000000"><font face="Calibri">In my home village we also had the communal unprotected wells where everyone can draw water for domestic use. In Uganda almost each and every village has a local council (LC) which oversees what takes place in the village - from rural sanitation to violence. On many occasions there was a special day arranged for community to clean the well communally. This is because the well is owned by the community. Today, you can rarely find people cleaning the well communally.</font></font></span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><font color="#000000"><font face="Calibri">One question keeps on bouncing back in my mind: What happened to this spirit? </font></font></span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri"><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><font color="#000000"><u>Introducing</u> -</font></span> <b><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; COLOR: #062e21; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">NAKYERONGOSA INTEGRATED COMMUNITY MANAGED WATER PROJECT.</span></b></font></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri"><span style="COLOR: #062e21; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">The project is located in Nakyerongosa Parish, Kakiri sub-county in Wakiso District, Uganda. The villages in Nakyerongosa where the project is being implemented are Kiterede, Lusaja, Kambe and Busuja. Nakyerongosa is located about 48 kilometres west of Kampala city along Hoima road.</span></font></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri"><span style="COLOR: #062e21; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Nakyerongosa community project hopes to increase access to safe water, latrines and good hygiene practices among the people in their parish. It also hopes to increase awareness of the need for good hygiene practices and a reduction in the incidences of diseases associated with drinking unsafe water and poor sanitation and hygiene practices. Through the project, the capacity of the community will be strengthened through training programmes.</span> </font></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri"><span style="COLOR: #062e21; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Since the launch of the project, the beneficiaries [communities] have positively and actively participated in the implementation of the project activities. Community members have portrayed a high sense of voluntarism, cooperation and team work. In addition, the local leaders are excited over the project and want to ensure that the project succeeds.</span></font></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="COLOR: #062e21; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font face="Calibri">The planned activities for the project are: mobilization of locally available materials and resources for other materials, training of community masons, training of volunteers in the promotion of good hygiene practices and community based monitoring teams in monitoring skills, block making for 2 hand dug wells, protection of 2 ordinary wells, construction of 3 hand dug wells, construction of 6 water jars and construction of 1 school tank.</font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="COLOR: #062e21; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font face="Calibri"><font size="4">The Village Water Committees!</font></font></span></b></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000"><font face="Calibri">Many projects have not been that successful because of poor planning and implementation strategies. A borehole is built in your community: WHAT NEXT?</font></font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000"><font face="Calibri">Appoint a committee of locals to manage follow up on how the borehole is performing. Boreholes are not very reliable water sources as they can dry up at any time. Sometimes the water is rusty and can breakdown if not well serviced or maintained. This is why we need <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">“the village water committee”</b> (could be appointed or voluntary) to ensure that the water sources and borehole are well protected and clean at all times.</font></font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000"><font face="Calibri">We also need to sensitize the communities [each and every individual] on their role in ensuring sustainable clean water access in the community – on this regard <font size="4">I reckon the role of the youth in “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">village water projects</b>” considering they are very flexible and energetic</font>.</font></font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000"><font face="Calibri">Soon as we achieve self sustaining village water projects then we can start sharing our experiences with the communities or villages around us. Identify how we can improve on our projects or advise communities to apply our best practices learnt from experience.</font></font></span></p>
<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><font color="#000000"><font face="Calibri">In a nutshell I believe this is what we need to improve water access for every community, household in rural areas and developing countries.</font></font></span></p>improving clean water access to benefit the rural poor communitiestag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-04-16:4871302:BlogPost:946252010-04-16T18:00:00.000ZSsozi Javiehttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/SsoziJavie
Background to the problem.<div>Access to clean and safe water in rural Uganda remain a very big challenge. People walk 1.5 to 2kms on average to access water from unprotected wells, rivers, lakes and swamps.</div>
<div><br></br></div>
<div>Innovators:</div>
<div><a href="http://amref.org">Amref</a> is an international NGO with headquarters in Kenya. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Tahoma, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; line-height: 15px;">AMREF’s mission is to…</span></div>
