snv uganda 2015-2016 · 4 2015- 2016 promoting leadership and sustainable development ... menstrual...

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AgricultureWASHRenewable Energy

SNV Uganda 2015-2016Promoting leadership and sustainable development

2 2015- 2016 Promoting leadership and sustainable development

KISORO

BULIISA

BUNDIBUGYO

AMOLOTAR

DOKOLO

BUKOMANSIMBI

BUTAMBALA

NAPAK

SNV in Uganda

108districts

We work in

YouthAgriFinance


• last mile access to clean energy sources (biogas, solar, improved cooking stoves)

• Youth powered businesses• Private sector partnerships

and capacity development to ensure product quality

• Food nutrition and security• Sustainable markets and inclusive

business• Gender and youth in agriculture• Climate smart agriculture • Value chain development in oilseed,

dairy, horticulture, maize

• Sustainable sanitation and hygiene for all• Functionality of rural water supply services • Breaking the silence around menstrual hygiene

Our impact in Uganda

Renewable Energy

AgricultureWater, Sanitation and Hygiene

We contributed to improved drinking water for

We contributed to increased incomes and improved food security for

got access to clean energy

improved sanitation & hygiene for almost

680,000people 54,000

people9,000 people

157,000 people

We improved the lives of

900,000 people in 2015

We spent in support of sustainable development

5.3million

SNV has been building capacity for

50years

We employ

50 people

10 development partners support our work in Uganda

% female

% Ugandan Nationals

40 95


I am happy to share with you SNV’s annual brochure that documents our work in Uganda in 2015. This year is very special to the global SNV family because it’s our golden anniversary. In Uganda we are now in our 27th year, covering more than 100 districts countrywide and working with 70 local partners in Agriculture, Renewable Energy and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene.

One of the pillars of SNV’s organisational strategy that has consistently guided our work over the years is to support the capacity development of local organisations, with a specificfocusonwomen.Webelievethatdevelopment cannot take place in isolation, detached from what is happening on the ground; it has to be driven by the people themselves. That’s why we work with grassroots partners who are at the forefront of the development agenda in the communities because they have a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the dynamics within their communities.

In 2015, we started the Leadership Enhancement Programme (LEAP+), targeting leaders of local organisations and enterprises. We believe that leadership is critical to the success of any institution. SNV offers the leaders of these organisations and enterprises opportunities to strengthen competencies related to business management and societal and personal leadership.

In 2015 we signed a new four-year partnership agreement with the Dutch Embassy to implement a dairy project in south-western Uganda. We have a strong team of partners, including the Dairy Development Authority and Dutch dairy experts from The Friesian and Wageningen University.

Uganda has one of the youngest populations in the world. Moreover, Uganda’s youth unemployment rate, which stands at 80%, is one of the highest in Africa. Through our school garden programme we sought to interest youth in taking up farming as a business. With support from the European Union, we started a new youth entrepreneurship project – Youth Employability through Enterprise and Skills Development (YES) – in the West Nile Sub-region. In one year, we reached 2,000 youth who were empowered to start businesses and generate income for themselves.

As part of our focus on renewable energy, the SWITCH! to Clean Energy campaign mentored

and trained 32 youth energy access service teams (YEASTs) to become sales agents and penetrate communities, showcasing products and selling integrated cook stoves (ICS) andPicoPVsolarsystems.Thissignificantlyincreased the sales of cook stoves and solar products, earning YEAST members 64 million UGX (16,784 Euros) in commissions from their suppliers in a period of only six months! By the end of November 2015, 26 out of 32 participating youths had secured dealerships of ICS and solar products with suppliers, launching them on their journeys into entrepreneurship.

Menstruation is considered taboo in many cultures, with devastating consequences for the education of teenage girls. Many have dropped out of school or suffered in silence because of the shame associated with their periods. The SNV Girls in Control (GiC) project was started with the objective of breaking the silence around menstruation and creating a platform where parents and girls alike can speak freely without feeling shame. To date, GiC has reached 67,000 pupils in 604 schools and sensitized them and their parents about menstrual hygiene management. 11,600 girls of menstrual age now have access to hygienic facilities.Today,it’snotuncommontofindboysand girls making reusable menstrual pads at school as part of their extracurricular activities.

Our work under the DFID-funded Sustainable Sanitation and Hygiene for All Results programme and the Improving Water-Supply Sustainability project has improved the hygiene and sanitation practices of almost 750,000 people. These results and many others achieved during the year strengthen my belief in SNV’s vision to support the people around us in the pursuit of their own sustainable development – not by providing ready-made, one-size-fits-allsolutions,butbyworkingwiththemtofindtheirownuniqueandlastingsolutions.

We thank you for making this possible through your trust and support. We look forward to successful collaboration in 2016 and beyond.

Jeanette de RegtCountry Director

Foreword from the Country Director


When Grace Freedom Kwiyucwiny, Woman Representative of Zombo District in NorthwesternUganda,reflectsuponherlife achievements, she asserts, “Every day that I wake, I know that I have been given an opportunity to cause change through my networks for the betterment of the people that I serve.”

As a single mother of two children, Grace knows the value of focus and determination. A trained social worker, Grace’s career has led her from the civil service to international development to politics. A former SNV Uganda employee, the lessons Grace learned early in her career have guided her approach to leadership and community development to this day as a district representative and member of Uganda’s Parliament.

Grace’s career successes were not easy to come by. Although Gracelostherfirstelectionsin2001,shedidnotletitdefineor limit her future political aspirations.

“The 2001 elections were an introduction for me into politics and for people to get to know who I was. By 2011, I was ready and people remembered me. They knew what I had done in the community as a development worker under SNV’s Community Action Programme. Under the programme we built wells and water points as well as schools, and it had a lasting impact on the communities. Everywhere I went to campaign community members would ask, ‘Isn’t this the woman who brought schools to our community?’ This gave me a good foundation for support and I won the [2011] election.” Grace concluded.

Grace learnt an important lesson from that election:

People want real results and not policies and procedures, and they will choose leaders who deliver results that are

relevant to them as a community and not just to them as individuals.

But, what motivated this seemingly reserved social worker to join politics in thefirstplace?

Grace smiles as she explain show even reserved and soft-spoken people, like her, who join Ugandan politics, have to learn to

be heard and to convince people of their cause once they are elected to represent their communities and constituents at the national level.

“I have been in leadership since I left the university in 1986 to join the civil service. When I joined SNV in 1997 as manager for the Women’s Empowerment Programme in Arua District, we were responsible for providing functional adult education and

building the capacity of community leaders to drive their own change agendas. Under this programme we supported local people to become leaders. To this very day some are still leaders in their communities, like the Arua District Counsellor.

