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Author Archives: African

Gulu district residents use community radio interventions to advocate against gender-based violence.

COMMUNITY RADIO INTERVENTION

Because of the lockdown, social gatherings were banned and these made it hard to reach some communities. APPCO came up with the idea of using community radios to create awareness within the community. Before the installation of the community radio, a consultative meeting was conducted in

both sub-counties, and members from the communities were selected to spearhead the management and maintenance of the community radio. The organization agreed to have pilot community radios in Unyama sub-county and Bardege division. The community was consulted on this and agreed to manage

these radios. These radios played a role in reaching many people within the communities with the message of Ending GBV. Both the church and the political wing welcomed the approach and this became a tool for conveying information by the leaders to the advocacy of ending GBV.

COMMUNICATION FROM THE PROJECT COORDINATOR

She thanked the LC1 for allowing them to host the radio in his compound and the general public for being positive about the radio. She went ahead to emphasize that the radio is not for the LC1 but for the community. The reason as to why the radio was installed was due to the ban on gatherings and yet there is a need to continue with awareness creation which caused the need for community radio.

The radio management committee was tasked with the management of the community radio and therefore there is a need for community contribution towards payment of bills like electricity and maintenance of the radio. She was glad that there were witnesses from the local government and elected leaders. She emphasized that the radio shouldn’t be used for politics but instead for announcements and adverts for its sustainability.

WHAT THE CDO SAY DURING THE RADIO LAUNCH

The CDO present appreciated the effort from APPCO towards creating communication channels during this hard time of COVID-19. He advised the Community to utilize the community radio and take the owner of the radio to sustain its usage and maintenance. “All community members need to know the referral pathway”. He later used the community radio that evening to re-echo elder persons for SAGE enrolment since most of them had missed out.

Empowered to become an Entrepreneur

Empowered to become an Entrepreneur

Meet Munyunyu Brenda, a senior 3 student at St. Johns Namuyenje, in 2020 she moved from Busia where her parents are based, and came to live with her elder brother in Mukono District where she met the opportunity to obtain baking skills that she is currently practicing.

“ At the beginning of the AGE  project, we were invited for dialogues together with our parents, guardians, and peers and told the objectives of the project among which was to help skill the vulnerable girls for socio-economic transformation in the face of Covid-19 in Mukono district, I was among the many girls who participated in the on-going skilling sessions and was able to benefit in various ways, given that we have been in the lockdown and we have been staying home for a while, I would always allocate my time well and make sure that I seek permission from my brother to come to attend the skilling sessions at the safe space in Namuyenje.

I always practice what we would be taught at the safe space and that’s how a few months back I started my small business of baking, I make snacks and sell to people within our trading center and that is how I manage to purchase scholastic materials that I use at school. At the resumption of school learning, all I asked my brother to do was pay school fees since I had saved some money that would help in meeting other school-related costs from my snacks business.

And as I speak today my business venture is growing since, I have continued baking and selling the snacks at the school canteen something that has earned me the nickname “Munyunyu snacks” among my peers in school funny it is but not deterrent of my goal which is to be the largest baker in our trading center here. I am happy though that I have been able to inspire many young girls in our community and school who have also embraced the idea of engaging in income-generating practices as I do, now that we are being trained in various skills courtesy of this intervention.

Munyunyu and her peer are among the many girls who have and are currently benefiting out of the AGE project interventions being implemented by APPCO and cluster partners in the Mukono district as a response to the COVID-19 inflicted challenges and aims at contributing to the empowerment of girls in and out of school with SRHR and socio-economic friendly services

Using school clubs to promote learning and child rights in primary schools across Uganda.

Using school clubs to promote learning and child rights in primary schools across Uganda.

APPCO has used school clubs to promote learning and child rights in many primary schools. This create engaging sessions and provide an informal yet structured environment where students can engage with important issues like education, children’s rights, and personal development.

Using School clubs, We can promote learning through its various components of; Peer Education and Advocacy (Awareness Campaign), Safe Spaces for discussion (Reporting Mechanisms), Empowering Students to Act as Change Agents (Leadership Development), Promoting Health, Hygiene, and Well-Being, Supporting Inclusive Education (Disability Awareness Clubs).School clubs also complement formal education by integrating learning about child rights, equality, and citizenship into regular subjects like social studies, civics, and literature.

End of GBV Project Review Meeting in Gulu District

Appco alongside its stakeholders and partners within Gulu city came together for the closing meeting on the project “combating stigma against survivors of SGBV and their children”. The project that was funded by the UN Women’s trust fund ran for 4 years since 2018 came to an end. The project’s target group was SGBV survivors and children who were located in 5 locations of Unyama, Bungatira, Paicho, Layibi, and Bardege.

During the meeting, which was attended by a variety of stakeholders, numerous reviews and resolutions to end gender-based violence were made. Diverse stakeholders, including CDOs, SPWO, OC, structures, survivors, and staff, attended a one-day review meeting. As the GBV project came to an end, participants believed that the APPO’s operations in Gulu as an organization—including the SPWO in her opening remarks—would also come to a stop. However, Mr. Osuwat Martin the ERM APPCO came up and clarified this saying “The project coming to an end is not there or APPCO has ended. The project is not ending but we are checking on how far we have reached and how we can improve on how to do better if the structures can stand and do things alone. Today we are here to do a review that is impact-based (2018-2021). We are to review what has been done, and what can be done better. Even without guidance, we can move alone. It remains with red light; the project has not ended because the structures who understand what to be done are there”.

highlights of the project.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

  • To Increase public support from faith Leaders in promoting positive attitudes among GBV survivors
  • To Increase number of youth and children participating in advocacy and action to end stigmatization linked to sexual violence
  • To Improved capacity of community prevention and response systems to support survivors and COVID-19 prevention and response.

KEY PROJECT MILESTONES

  • Advocacy (High participation of youth in the Use of drama acts to push the message of Ending GBV in the communities, Integrating GBV messages into church summons by Faith leaders)
  • Assistance: Home visits for GBV survivors and offering psychosocial support. Promoting positive living for GBV survivors)
  • Build Capacities (Strengthened GBV case referral pathways, Forming women groups that engaged in Village Savings and Loan Association)
Youth from Unyama sub-county in gulu district performing a DRAMA kit advocating to end GBV.
APPCO staff engaged with Women groups in a community dialogue in Bungatira sub-county, Gulu district.

Empowering young Girls and Boys with livelihood skills in urban town of Mukono district.

Empowering youth with livelihood skills in central Uganda.

The COVID-19 lock down significantly impacted youth nationwide, especially the urban youth. This led to increased school dropout, unwanted pregnancies, and also depression. APPCO and two Community-based organizations in Mukono (WOVA and Vision Bags) got funding from CRVPF to provide skills for the young girls in Mukono district in central Uganda. The skills included Baking, Detergent making, tailoring, and Hairdressing among others.

The Use of Community Safe Spaces

To make it easier for the various young people who lived nearby, our training was held inside the neighborhood. These centers were chosen based on suggestions from parents, religious leaders, and local authorities. The girls were able to freely express themselves in a variety of conversations with our staff, mentors, and trainers at this location. This made it easier to hold workshops on a variety of topics, including SRHR, gender-based violence, economic difficulties, and other treatments.

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