Background to the problem.<div>Access to clean and safe water in rural Uganda remain a very big challenge. People walk 1.5 to 2kms on average to access water from unprotected wells, rivers, lakes and swamps.</div>
<div><br/></div>
<div>Innovators:</div>
<div><a href="http://amref.org">Amref</a> is an international NGO with headquarters in Kenya. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Tahoma, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; line-height: 15px;">AMREF’s mission is to ensure that every African can enjoy the right to good health by helping to create vibrant networks of informed communities that work with empowered health care providers in strong health systems.</span></div>
<div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="Tahoma, helvetica, clean, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><br/></span></font></div>
<div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="Tahoma, helvetica, clean, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Amref is working on country programs in the Katine village in Uganda among other countries.</span></span></font></div>
<div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="Tahoma, helvetica, clean, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><br/></span></font></div>
<div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="Tahoma, helvetica, clean, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><br/></span></font></div>
<div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.22em;"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="Tahoma, helvetica, clean, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><img src="http://amref.org/silo/images/charles-story_290x201.jpg" border="0" alt="Charles is a pump mechanic, trained by AMREF, working to provide clean water in internally displaced people's camps in northern Uganda " title="Charles is a pump mechanic, trained by AMREF, working to provide clean water in internally displaced people's camps in northern Uganda " width="290" height="201" class="left" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.22em; float: left;"/>Years of civil war, particularly concentrated in northern Uganda, have left many people living in displaced persons camps, unable to return to their homes. Three quarters of people in Gulu, Pader and Kitgum districts in Northern Uganda live in these camps, with little or no access to services, such as clean water. This, couple with poor hygiene and sanitation, means that people are vulnerable to disease.</span></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.22em;"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="Tahoma, helvetica, clean, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;">Looting and neglect have destroyed much of the local infrastructure including safe-water sources such as boreholes, shallow wells and protected springs. To make matters worse, many trained hand-pump mechanics have been abducted, displaced by the fighting or have lost their tools.</span></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.22em;"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="Tahoma, helvetica, clean, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><strong style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.22em;">Aims</strong></span></font></p>
<ol>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Tahoma, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; line-height: 15px;">To increase access to clean water and improve sanitation for the displaced persons living in the camps.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Tahoma, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; line-height: 15px;">To implement improved sanitation and hygiene practices in the camps.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Tahoma, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; line-height: 15px;">To encourage communities to re-establish responsibility for their own water resources and system maintenance.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Tahoma, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; line-height: 15px;">To lobby for new water, sanitation and hygiene guidelines.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Tahoma, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; line-height: 15px;">To train an increasing number of hand-pump mechanics and provide them with the necessary tools.</span></li>
</ol>
<ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; list-style-type: none; list-style-xg-p: initial; list-style-image: initial; line-height: 1.22em;">
</ul>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.22em;"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="Tahoma, helvetica, clean, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><strong style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.22em;">Key Achievements</strong></span></font></p>
<ol>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Tahoma, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; line-height: 15px;">The introduction of a community maintenance programme has enabled villages to retake responsibility for sourcing their own equipment and given them the skills to maintain the equipment for themselves.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Tahoma, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; line-height: 15px;">Training community hand-pump mechanics has meant that communities can sustain their own water supplies without external assistance.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Tahoma, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; line-height: 15px;">Building new boreholes and wells has improved community access to water supplies.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Tahoma, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; line-height: 15px;">Decrease in household and waterborne diseases.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Tahoma, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; line-height: 15px;">Hygiene education provided at resource centres.</span></li>
</ol>