In 2001, after I failed to win the election, I was lucky enough to become an advisor to the local government and later a portfolio coordinator. In these positions I was heavily involved in policy formulation and I focused on ensuring the policies we enacted were both pro-poor and pro-people. Through this work and my later work with SNV, I helped the local government translate these policies intopracticeforthebenefitoflocalcommunities.

Once I left the civil service and joined SNV, I worked for almost nine years providing leadership development and support to local government and civil society partners working on similar development programmes. All of these experiences taught me to deal with professionals in different settings.

As a portfolio coordinator at SNV, I led a team of people that were more

qualified and older than me. By acting

professionally and exhibiting leadership qualities, I was successful in my role.

This groomed me for my work today as a national legislator, where I work with people from different professional backgrounds and have to use my leadership skills to persuade and convince them to my line of thinking.”

Today, Grace chairs the Local Government and Public Service Committee, which is responsible for reviewing ministerial policies and plans. “My work as chair really excites me because it gives me an insight into the government’s plans. We are able to contribute and give direction to the government regarding its policies in districts and sub-counties, and most of our advice has been taken up,” she explains, referring to a recent example when the Committee successfully recommended that the government redirect salary and pension claims authorisation and management from central tolocalgovernmentoffices.

Duringhertimeinoffice,Grace has also successfully convinced the government to support tea growing in Zombo and to start a tree nursery in the district. In the future, she hopes Zombo will open a tea factory in the district to stimulate job growth.

Grace, who is standing for re-election as the Woman Representative for Zombo District in 2016, has even bigger plans for Zombo’s communities in the coming years.Ifhercurrenttimeinofficeisanyexample, it is clear that Grace’s call to serveisagreatbenefittothecommunitiesshe represents as she seeks to stimulate change and transformation in the lives of her constituents.

“When I see people owning and embracing new ideas for the betterment of their lives, I feel very happy,” she exclaimed. And, whileGracebelievesinselflessleadership,she is also quick to point out one critical thing that she believes every leader should know and practice in their craft: the importance of prioritising.

“People will always look to you for big and small things, but you should be able to prioritise and focus on things that have

the most impact on people to achieve the greatest results.”

Called to serve: from SNV Advisor toMember of Parliament of Uganda

Grace at the SNV Uganda 25 year Celebrations

ContentsSNV programme districts A word from the Country Director An insight on leadership from a former SNV staff About SNV Netherlands Development Organisation

Programmes

Sectors- Agriculture - Renewable Energy - WASH

SNVfinancialperformance

List of staff and local partners

2

4

5

7

9

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26

32

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SNVisanot-for-profitinternationaldevelopment organisation founded in 1965. SNV has built a long-term, local presence in 39 countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America. Our mission is to empower people to pursue their own sustainable development by developing their capacities and linking them to services and opportunities that they need tolivehealthy,productiveandfulfilling

lives, while sustainably using the natural resources they depend on. SNV has been present in Uganda since 1989 and currently supports interventions in 108 districts across the country. Our focus is in three sectors: Agriculture; Renewable Energy; and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene.

Our work is guided by four factors we believe to be essential to the success of development initiatives:

Inclusive development

Forthepoortobenefitfromgrowth,it must be sustainable and equitable. To us, inclusive development is about linking people living in poverty—be they producers, workers, or consumers—to sustainable development processes.

Systemic change

Realising inclusive and sustained development at scale requires more than strengthening the capacity of individual players to provide better services to people living in poverty. It also requires addressing the systemic constraints underlying poverty and inequality.

Local ownership

Effective and sustainable solutions can only be achieved if local actors shape and drive their own agendas. SNV recognises this. We focus on facilitating the innate resourcefulness of local development partners, rather than leading development processes on their behalf.

Our people

SNV employs 1,200 professionals worldwide. In Uganda, we employ 50 full-time staff, 95% of whom are Ugandan nationals. We work in teams of professionals who have varied skills, cultural backgrounds and professional experience.

Our advisors not only possess knowledge within their areas of expertise, but also are skilled in process facilitation, business development, and institutional strengthening. SNV works with over 70 local partners, 80% of which are based in the districts where we operate.

About SNV Netherlands Development Organisation

Brain development in children is directly linked to

adiversifieddiet.Feedyourchildfoodfromthefive

food groups every day for better brain development.

What your child eats today determines what

they will be tomorrow


SNV Uganda Programmes 2015 - 2016


Youth entrepreneur shares her business lessons during a youth forum in Arua

Saying YES to youth entrepreneurship and skills developmentUganda’s youth unemployment rate, which stands at 80%, is one of the highest in Africa1, exacerbated by the fact that an estimated 50% of the country’s 35 million people are under the age of 152. Youth unemployment is of particular concern in Northern Uganda, which remains the most economically depressed region in the country.

The vast majority of youth in northern Uganda have limited educational opportunities, lack the skills necessary to actively participate in the labour market and remain unemployed.

In October 2014 SNV Uganda, together with local partners AFARD and CEGED launched a three-year Youth Employability through Enterprise and Skills development (YES) project in the districts of Nebbi, Arua, Yumbe and Moyo in the West Nile Sub-region of northern Uganda. The overall objective of the European Union-funded project is to reduce poverty by creating sustainable economic opportunities for 5,000 youth (30% female) in West Nile by 2017.

SpecificobjectivesoftheYESprojectinclude:• Support access to employment for 5,000 in- and out-of-

school youth, ages 15-30, through formal and non-formal skills development and vocational training.

• Increase the market relevance of 20 public and private training institutions (formal) and 100 local enterprises (non-formal) and ensure the design and delivery of market-driven transferable skills development for youth.

• Support the capacity development of non-state actors and local authorities to effectively deliver services for youth skills development in the West Nile Sub-region of northern Uganda.

Internships provide West Nile youth with hands-on work experience

The internship programme was actively embraced by all of the 14 selected institutions and was conducted in two phases. 314 students have so far participated in the internship programme. Internship supervision and monitoring was initiated in 11 of the BTVETs.

The baseline study conducted at the beginning of the project revealed that a number of the institutions were inadequately prepared to manage the internship programme and supervise the interns that were recruited. Subsequently, the YES project team developed a set of tools to support internships at the institutional level and assisted the instructors in supervising the students.

As a result of this support, the principals and instructors at these institutions gained valuable insights regarding the mismatch between the skills offered by their institutions and labour market demands. They committed to revising their courses to address this issue.

“I learnt a lot from the internship training. Lessons I picked from the joint supervision will help us revise our course contents and tailor them to the current needs of the job market.” – Orio Wilson, Principal Nile Institute of Management Studies, Arua District

1 World Bank, 2008. “Youth and Employment in Africa: The Potential, the Problem, the Promise.” 2 Population Reference Bureau, 2012. “2012 World Population Data Sheet.”

