UPFORD's Current Focus Areas
Agriculture:
The initial project selected was to establish collectively farmed demonstration gardens in each of the twelve villages. Along with the establishment of the gardens will be a seed distribution campaign and a collective marketing system in the Parish.
Local villagers donated land for the demonstration gardens, and groups of villagers (mainly women) farm the gardens collectively, spreading manure to fertilize the soil. Although all 11 of the gardens have been planted and are operational, the program has been plagued by problems. Many of the villagers involved have been unsure bout how the money gained from selling the matoke is to be distributed, and have been frustrated about not receiving money sooner. Additionally, my site partner Max found that Nnindye is having a difficult time selling the matoke in large quantities because, although it is high in starch, the matoke is not large enough to sell for high prices. Droughts have also hampered implementation of the community gardens
Health Sector: Village Health Team
Around three dozen Community Health Workers comprising the village health team are working with UMU’s faculty of Health Sciences and government organizations to improve local health. Future plans include digitizing the health database. Computers have just been purchased.
Water:
One of the greatest identified needs is clean water. UPFORD is currently working to understand how/why water gets contaminated in Nnindye, and where new water sources could be implemented. Almost every villager I spoke to in Nnindye mentioned that water sanitation is an issue they struggle with.
Education Support
Hopefully, in the future UPFORD will establish a program to feed schoolchildren. There have been no progress in the education sectore besides building new ventilated pit latrines at St. Francis secondary school.
Finance:
UPFORD worked with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) to establish Savings and Internal Lending groups (SILC groups) in Nnindye. These groups meet several times a month to pool savings, and then villagers apply for loans from this common pot. Although the program has achieved some successes, a primary impediment is that many villagers lack the basic math skills to know how a loan works. Additionally, few villagers have been able to create business plans to use loans, so UPFORD is hoping to join a new CRS program called “4 Steps to Strong Business,” which brings rural villagers through a series of workshops aimed at designing business plans.
(Information taken from personal experience)
The initial project selected was to establish collectively farmed demonstration gardens in each of the twelve villages. Along with the establishment of the gardens will be a seed distribution campaign and a collective marketing system in the Parish.
Local villagers donated land for the demonstration gardens, and groups of villagers (mainly women) farm the gardens collectively, spreading manure to fertilize the soil. Although all 11 of the gardens have been planted and are operational, the program has been plagued by problems. Many of the villagers involved have been unsure bout how the money gained from selling the matoke is to be distributed, and have been frustrated about not receiving money sooner. Additionally, my site partner Max found that Nnindye is having a difficult time selling the matoke in large quantities because, although it is high in starch, the matoke is not large enough to sell for high prices. Droughts have also hampered implementation of the community gardens
Health Sector: Village Health Team
Around three dozen Community Health Workers comprising the village health team are working with UMU’s faculty of Health Sciences and government organizations to improve local health. Future plans include digitizing the health database. Computers have just been purchased.
Water:
One of the greatest identified needs is clean water. UPFORD is currently working to understand how/why water gets contaminated in Nnindye, and where new water sources could be implemented. Almost every villager I spoke to in Nnindye mentioned that water sanitation is an issue they struggle with.
Education Support
Hopefully, in the future UPFORD will establish a program to feed schoolchildren. There have been no progress in the education sectore besides building new ventilated pit latrines at St. Francis secondary school.
Finance:
UPFORD worked with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) to establish Savings and Internal Lending groups (SILC groups) in Nnindye. These groups meet several times a month to pool savings, and then villagers apply for loans from this common pot. Although the program has achieved some successes, a primary impediment is that many villagers lack the basic math skills to know how a loan works. Additionally, few villagers have been able to create business plans to use loans, so UPFORD is hoping to join a new CRS program called “4 Steps to Strong Business,” which brings rural villagers through a series of workshops aimed at designing business plans.
(Information taken from personal experience)