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</ul>
<div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="Tahoma, helvetica, clean, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#5E5E5E" face="'Lucida Grande', Arial, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="Tahoma, helvetica, clean, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><br/></span></font></span></font></span></font></div>
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<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It is estimated that Amref has improved access to clean water to 66%.</span></div>Solar or Biogas; Take your pick!tag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-04-12:4871302:BlogPost:896592010-04-12T09:19:30.000ZSsozi Javiehttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/SsoziJavie
<p class="MsoNormal">The only source of energy I use in my home is Hydro Electric Power. It is the most common in Uganda today. Very expensive however but we don’t have many options. One of the options is solar which is really expensive in
terms of initial set up costs.</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal">Hydro Electric Power is relatively cheap in terms of initial costs of connection however it’s pretty expensive to maintain in the long run.</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal">In my house I use “…</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The only source of energy I use in my home is Hydro Electric Power. It is the most common in Uganda today. Very expensive however but we don’t
have many options. One of the options is solar which is really expensive in<br />
terms of initial set up costs.</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal">Hydro Electric Power is relatively cheap in terms of initial costs of connection however it’s pretty expensive to maintain in the long run.</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal">In my house I use “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Energy Saving Bulbs</b>” (15Watts) these save 80% of the power I use daily. I have no
control over the power consumption on my television, refrigerator or percolator.<br />
My laptop is pretty much power efficient because I keep it in the power saving<br />
mode even when I charging it. Of course I also use my flat iron every day – for<br />
this I have a 1000watt flatiron.</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal">I use all these equipments everyday but because hydro power remains very expensive I need alternative ways to power my house cheaply.</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal">I have a couple of ideas:</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">- <span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span>Solar energy; considering the sun is a free<br />
resource in Uganda and there most of the year. However I have to put in<br />
consideration the cost of solar panel which like I said remain very expensive<br />
in Uganda. This seems to be the only limitation. However I have to say that<br />
this would have been a perfect choice.</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">- <span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span>Biogas; behind my house is a big septic tank.<br />
Most of the houses in my neighborhood have a septic which act as a temporally or<br />
permanent storage for sewage. From what I read about biogas I think we can use<br />
these septic tanks “more” productively to facilitate power generation from the<br />
sewage stored in them. To me this seems to be a more sustainable idea and could<br />
be relatively cheaper if 5 or 6 families from the same neighborhood can put<br />
resources together to contribute towards the costs for initial set up.</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">At the moment I think I will choose Biogas over Solar. I have to do a little bit of more research on this and would love to hear what
you have to say about it.</span></p>Celebrating Sustainable Development and Sustainable Energy!tag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-04-12:4871302:BlogPost:896362010-04-12T08:39:07.000ZSsozi Javiehttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/SsoziJavie
<p class="MsoNormal">Today we are celebrating the 2020 - World Development Day in Uganda. The theme is “Sustainable Development and Sustainable Energy”. This year’s World Development day will never be forgotten. The theme is “Sustainable
Development Fueled by Sustainable Energy”.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br></br></p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Background of the Problem:</b></p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal">The industrial revolution, urbanization and rapid development led to the increased demand for energy…</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Today we are celebrating the 2020 - World Development Day in Uganda. The theme is “Sustainable Development and Sustainable Energy”. This
year’s World Development day will never be forgotten. The theme is “Sustainable<br />
Development Fueled by Sustainable Energy”.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br/></p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Background of the Problem:</b></p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal">The industrial revolution, urbanization and rapid development led to the increased demand for energy to fuel the rapid growing
industries and development process at large. The demand became so huge<br />
triggering immense deforestation. Wood was one of the cheapest sources of power<br />
as the alternative sources like hydro electric power and solar were very<br />
expensive and of course the power grids were limited to urban areas.</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal">This put the whole globe on a threat of “Climate Change”. Over the years the world had faced many problems but climate change became a