Agriculture

Pre-internship meetings held at the BTVETs gave the students a clear understanding of the expectations and objectives of their internships, both for themselves and the businesses they were assigned to. 70 private sector enterprises (PSEs) and nine individuals offered placements for interns,whichsignificantlyexceededthetarget of 50 for the year. Supervisors at the PSEs had interactive sessions with the BTVET instructors and offered substantial feedback regarding the performance of the interns.

To date, 314 students out of the 1,000 targeted by the project have engaged in internships, gaining hands-on, practical experience from PSEs and working professionals. At least 15 students have been asked to return for job placements with four PSEs, including Krish Consult, Polar Garage, Everest Quality Furniture and Yumbe United Amputees Timber.

“Without practical knowledge generated through internships, we are simply raising half-baked students who are useless in the job market. PSEs help us to bridge this gap by offering internship placements for our students and, ultimately, contributing to the strategic plan of providing valuable skills to Ugandans.” - Adubango Meck Jakech, Principal Moyo Technical Institute, Moyo District

BTVETs deliver entrepreneurship and life skills education to youth 28 BTVET instructors and eight staff were trained using a comprehensive entrepreneurship and life skills manual developed by SNV. The training covered many of the basic skills and concepts related to entrepreneurship, including generating a business idea, developing a business plan, marketing, costing and pricing, record-keeping, saving and life skills development.

The trainings were delivered by a minimum of three facilitators and evaluations were carried out on a daily basis to gauge the participants’ level of understanding. At the end the training, each of the BTVETs developed a work plan for rolling-out and integrating entrepreneurship and life skills instruction within their institutions. 500 urban youth were trained in entrepreneurship and life skills.

290 youth completed business plans that were developed as part of their training and entered a competition that awarded 100 youth with assorted non-cash prizes to expand their businesses.To date, a total

of 700 students (552 of whom are YES projectprimaryactors)havebenefitedfrom the internship programme and/or entrepreneurship and life skills trainings.

Young model farmers trained to provide long-term apprenticeships for rural youth

33 young model farmers (YMFs) were identifiedineightsub-countiesbytheirpeers. Selection was based on age, availability, location, current status as an active farmer and basic leadership skills.The selected YMFs were trained in farming as a business and good agronomic practices. The training was carried outoverfivedaysusingparticipatorymethods, including instruction in practical skills, group discussion and lecture.

Topics included: roles of a YMF; programmed hatching (local poultry management); good agronomic practices for onions, tomatoes, Irish potatoes, cabbages, carrots and other crops; developing agribusiness plans; record-keeping; marketing and customer

care. The YMFs, who are now principle trainers on good agronomic practices and agribusiness, are supported by YES project officers.EachYMFiscurrentlyattachedto29 youth farmers in his or her community to provide coaching and mentoring.

Youth farmers have adopted an increasing number of good agronomic practices. Each of the youths is now engaged in at least one agricultural enterprise, growing crops such as tomatoes, beans, onions and cabbages. In Arua District, 57 farmers who planted tomatoes earned a total of 5.1 million UGX (1,425 Euros). The largest amount was earned by Ariozi Aldo, a Young Model farmer who planted tomatoes on his three-fourths of an acre farm and earned 1.2 million UGX (335 Euros).

Amandeku Sam’s story of change: training and investment in cabbage farming yields success

Amandeku Sam is a 27-year-old young model farmer who lives in Paleure-Pamuru village in Moyo District. He is married with three children and has been growing vegetables for cash on a small scale since 2000.

“I have been growing low-yielding horticultural crop varieties on about a


Youth learning good agronomic practices

youth empowered

by YES started their own

business in one year

2,000

quarter of an acre of land divided to accommodate at least two different vegetable types every season. My seasonal earnings have not been as good as I expected,” Sam stated.

“I was selected as a young model farmer (YMF) by peers who are involved in cabbage production under the YES project, which is being implemented in my village by AFARD in partnership with SNV. One of the key roles of a YMF is to help young farmers learn through hands-on experience, rather than theory, the best agricultural practices for good yields and highprofit.

As a YMF, I underwent training in Arua and learnt how to better manage my horticulture business, relate with other community members and many other valuable skills. Various good farming practices, such as how to make and apply manure, proper nursery bed management practices, timely land opening and proper planting techniques were explained to me in a way that made me rethink how I worked.

“Following YES project recommendations, we chose to focus on growing cabbage (our village priority enterprise) and received high-quality cabbage seeds. Now, forthefirsttime,Iwasabletogrow1.5acres of cabbage in one season. I also invested 288,000 UGX (80 Euros) so I could hire labour and market my product. My investment and hard work yielded 31.5 bags of cabbage that sold for 2,029,500 UGX (563 Euros).

“Following my goals from last season, I bought two cows worth 1.1 million UGX (305 Euros), and two goats worth 120,000 UGX (33 Euros). I have reinvested 300,000 UGX (83 Euros) to grow two acres of cabbage, targeting this year’s Christmas season, and about 70,000 (20 Euros) on materials for constructing a chicken house.

I have managed to save about 200,000 UGX (55 Euros) in my local SACCO (savings and credit cooperative organisation) to help me achieve my long-term goal of owning a pick-up truck.“Seven of my peers involved in cabbage-growing earned a net income of 500,000 UGX (139 Euros) each in the first season of planting. By sharing our story, I hope that many youth will gain the courage to focus on farming as business.

“I would like to thank the YES project for empowering me to achieve my goals as a farmer and a businessman,” Sam said as he closed his story.

Ecima Saviour’s story of change: “I now farm with clear goals for myself and my business.”

Ecima Saviour is a 25-year-old farmer who lives in Paleure-Pamuru village in Moyo District. Ecima dropped out of school before completing his secondary education because he could not afford to pay school fees, and is now married with three children. Ecima decided to venture into farming on a subsistence level, knowing that it would only take up about six hours of his time every day. He spent the remainder of his time at the nearby trading centre. “I used to grow traditional food crops for subsistence along with vegetables on a small scale for cash, from which I would earn an average monthly income of 40,000 UGX (11 Euros). I would save an average of 5,000 UGX (1.5 Euros) at the end of the month. I spent more time chatting and playing cards with other youth than I did farming,” Ecima said. His total annual investments in all agricultural enterprises rarely exceeded 200,000 UGX (56 Euros) because he relied entirely on his family for labour.

In March 2015 the youth of Paleure-Pamuru were invited to attend a YES project mobilisation meeting at the local parish centre. Ecima decided to attend as well, and it changed his life.

“I was convinced by the ideas discussed in the meeting regarding poverty reduction. I do not want to be poor, and I knew that vegetable production was profitable, but for a long time I had ignored this fact. That day this knowledge sunk in and I

knew very clearly that I had to act on this opportunity and not let it slip away.

I picked the interest expression forms, filledthemoutandsubmittedthemrightaway. We chose cabbage for our village,” he recalled.