very big challenge which demanded immediate intervention.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br/></p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Fast forward:</b></p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal">The world is built on a strong foundation with people of diverse professions, cultures and capabilities. The people took the challenge
of climate change upon themselves to develop power generating systems that are<br />
both environment friendly and sustainable. The manufacturers and scientists<br />
also made sure that they manufacture power efficient and energy saving<br />
equipment.</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal">The development of networks like Urgent Evoke was a great boost to sustainable energy application among many other issues.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br/></p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>The Big Day!!</b><br/> This year’s World Development Day in Uganda was organized by the Ministry of
Energy. It was organized like a symposium and we have many local energy providers/<br />
generators exhibiting sustainable energy source.</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal">One of these companies is called “U-Power”. U-Power is a local initiative which generates power for rural farmers. Basically what they
do is train the farmers on how to generate power out of their farm wastes –<br />
also called “biogas”. U-Power which was founded in 2015 is operating almost<br />
everywhere in East Africa helping local farmers generate energy on their farms.<br />
</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal">U-Power is actually fueling the whole of this year’s event! We have energy efficient bulbs and the music is playing in the background and
all these systems are powered by U-Powers’ biogas.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br/></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Social and economic development can only be sustainable if fueled by sustainable energy”, said the Minister of Energy in his remarks. Power
grids are still missing in many rural parts of the country which has greatly<br />
limited development over the years. Developments like U-Power have been<br />
embraced by the rural communities because they are cheap/ affordable,<br />
sustainable and most importantly one the solutions to fixing the broken link<br />
between the rural and urban communities.</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal">On the same day the Minister appealed to the communities to use energy efficiently and sparingly. Hydro Electric Power remains very
expensive up to date. Thank God for the government subsidies on solar<br />
equipment. Now, at least 5 out of ten people in the urban communities can<br />
afford solar power.</p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal">Personally I would like to say that U-Power has been my inspiration of the day because from them, the farmers have learnt a lot. Energy is generated by the people who use it and need the most. Now the farmers can preserve and process their market produce and a low cost.</p>
<p></p>BOSCO Uganda - Rebuilding war-torn northern Uganda with Solar and Battery Systems.tag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-03-25:4871302:BlogPost:632602010-03-25T14:30:00.000ZSsozi Javiehttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/SsoziJavie
<p style="text-align: left;"><img alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2234213255?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="721"></img></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://bosco-uganda.org/"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><br></br></span></font></a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://bosco-uganda.org/"></a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><img width="721" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2234213255?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" alt=""/></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://bosco-uganda.org/"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><br/></span></font></a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://bosco-uganda.org/"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 14px; line-height: 14px; color: rgb(51, 153, 204);">BOSCO - Uganda, Battery Operated Systems for Community Outreach</span></span></font></a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><br/></span></font></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif">Since its inception, the BOSCO project is progressing. With a board’s oversight, a professional plan has been engineered. <br/>
</font></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif"><br/></font></p>
<br/>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; line-height: 15px;"><b>"</b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none;"><b>The system</b> <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1269527670_1" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; cursor: pointer; background-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: none;"><b>BOSCO</b></span> <b>uses cheap, sustainable and energy efficient.</b> A small antenna connects the Gulu archdiocese wireless network to a TV tower that<br/>
transmits up to 50 km away. Cheap antennas installed at every camp<br/>
connect to energy-efficient computers, made by a company called Inveneo,<br/>
that use only 10 percent of the energy of a normal computer. The entire<br/>
setup is powered by a 2x2’ <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1269527670_2" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none;">solar<br/>
cell</span> and a battery with a lifetime of up to 10 years. After<br/>
installation, the total cost of operations amounts to $10 every three<br/>