With guidance from his YMF and peers involved in cabbage farming, Ecima gained valuable information and learnt important skills, including how to make manure and use it on his farm, the importance of planting the right crop variety, why timely weeding is critical, how to control soil erosion, proper water conservation techniques and effective pest and disease control practices. The results are visible on Ecima’s healthy and productive farm.

For a youth who admitted to having never set a single goal in his life, Ecima now has big dreams. “I want to buy my own motorcycle next year so that I can stop borrowing other people’s motorcycles, but before that I want to invest in a spray pump,” Ecima adds. To achieve his goal of buying a 3.2 million UGX (900 Euros) motorcycle, Ecima has managed to raise seedlings for planting 1.5 acres of cabbage, from which he is expecting to earn more than 2 million UGX (560 Euros) for the season. He intends to grow another cropforthesecondseasononcehisfirstharvest has sold. Ecima has also hired the services of 10 other youths at a cost of 180,000 UGX (50 Euros) for 30 man-days.

“I thank the YES project for supporting us with knowledge, skills and high-quality Baraka F1 cabbage seeds for planting!” a jovial Ecima exclaimed.


Ecima in his garden of healthy cabbages

Nutrition for All (SN4A)Relative to its size, Uganda has a large population (34.5 million), as well as a high population growth rate of 3.2% compared to the world average of 1.2%. Nevertheless, it is generally considered self-sufficientintermsoffoodproduction.However, the country still grapples with the high cost of certain foods and distribution challenges that lead to both acute seasonal and chronic year-round undernutrition and food insecurity.

Subsequently, children become severely malnourished due to inadequate dietary intake resulting from suboptimal maternal feeding practices, as well as the high disease burden resulting from malaria, diarrhoeal diseases, acute respiratory infections, and worm infestations. Measured by stunting in children under fiveyears,undernutritionreducedfrom45% in 1995 to 33% in 2011, falling well short of national and international targets.

Sustainable Nutrition for All (SN4A) is a three-year Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation project being implemented by SNV in Uganda and Zambia.

The project was launched in January 2015 with the goal of improving household nutrition through behaviour change, increased and sustainable agro-biodiversity, women’s empowerment, and multi-sectoral policy development. SN4A was conceptualised on the assumption that improved nutritional outcomes are best achieved when projects work in parallel in four integrated areas: demand creation, increased supply, behavioural change and governance.

The project approach is therefore designed to educate local communities about nutrition, which results in increased demand for nutritious foods. This demand will be met by increasing the capacity of smallholder farmers to supply nutrient-rich vegetables.

The project uses primary schools as nutrition hubs. Parents are mobilised by village health teams (VHTs) to come to schools and learn about nutrition-sensitive agriculture, particularly as it relates to vegetable growing.The project triggers behavioural change in a range of areas, including nutrition, hygiene and intra-household gender relations. Long-term sustainability is enhanced through the capacity building of local and national governments to stimulate and maintain demand for nutritious diets.

VHTs are empowered to promote the adoption of recommended food production,

preparation and consumption practices at the household level to ensure dietary diversity.

Long-term sustainability is enhanced through the capacity building of local and national governments to stimulate and maintain demand for nutritious diets. VHTs are empowered to promote the adoption of recommended food production, preparation and consumption practices at the household level to ensure dietary diversity.

“I am a graduate but I did not know the nutrition composition of the common foods

I eat, and I have lived in this ignorance for a long time. I landed on the SNV Five Fingers for Life poster with several food

groups, and now it hangs in my sitting room where my wife can refer to it while preparing our meals.” Robinson Thembo,

District Labour Officer Kasese district

Key Results in Year One:

Completion of baseline and community mapping studies: These studies have provided valuable data for the project. For example, the baseline study established that 30% of children under

two years in Kyenjojo District and 40% in Kasese District are stunted. The studies will inform the tracking of project results against targets.

Creating demand for dietary diversity: Emotions that trigger a demand for proper nutritionwereidentified,namelyfear of failure and the desire for success in life. Tools were developed that trigger this demand and include a strong emphasis on the long-term, irreversible brain damage that occurs in children as a result of undernutrition.

A team of 30 members (15 per district) is spearheading the triggering process, and 66 village health teams (VHTs) have been trained to work directly with households and communities.10 of the 66 targeted villages and 1,200 of the 13,000 targeted households have been triggered to demand for dietary diversity.

Inducing behavioural change: Behaviour change communication (BCC) campaigns and materials were designed. A team of 12 district staff members were trained, who in turn will train VHTs to play a critical role in promoting BCC campaigns at the community level.



Increasing the supply of diverse and nutrient rich foods: A report on the seasonal availability of vegetables was drafted during the reporting period to guide the establishment of nutrition hubs and the composition of seed kits that will be distributed in 2016.

A draft nutrition calendar that indicates the foodsthatareavailableinspecificmonthswas also developed to guide households as they adopt new behaviours that affect their daily household consumption patterns.

With the onset of rains in February 2016, nutrition hubs will be established in 18 primary schools and nutrition-sensitive gardens will be created at the household level

Strengthening nutrition governance: Kasese and Kyenjojo districts were supported to complete their district nutrition plans during the reporting period. The district nutrition coordination committees (DNCCs) in the two districts were trained on how to trigger demand for dietary diversity and on behaviour change communication.

The DNCCs were involved in the baseline, community mapping and year-round crop availability studies as part of the capacity-building process so that they fully understand the challenges related to nutrition in their districts.

LEARN project, addressing food insecurity and bringing parents back to school

There are currently more than eight million children enrolled in primary education in Uganda, with the majority attending schools in rural areas. Provision of food in these rural schools is problematic, and many of the pupils have nothing to eat during the school day.

Although the government mandates that parents and caretakers take responsibility for feeding their children while at school, many parents do not provide their students with midday meals.

Several valid reasons for this have been cited, including poverty, food insecurity, the distance between the home and school and misinformation regarding the roles and responsibilities of the school versus the parent. Nonetheless, the absence of

midday meals increases the likelihood that students will attend school irregularly and eventually drop out.

SNV’s Learning and Earning through School Gardens (LEARN) project is based on the SNV school garden model that was implemented by the organisation from 2009 to 2014 in 750 schools in eight districts.

School gardens empower parents to become actively involved in the education and feeding of their children, improve student learning outcomes and teach communities about good agricultural practices.

The LEARN project began as a two-year pilot initiative in the Busoga, Acholi and Karamoja sub-regions, with the primary objective of improving food and nutrition security for 2,500 households with children in government-aided primary schools.

This objective was achieved through the following interventions:

• Facilitated the establishment of parent-led demonstration school gardens that serve as centres for transferring agricultural skills and knowledge to pupils and parents. Households increased agricultural production and improved food security through the adoption and application of good agricultural practices (GAPs).

• Trained parents to practice nutrition-sensitive food production in which households grow crops with diverse nutritional value.

• Developed community-school partnerships that expanded parents’ participation in school meetings and events and increased their contributions to school development projects.

• Improved learning outcomes for pupils, including an increase in enrolment and in the number of children who sat for end of term exams and scored in division one or two.

• Stimulated interest and developed skills in agriculture among in-school youth that can lead to employment.

The project was implemented in 51 schools in the districts of Kamuli, Agago, Abim and Nakapiripirit, and involved the direct participation of more than 3,200 parents and 2,280 pupils.

Feedback generated from household surveys and end-of-project stakeholder meetings in the four districts indicated that LEARN improved agricultural production by over 50% in participating households. This was achieved through an increase in acreage devoted to farming, along with an improvement in yields due to the adoption of improved technologies promoted by the project.

LEARN also impacted community members whowereinfluencedbymanyoftheGAPsthat were promoted by the project.

“As a farmer from Nebbi, I thought I knew how to plant maize. When I saw the beautiful garden of maize in

Nawanende Primary School during the


joint monitoring, I was challenged. The garden was planted in lines and well-

spaced, used 2 seeds per hole and looked very healthy. When the parents reported

that they got 900 kg of maize from an acre in the previous harvest, I was surprised. I usually get much less from my garden. I have personally learnt a lot from this project.” .” Deputy Chief Administrative

Officer, Kamuli District. In the districts of Abim and Agago, the number of participating households receiving at least two meals a day increased from 50% in 2014 to 83% in 2015.

In Kamuli District 94% of the participating households achieved food security. In addition, all of the 15 participating schools in the district started providing midday meals with contributions from parents.

In the districts of Abim and Nakapiripirit in Karamoja, where school meals are provided by the World Food Programme (WFP), 19 out of the 26 participating schools are now able to enrich the foods supplied by WFP with vegetables and pulses grown in their school gardens.

The LEARN project demonstrated that it is possible to mobilise parents in rural Ugandan communities to provide meals for their children at school. This is particularly important in Karamoja because WFP has started phasing out its decades-old school feeding programme.

Parents are expected to take over the role of feeding their children at school, and LEARN proved that this is feasible.

“UPE in all schools is synonymous with hunger. As leaders, we have criticised it but we have not provided policy options. The LEARN project gives us as a more

sustainable model for feeding children in schools because it empowers communities

to feed their own children. This is more feasible and simpler.” – Salaam Musumba,

LCV Chairperson, Kamuli District.

The LEARN project brought parents back to schools, which had a number of positive consequences. All of the 51 target schools registered at least a 50% increase in both the attendance at PTA and SMC meetings, as well as the number of meetings held annually.

LEARN increased enrolment and improved student performance in the target schools by focusing on the reduction of hunger, both at home and at the school. LEARN also addressed the neglect of school facilities by increasing parent involvement in school construction and improvement projects.

In addition, all of the LEARN schools started youth entrepreneurship clubs that inculcated students with business and agricultural skills and positive attitudes towards farming. The pupils in these clubs cultivated assorted vegetables and earned a combined income of more than 4,500,000 UGX (1,194 Euros) during the two-year project cycle.

SNV and the Embassy of the Netherlands partner to improve dairy farming in South-Western Uganda The expanding middle class in Uganda is providing a growing market for processed milk. The dairy sector has responded to this opportunity by increasing processing and production capacity, which has reduced the need for the importation of milk products and has even allowed for the export of some products (primarily casein andpowderedmilk).However,thebenefitsof this growth do not always reach farmers, especially smallholders. Youth and women are often left out of dairy value chain. In addition, some of the poorest nutrition indicators in the country occur in areas with the highest milk production.

To address this situation, SNV Uganda signed a four-year, 9 million Euro partnership agreement with the Embassy of the Netherlands in Uganda to implement The Inclusive Dairy Enterprise (TIDE) project in the districts of Bushenyi, Isingiro, Kiruhura, Mbarara, Ntungamo, and Sheemain south-western Uganda.

By harnessing the private sector and its expanded processing capacity, the project will enable more dairy farmers and their organisations to connect to the dairy value chain. Subsequently, farmers will be empowered to generate more income and enhance the nutritional status of their families.

In addition, improvements in the quality and seasonal availability of milk products will better serve expanding national and international markets. The TIDE project focus is on small and medium-sized dairy farms to ensure that women and youth become active participants in the value chain.

TIDE project components

Improved dairy farm productivity: 20 well-managed farms will be transformed into dairy training farms. An estimated 5,000 small- and large-scale farmers willbenefitfrompracticaltrainingonfarm management, dairy feeding, farm mechanisation and renewable energy options.

The trainings will focus on increasing the milk yield per cow, in order to contribute to more sustainable production systems and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The project will also focus on supporting women and youth as key drivers in


creating modern dairy farms that produce for both local and regional markets.

Improved commercial milk quality: Partnerships between farmers, milk traders and processors will improve the quality of commercial milk. In addition, quality-based payment systems will be implemented as incentives for farmers and traders to supply higher-quality milk. By introducing ‘milk ATMs’ as bulk selling points for pasteurized milk in Kampala, the project will motivate traders to sell safe, unpackaged milk to urban consumers and will address the government’s concern that unsafe milk is being sold in urban areas.

Improved, proactive dairy sector regulation: The Dairy Development Authority (DDA) will be supported in rolling-out an independent milk inspection and enforcement system that will accompany the introduction of new milk quality systems. The DDA will be also be strengthened so that it can improve the competitiveness of

the formal dairy sector and support sector transformation and market investment opportunities.

Improved household nutrition: Vulnerable children and households will be targeted by school milk activities. Mobile campaigns and platforms will be used to educate people about nutrition and thehealthbenefitsofconsumingdairyproducts.

SNVs approach to transforming the dairy sector

TIDE addresses the constraints within the dairy value chain (from farm to consumer) using a business case approach. To develop this approach, public and private investment will be brought together within a public-private partnership arrangement, and both local and foreign (including Dutch) investors will be presented with viable business opportunities.The project will make grants or subsidies available to private sector farmers and

companies that meet the business case criteria. Grants will bemade available when a viable business plan is accompanied by sufficientequityandaloanfromabankorother lending institution.

The project will be implemented in partnership with the DDA and Dutch dairy experts from The Friesian and Wageningen University.

Connecting smallholder farmers to sustainable markets The Purchase for Progress (P4P) Initiative, funded by the World Food Programme, is being implemented by SNV in the districts of Kasese, Kabarole and Kamwenge in south-western Uganda. The project’s objectives are to build functional and sustainable grain market structures and connect 5,000 smallholder farmers to these markets by improving linkages (agro-inputs,commoditiesandfinancialservices), access to information (market, meteorological and extension) and management of savings and lending, as well as reducing post-harvest losses at the household level.