month.</span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif; line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none;"><br/></span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;">Small portable computer clients, together with Voice over IP phones and digital camcorders, linked together with long-range wireless routers/bridges, then up linked to the rest of the world via satellite.</span></font></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><br/></span></font></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Combined together using Solar powered battery arrays, as there is no existing power grid in Northern Uganda</span></b>, these computers and communication hubs would be a multi faceted tool, serving as a source of education, an emergency communication link, and a means for these oppressed people to have their voice heard, to get their story out to a world which has not, until now, heard their cry!</span></font></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif"><br/></font></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif">This network would provide flexibility and expandability, and is extremely low cost due to the use of 12V DC equipment, which vastly lowers the amount of power usage, and therefore the amount of Solar power needed. It has the ability to reach all current displacement camps as well as grow to reach the villages that the Acholi's will go back once the war is ended, as well as being applicable to similar impoverished areas of the world.</font></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br/></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif">Information and communication is very key in rebuilding peace in northern Uganda - without power grid the process was almost impossible until BOSCO came on time to provide this solution.</font></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif">BOSCO-Uganda is helping put an end to the isolation cause by war.<br/></font></p>March 2020 - Healthy feeding Healthy People, Peaceful Communities.tag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-03-21:4871302:BlogPost:524052010-03-21T11:00:00.000ZSsozi Javiehttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/SsoziJavie
Present Day: March 10, 2020 <font size="1">6:30PM</font><br></br><br></br>I am at the balcony of my house with Karen (my 2 year old daughter - she is adorable). I am a "family guy now", I have a wife, 2 year old beautiful daughter and my follower sister Joan. The apartment is on the country side - from my balcony is a clear view of Lake Victoria. The sunset looks beautiful. The reflection of the sun on the water. :) God I love nature. Reminds me how important it is to preserve this beauty for the…
Present Day: March 10, 2020 <font size="1">6:30PM</font><br/><br/>I am at the balcony of my house with Karen (my 2 year old daughter - she is adorable). I am a "family guy now", I have a wife, 2 year old beautiful daughter and my follower sister Joan. The apartment is on the country side - from my balcony is a clear view of Lake Victoria. The sunset looks beautiful. The reflection of the sun on the water. :) God I love nature. Reminds me how important it is to preserve this beauty for the future generations. <br/><br/><font size="3">"Javie, Karen, dinner is serving now" my sister is calling out - dinner time. <br/>Karen and I rush to our little dinning room.<br/>Its a beautiful evening and we all are in dinner mood. What more can one demand?</font><br/><br/>We have: <font size="3">Irish potatoes, matooke (green bananas cooked and mingled), noodles (my friend sent me by post from the US), beans, beef, with a little bit of french beans and salad. <br/>My wife and sister are doing a good job to prepare healthy meals for our family. Food is becoming more and more expensive in Uganda. The population is growing every other day. The competition for food in the growing cities and town has attracted market for food there making food prices go high everywhere in the country.</font> <br/>The meal is very tasty and we grow most of the food in our home garden except for the NOODLES.<br/><br/><font size="4">With brilliant ideas/ researches like:</font><br/><ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="../garden-in-a-sack"><b><span style="color: blue;">Garden in Sack</span></b></a></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b><span style="font-size: 24pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="../act2-part-2-food-security"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: blue;">Food Security, Mobile Garden on a Cart</span></a></span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">
</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
<li><b><span style="font-size: 24pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="../solidarities-humanitarian-work"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: blue;">Solidarities humanitarian work in Kenya - Sack Gardens - prototype for a global paradigm
shift?</span></a></span></b></li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="../agriculture-food-security"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: blue;">Agriculture = Food Security</span></b></a></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
<li><b><span style="font-size: 24pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="../abalimi-bezekhaya-the"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: blue;">Abalimi Bezekhaya - "The Planters work at home" - South Africa</span></a></span></b></li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="../innovation-due-to-constraint"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: blue;">Innovation due to constraint, and using pre-existing materials</span></b></a></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="../food-shortage-1"><b><span style="line-height: 115%; color: blue;">Food Shortage</span></b></a></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<font size="3">Now urban families can produce their own food improvising the limited space. At least each family has a sack where they grow vegetables to supplement on the food. At my home I have a big garden with lettuce, carrots, french beans, matooke (bananas), beans and fruit trees. We have shared skills and people now know that what food security means.