Grain producers in south-western Uganda lack a reliable supply of quality agro-inputs, including seeds, fertiliser, pesticides and herbicides. Simultaneously, agro-input dealers are challenged by having to respond to the agro-input demands of geographically scattered smallholders. This mismatch leads to unscrupulous traders that saturate the market with counterfeit agro-input products. Farmers also lack post-harvest handling skills and technologies, which leads to massive losses of up to 40% for most grains.

Additionally, the few farmers that have been able to build improved outdoor storage facilities risk the theft of their grains. To address these challenges, SNV, withfundingfromWFP,constructedfivesatellite collection points (SCPs), with a total storage capacity of 1,500 metric tonnes (MT) to support bulking and collective marketing.

Assorted household storage equipment, including metallic/plastic silos, super grain bags and tarpaulins, was also distributed to 4,500 households in the target area and farmers were trained on post-harvest handling techniques. As a result, 1,320 farmers collectively marketed their grain through the SCPs and other aggregation centres, earning an additional 78,500,000UGX (28,828 Euros) for having suppliedsufficientquantitiesofhigh-qualitygrain.

Business case approach

Public-private partnerships

Multi-stakeholder approach

Strengthening local institutions

The project co-invests (matching grants) in the business cases of farmers and entrepreneurs that are innovative and scalable.

Support DDA to implement policies and regulations through a consultative approach, creating the preconditions for the private sector to invest.

Dairy platforms foster collaboration to make the dairy sector more competitive by sharing information, coordinating initiatives and promoting best practices.

Capacities are developed for: farmers to commercialise production, farmer organisations to increase market leverage, and traders and processors to serve formal markets.

Example: Investments by dairy farms in fodder production

Example: A regulated market in which milk ATMs can thrive

Example:DDA provides investment brokering services

Example:Farmer associations influencemarketthrough aggregation


Anothersignificantchallengeinthemarketis that commodity buyers are unable to secure a stable supply of grains due to individual trading and compromised grain quality. Individual marketing by farmers leads to higher transaction coststhatreducetheprofitmarginand competitiveness of grain traders. Inaddition,traderswasteasignificantamount of time searching for premium grains to purchase from individual farmers. Meanwhile, grain farmers lack the market incentive to supply high-quality grains on a continual basis.

Furthermore, progressive farmers who want to expand and commercialise their farming businesses are unable to do so becausetheyareunabletoaccessfinancialservices. These farmers fail to transition into full-scale commercial production because they depend on rural savings and loan groups for capital.

In order to address these challenges in grain markets, SNV trained farmers in: retrieving, interpreting and disseminating market/metrological/extension information; the village savings and loan association (VSLA) methodology; post-harvest handling; good agronomic practices through community-based agro-input demonstration and learning centres; marketing techniques; warehouse management; gender issues in the agricultural sector; farming as a business andfinancemanagement.

Additionally, 880 farmers were able to buy agro-inputs worth 67,689,000UGX (17,960 Euros) from genuine sources and established formal working relationship with seed companies. The inputs, including improved seed, fertilisers and chemicals, such as herbicides and pesticides, were

delivered directly to the communities at wholesale prices.

This reduced suppliers’ operational costs because the demand was aggregated and responded to at once. Seventy farmers accessed loans from Opportunity Bank, Post Bank and Centenary Bank totalling 26,350,000UGX (6,991 Euros) at lower than prevailing market rates because they were organisedin groups. In addition, the savings generated by farmers through their village savings and loan schemes increased significantly,totalling236,654,500UGX(62,792 Euros), 1,770 community members (1,100 female) were able to borrow from their village savings and loanassociationstofinancesmall-scaleproduction.

SNV, AgriProFocus and Caritas Kasese also organisedafinancefairforsouth-westernUganda. 88 leaders representing 53 rural farmer groups attended the event. The fair brought together key stakeholders in thefinancesector,includingthecentralbank (Bank of Uganda), commercial banks,

microfinanceinstitutionsandsavingsandcredit cooperative organisations(SACCOs), as well as local government representatives from the three participating districts. During the event, farmers applied for instant loans – as individuals or on behalf of their groups – based on their business plans. Business deals worth 40 million UGX (10,613 Euros) were generated during the event.

An agro-inputs market event was also organised by SNV, in partnership with Café Africa, in Kamwenge District to link farmers to genuine and sustainable agro-input markets. 70 farmer leaders from four area enterprises and 22 rural producer organisations participated in the event. The event attracted other exhibitors that showcased improved storage structures (promoted by WFP), value addition equipment, value-added products and on-site training on good agricultural practices and farming as a business.

Demonstration plots were setup by exhibitors to show farmers appropriate soil and water conservation techniques, such as terracing, mulching and use of grassfilterstrips,aswellasrecommendedagronomic practices, such as proper spacing, intercropping,pruning, manure useandpestanddiseaseidentification.Business deals worth 20 million UGX (5,306) were secured in instant sales and orders. SNV will continue to monitor any future business deals that are generated as a result of the event. The Purchase for Progress Initiative directly impacted 5,360 smallholder farmers (3,310 female) in the project area in 2015.

Farmers bulking produce in one of their satellite collection points

Farmers exchanging ideas regarding the performance of the new maize variety Bazoka, promoted by Naseco Seed Company during an inter-learning exercise in Kamwenge District

farmers improved

their incomes

5,360


Uganda Oilseed Subsector Platform In the mid-1990s, government policy in Uganda began promoting the import substitution of vegetable oils. The vegetable oilseed sub-sector was identifiedbytheUgandangovernmentas a focal area in executing its plan for modernising agriculture, emphasising the transformation of subsistence agriculture to market-oriented farming.

Thegovernmentbelievedthatsunflower,the main oilseed produced in north-eastern Uganda,hadthepotentialtosignificantlyimprove the lives of 12 million people in the region. Since 2000, the oilseed sub-sector has experienced substantial growth, due in large part to support provided by various actors, including the government and the Vegetable Oilseed Development Programme (VODP), as well as the 2006 Seed Act, which called for increased production of oilseeds in order to make them more available and affordable for smallholder farmers.

Other factors that have positively affected the oilseed sub-sector are increased per capita consumption, improved infrastructure and the development of regional markets, such as the East African Community and the Common Markets for Eastern and Southern Africa. Today,sunflower,soyabean,groundnutsand sesame are an economic lifeline for the region.

However,thereisstillsignificantpotentialfor further growth and import substitution. Currently, demand is more than twice the actual supply. Growth in the sub-sector has been constrained by poor coordination, knowledge development and sharing of market information among stakeholders, aswellasinsufficientdialogueandcoordination among economic actors within the sub-sector and government.

In 2007, responding to the challenges faced by the sub-sector, SNV partnered with the Makerere University Research Centre to establish the Uganda Oilseed Sub-sector Platform (OSSUP).

As a result, regional platforms in Arua, Gulu, Lira and Mbale have been facilitated. In 2011 SNV and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) partnered to support the OSSUP facilitation network to professionalise its operations. OSSUP’s mandate is to address systemic issues affecting the development of the oilseed sub-sector in Uganda.

OSSUP services are focused on four key activities:• Multi-stakeholder platform (MSP)

meetings (regional and national)• Inclusive business-to-business

brokering (IB2B)• Inclusivefinance-to-business

brokering (IF2B)• Learning, sharing and knowledge

management

Inclusive business-to-business and finance-to-business initiatives: Inclusive business (IB) describes the deliberate and strategic efforts to integrate low-income populations as key stakeholders within a company’s business model.AnIBisonethatisprofitableand has a sustainable entrepreneurial initiative that seeks to include low-income populations within its value chain as suppliers, employees, distributors and/or consumers.

By brokering inclusive business-to-business linkages, OSSUP seeks to accelerate win-win relationships characterised by reduced transaction costs, growing trust and the promotion of smallholder inclusion.

In the Mbale hub OSSUP linked established farmer groups that are breeding high-quality soya bean seed to other groups that require seed. Helen Acam, a farmer from Kumi, was able to grow over three acres of soya bean and mobilised 320 farmersinthefirstseasonfollowingherparticipation in the OSSUP MSP in Mbale. To date, they have harvested 50 metric tonnes of soya bean.

In the Arua hub OSSUP monitored and coordinated sesame marketing by collecting and disseminating forecasts on production and prices, promoting bulking

and linking groups to buyers for better prices. Over 250 metric tonnes were bulked by farmers in Ullepi and sold to Olam, MeTL and AFARD.

Finance to business: OSSUP’s IF2B linkages and activities promote inclusive andsystemicfinancealongvaluechains,reducefinancerequirementsandprocedures (thereby lowering transaction costs)andsupportinnovativefinancearrangements within the oilseed sub-sector.

Joseph Oluge, a commercial farmer, trader and member of Angetta United Cooperative Society, was able to secure a loan from Uganda Development Bank with support from OSSUP’s Lira hub. While processing oilseeds himself, he started his own business buying produce from other cooperative members and selling to traders in Lira town. As a cooperative member, he was able to access a loan of 24 million UGX (6,609 Euros) in time for the second season of planting in 2014.

He invested 4 million UGX (1,101 Euros) in sesame and soya bean production and generated 6 million UGX (1,652 Euros) in sales in 2015. With the remaining 20 million UGX (5,508 Euros), he bulked sesame,sunflower,soyabean,groundnutsand other crops, from which he was able to grow his business and repay the loan in full. He now plans to take a second loan to invest in the production process and establish trade links in Mbale.

Public-private-producer partnerships (4Ps) Partnering for Value: SNV’s Partnering for Value programme broker’s mutually beneficialpublic-private-producerpartnerships (4Ps) between the public sector, the private sector and small-scale rural producers.

4Ps involve cooperation between government and business agents that agree to work together to reach a common goalorcarryoutaspecifictask,whilejointly assuming risks and responsibilities and sharing resources and competences.

By building on partnerships and linkages facilitated through OSSUP and VODP2, 4P arrangements strengthen private sector-led inclusive development, improve market linkages with long-term partnerships and expand inclusive rural development. 4Ps also develop knowledge regarding best practices that can be replicated and scaled-up by relevant stakeholders.


Benefits of a 4PFor the private sector:

• Improved supply chain management (quality, quantity and reliability)

• Improved long-term relationships with smallholder farmers (trust)

• Improved competitiveness in targeted markets

For the public sector:• More effective support of inclusive

market development• Achievement of government policy

objectives, such as food security and increased income for poor populations and governments

For smallholder producers:• Improved relationships (fair and

reliable) with the private sector• Improvedaccesstoandinfluence

on inclusive markets• Improved access to affordable and

adapted technical, business and financialservices

• Increased incomes and improved livelihoods and food security

Forfinancialinvestors:• Financially viable business

opportunities and reduced risk profile

• Contribution to sustainable rural development

For more information, please visit the OSSUP website at www.ossup.co.ug.

AgriFinancing UgandaAgriculture is the backbone of Uganda’s economy, contributing approximately 37% to the gross domestic product (GDP). Moreover, an estimated 70% of Ugandans rely on agriculture as their primary source of livelihood and employment. Yet, despite the enormous potential of the agricultural sectorwithinthecountry,financialinstitutions are reluctant to provide loans to the sector because of the high risks associated with agriculture.

The AgriFinancing Uganda programme creates a conducive environment for agricultural entrepreneurs to access creditfromfinancialinstitutions.Thisisaccomplished through a collaborative effort between Financials Access, a banking advisoryfirm,andSNVUganda,whichhassignificantgrassrootsexperience.

During the reporting period, AgriFinancing for Uganda team prospected 120 agribusinesses. 72 of these agribusinesses were assessed and got coaching to make theirbusinessesattractivetofinancialinstitutions. AgriFinancing Uganda in partnership with Metajua are developing a smartphone and web based application to assess SMEs and cooperatives in terms of their business readiness, bankability and investment readiness.

This is an open source application which will be further developed through the contribution of different users through the website www.opensmeprofile.org

During the reporting period, stakeholders formedthefirstagriculturefinanceplatform (AFP) in Uganda. The key objective of the platform is to promote action that will improve the utilisation, qualityanddepthoffinancialservicesforall of the actors in agriculture value chains throughout the country.

The platform will also provide a uniform voice for stakeholders in the industry to advocate for positive reforms in policy, accessanddeliveryoffinanceproductsforagriculture.

Additionally, the platform will foster dialogue on mutually-shared ambitions, provide a hub for information and data, and lobby for a legal structure for agriculturefinanceinUganda.

“Agriculture financing can be rewarding when it is given the utmost attention it

requires. By channelling finances through farmer groups, agriculture financing can be done with ease.”- Honourable Gerald Sendaula, Chairman, National

Union of Coffee Agribusinesses and Farm Enterprises.

OfficiallylaunchedinDecember2015,the AFP will be hosted by the Uganda Agribusiness Alliance, chaired by SNV, and deputy co-chaired by aBi Trust and the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.

For more information about AgriFinancing Uganda, please visit http://www.agrifinancing.com/agrifinancingug/.

AgriProFocus advances farmer entrepreneurshipAgriProFocus Uganda is part of the AgriProFocus partnership, an initiative that originated in the Netherlands.

AgriProFocus creates opportunities for multi-stakeholder action and learning for the advancement of farmer entrepreneurship. The partnership currently consists of 35 member organisations and is operational in 13 countries in Africa and in Indonesia.