</font><br/><br/>Thank God for EVOKE - in 2010 myself together with several other agents we wrote a big proposal to improve on food access for both the rural and urban poor in developing countries. We have worked so hard year in year out to make this happen. I must say, these have not been the easiest years of our lives but most definitely the most successful. <br/><br/><font size="4">Last week EVOKE marked her 10th Anniversary - All the Agents together with Heads of States and representatives from all around the world gathered in Mogadishu.</font> Over the years the war in Somalia has made Food security in the area impossible. Now that the war has ended, EVOKE has done a great job in rebuilding the country through inventing food security, water security, access to education, health care and also participated in the peace building process. <font style="font-weight: bold;" size="3">On March 3, 2020 we not only celebrate EVOKE, we celebrated so much more - SUCCESS beyond boarders. A lot of the worlds success today is a tribute to EVOKE to us!!!</font> <br/><br/>To all of you - we made it happen. Remember, it was not because of a single effort, everyone of you contributed. <font size="4">Today my family and I are celebrating You - Your Courage, Commitment, Teamwork, Resilience and Success.</font><br/><span style="font-weight: bold;">:)</span><br/>PS: I you have any link that I have not mentioned please share the link in the comments. Sorry I couldnt add all of your brilliant ideas. :(<br/>I Reinvent Cooperative Farming and the Granary in Uganda!tag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-03-18:4871302:BlogPost:455292010-03-18T22:45:42.000ZSsozi Javiehttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/SsoziJavie
"Food security is not just about a one meal." <br></br><br></br><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cooperative farming</span> is a system where farmers voluntarily come together,pool their resources in buying
farm inputs,using resources (like land ,water, machinery) and market the produce and<br />
divide the earnings.<br></br>Just like I said in: <a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profiles/blogs/i-report-inadequate-food"><font size="3">I report inadequate food access and availability in…</font></a>
"Food security is not just about a one meal." <br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cooperative farming</span> is a system where farmers voluntarily come together,pool their resources in buying
farm inputs,using resources (like land ,water, machinery) and market the produce and<br />
divide the earnings.<br/>Just like I said in: <a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profiles/blogs/i-report-inadequate-food"><font size="3">I report inadequate food access and availability in Uganda</font>.</a><br/>"Many regions in Uganda are practicing subsistence agriculture - mainly
because the land is owned by private individuals in small plots; so, the<br />
people choose what to do on their plots of land."<br/>Because family farms in Uganda are too small, not to mention issues like poverty - which makes modern farming equipment very expensive. Cooperative farming offers farmers a machinery pool, a marketing cooperative and a credit union. <br/>Every thing that a local Ugandan farmer needs: <br/><br/><ul>
<li>a platform to share farming skills and produce together as a team</li>
<li>the marketing cooperative ensures that farmers are not exploited against by the middle men.</li>
<li>the credit union makes it easy for farmers to acquire the loans they need to improve on their farms.</li>
</ul>
In Uganda, farming goes beyond just feeding one family. Agriculture is an "Economic Activity". Even with subsistence farming being very common, farmers still hope to sell a small portion of their yields to generate some income. The problem comes when the yields are too small for the family. This where the poor farmer is stuck between "conflict of wants":<br/><ol>
<li>sell some of the small produce to provide other basic necessities (which in many cases results into food shortages). OR</li>
<li>reserve all the farm yields for the family (which results into failure to provide other basic necessities)</li>
</ol>
<font size="3"><span style="font-weight: bold;">A brief background of Cooperative Agriculture in Uganda</span></font><br/>Cooperative farming exists Uganda - or at least it used to, but it didn't turn out very well. <br/>This is because:<br/><ul>
<li>at the time demand for food was not as high as it is today, <br/></li>
<li>at the farmers didn't see the need for modern farming equipment - no need for loans<br/></li>
<li>farming on the family farms was subsistence - no need for agricultural markets or even machinery pool<br/></li>
</ul>
<font size="4">Today</font>, the agricultural sector is being modernized, demand for food is increasing day by day. It is about time we took farming to the NEXT Level - Cooperative farming. <br/><font size="3">This will help <span style="font-weight: bold;">local farmers over come smallness</span>. Production is done cooperatively providing a platform to share production land, machinery, skills and earnings.</font><br/><font size="4"><br/>THE GRANARY:</font><br/>Scenario 1: "Our cooperative(s) has worked hard all season to produce corn or beans or whatever it is we have produced. Now, WHAT NEXT?"<br/>A <b>granary</b> is a storehouse for threshed <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cereal" title="Cereal">grain</a> - helps to keep grain from rodents reach.<br/>Granaries used to be common in many parts of East and Northern Uganda where grains like millet, corn (maize) are commonly grown.<br/><br/>A traditional granary is a round-shaped structure of about 8ft circumference, usually raised at least 3ft above the ground. It is
constructed using local material such as mud and wattle and plastered<br />
with a layer of cow dung to fill up holes and smoothen the finishing.<br/><font size="3"><br/>What happened to the Granary?</font><br/>It all goes back to subsistence farming: <br/><ol>
<li>Because the farmers are not cautious about the state of food access in Uganda, they gave up on the granaries.</li>
<li>Increased levels of poverty - farmers want to sell off the surplus of their yields because thats the only way of earning to cater for other basic necessities (like school fee for the children and health care)</li>
<li>farmers produce enough for their families - hence nothing to keep in the granaries.</li>
</ol>
Also READ: <a href="http://www.bosco-uganda.wikispaces.net/The+Granary">bosco-Uganda: The Granary</a> and <a href="http://allafrica.com/stories/200909300042.html">Granary - the Solution to Drought and Famine</a>.<br/><br/>Of course the granary helps with <span style="font-weight: bold;">seed security</span>. Where there is NO seed security, food security cant be possible.<br/><br/><font size="4">Increasing food access in the community and beyond:</font><br/>I encourage farmers to start up cooperatives, we have explored some of the most important advantages (take advantage of economies of scale).<br/>In my home village farmers are already coming up with such strategies - now the only thing to do is to help them make their cooperatives work - for social and economic benefit. <br/><br/>The Granary is very important. At least one granary per community. This will help check famine and rural poverty. But of course a community granary wouldn't make much sense if the communities are not providing equal efforts towards food production. So, first I demand for equal commitment towards the cooperative society and once we have this spirit in place, we <font size="3">Reinvent Cooperative Farming and the Granary to increase and improve on farm yields while ensuring better storage measures for the seeds and yields.</font>"<br/>Backgroundtag:www.urgentevoke.com,2010-03-16:4871302:BlogPost:388822010-03-16T16:04:18.000ZSsozi Javiehttp://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/SsoziJavie
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">Answers to Agent</span></b></span> <a class="fn url" href="../../profile/JakeBaird546">Jake Baird</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">'s Questions</span> <br></br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">1) How did you hear about the EVOKE network, and what made…</span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">Answers to Agent</span></b></span> <a href="../../profile/JakeBaird546" class="fn url">Jake Baird</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">'s Questions</span> <br/></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">1) How did you hear about the EVOKE network, and what made you decide to join?</span></b></span></p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">From a Friend – <a href="http://siena-anstis.com">Siena Anstis</a>. She sent me mail telling me about EVOKE and asking me whether I was interested in Joining. I read about it more on the Blog and sounded
interesting! <a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/SsoziJavie">Now, here I am!</a></span></span></p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">2) Name one person on here you got to know or would like to get to know?</span></b></span></p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">Well, if I started mentioning, the list is ENDLESS! I don’t know anyone personally on the network. But there are very
many people who are inspirational. Every time I read their posts, I see the<br />
power to build a better tomorrow. <br/></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In simple terms, I would like to know and hear from those innovative visionaries - <a href="http://www.urgentevoke.com/profiles/members/">you</a>!!<br/></p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">3) What is the worst crisis to you in the world currently that requires Evoke's attention?</span></b></span></p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">The Digital Divide! The GAP between the INFORMATION HAVES and HAVENOTS.</span></span></p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">The world is currently registering major political, social and economic developments and setbacks. The information age
is demanding for creation of more information recourses. And sharing of more<br />
information. It’s a big shame that in many communities this need has not been realized.<br />
And in some communities access remains a very big challenge.</span></span></p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">In my opinion, information access and networking is the climbing step to solving a wide range of crises in the world.</span></span></p>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">4) What is your background? Where were you raised, city or farm?</span></b></span></p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">I am a Ugandan born and raised here in Uganda. I spent the first 10 years of my life
in a small trading centre in Masaka district. My parents were civil servants so<br />
they worked on appointments. I sort of grew up on a FARM and the City. I was brought up in a small trading center where agriculture was the major economic activity. And Later to the city.</span></p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">I have spent the past 18 years in School. Education is key here. I have gone through Primary, Ordinary and Secondary and recently
completed my Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. Two years ago I go<br />
actively involved in the ICT4 Development sector here in Uganda. Working<br />
closely with the communities with more emphasis on the Youth.</span></p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">I am very enthusiastic about communities, Technology and Development. Over the years I have facilitated as an ICT practical skills
trainer on using ICTs to access and disseminated information. With special interest<br />
in New Media and Youth, also analyzing the DIGITAL DIVIDE and how its impacting<br />
the Youth.</span></p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">5) Find a quote that inspires you that might inspire others.</span></b></span></p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; color: black;">Some people struggle to find happiness, others CREATE IT!</span></span></p>