It has become a vibrant network for conducting business, information sharing, cooperation, learning and debate. Today, AgriProFocus Uganda is well-positioned to link,supportandinfluenceprivatesectordevelopment in Ugandan agriculture.

In 2015 AgriProFocus achieved the following:

Deputy Governor Bank of Uganda Louis Kasekende launches the 2015 Agriculture Finance Yearbook


Network development and Coordination: AgriProFocus migrated from the old platform (Ning) to the new platform, http://agriprofocus.com/uganda. The network currently has more than 4,100 individual stakeholders and over 200 affiliatedorganisations

Business and partnership brokering: The AgriProFocus Nyama Platform was established and currently has 11 partner organisations. The platform spearheaded the foot and mouth disease (FMD) campaign in April 2015, which led to the allocation of 5 billion UGX (1.37 million Euros) to the national budget for FMD vaccines.

92 producer organisations were linked to financialinstitutionsduringthefinancefairs for business engagements and 38% have managed to secure deals. From the Network day celebrations, 16% of the participants succeeded in doing business with buyers/traders and follow-up appointments

26 youth out of 250 who participated in the agribusiness inspirational conference in Lira have been selected to participate in the ICCO Agri-skills project that will be launched in 2016 to promote capacity building.

Three Ugandan Agri-business innovators participated in the regional horticulture event in Kigali, Rwanda, where Afri Banana Products (U) Ltd emerged as the top winner taking a cash prize of 2000$

For more about AgriProFocus visit their website www.agriprofocus.com

B-Space: Connecting the Dots to Accelerate Inclusive BusinessB-Spaceisapremiernot-for-profitsocialenterprise whose mission is to accelerate inclusive business in Uganda. B-Space was founded by SNV, Oxfam and BoP Inc. In 2015 B-Space partnered with international and local organisations (public and private), including SNV, Oxfam, Bop Inc., SEED Initiative, the European Union, UNEP, ICCO, Enviu, the World Bank, FinAfrica, DI International, CSR Netherlands and Endeva to develop and deliver inclusive development. This following work was done in partnership with SNV:• Analysis food security and energy

situation for low-income groups in Kampala

• Switch Africa Green project: Promoting inclusive and green business practices in in the tourism sector in the Albertine Nile Region in northern Uganda.This project supports eco-entrepreneurship and sustainable consumption & production practices in the supply, employment and services of lodges and hotels.

• Further develop inclusive business strategy. As a result, BSpace has been appointed the Ugandan hub for the Inclusive Business Accelerator (IBA) a Netherlands based International network of impact investors, entrepreneurs and coaches. The objective of the IBA is to connect inclusive businesses, investors and mentors through an online platform, globally through a network of local hubs like BSpace that provide the Inclusive Business Development Service (BDS) to clients.

BSpace work in 2015 had a direct impact on 30 inclusive SME’s in the agriculture, agribusiness, tourism, renewable energy and ICT sectors, as well as one inclusive community hub and nine village business associations with 270 farmer members.

Indirect impact reached over 750 Ugandans, including farmers, market vendors, SME employees and BoP business communities.

B-Space’s results included more effectively andefficientlymanagedSMEs,accessto opportunities for BoP business communities, improved farming practices, greener SMEs and the creation of new and inclusive business value chains.

For more information about B-Space’s work in Uganda, please visit their website at http://bspace.co.ug/.


Renewable Energy

SNV Renewable Energy solutions helped to improve the lives of more than 157,000 people in Uganda by overcoming the challenges of awareness, access and affordability one household at a time.

• Innovativefinancingthroughresultbasedincentives

• Grass root awareness programs• Private sector partnerships and capacity

development to ensure product quality

African Biogas Partnership Programme II overcomes the affordability challenge!

Biomass is used in all sectors of the economy, and 97% of Uganda’s population depend on biomass as the main source of energy for cooking. 93% of total primary energy consumption comesfromfirewood,charcoalorcropresidues.Poorerhouseholds, living on less than USD 1.25 a day, depend on biomass and kerosene for cooking and lighting – dirty energy

sources which negatively impact the environment and the health ofthehouseholdhealth.Biomassfuelisusedinnon-efficientstoves which emit a lot of smoke leading to indoor air pollution that aggravate respiratory and eye infections especially in women and children who spend long hours in the kitchen.

This over dependency on biomass energy has led to deforestation which has negative consequences for the environment. The forest degradation leads to lower agricultural yields resulting in reduced incomes and poor nutrition for families. Biogas is an alternative source of affordable clean energy for cooking and lighting. The second by-product from a bio-digester – bio slurry, provides organic fertiliser that is used to improve household agricultural production.

On average a farmer in Uganda saves up to €300 per annum by switching to biogas for cooking. The challenge is the initial installation cost. Investment costs for a bio-digester that provides four hours of cooking a day and four hours of lighting, range between€500-600,afigurethatisoutofreachformostofthe rural families in Uganda. In 2015, SNV in partnership with Biogas Solutions Uganda Limited (BSU) designed the BSU-2015, reducing the cost of bio-digesters by 25%. The BSU-2015 is more compact and occupies less space and does not impact the quality of the digester or reduce the amount of cooking time. The new BSU-2015 now costs approximately €450. Masons from partner Biogas Construction Enterprises (BCEs) were trained in the construction of the low cost bio-digesters and will be training other BCE masons in the new technology. BSU-2015 will be


promoted and rolled out in all districts of Uganda as demand increases.

So as to overcome the affordability challenge SNV introduced a credit sanctioning incentive to promote end user biogaslendingatfinancialinstitutions.Thisresult based incentive provides support tofinancialinstitutionsdevelopaffordableenergy lending facilities for households to purchase biogas solutions. The Biogas BusinessBoostBenefitingFarmers(4B-F)programme funded by EnDev, provides funds for this credit incentive as well as a quality production incentive.

Quality incentives are offered to BCEs encouraging them to construct quality construction and provide proper operation guides for the biogas plants, thus boosting consumerconfidenceandreducingtheproductfailureorusagerisktothefinancialinstitutions. These two result based incentives are paving the way for more

sustainable and lasting solutions in the biogas sector.

Many families in Uganda are still not aware that biogas is available as a clean energy fuel. SNV in partnership with BSU instituted a ‘foot soldier’ programme to increase awareness of the biogas technology in the country. The programme was launched in South Western Uganda which presents high potential but where the productions of bio-digesters has been the lowest.

The foot soldier concept is a grassroots word of mouth awareness programme targeting the farmers directly. 168 foot soldiers are promoting biogas technology from house to house. They collect data about the potential farmers and pass on the information to BSU and BCEs for follow up. Over 4,000 farmers have been reached within a period of three months.

The African Biogas Partnership Programme, now is its second phase (ABPP II), is a four-year initiative being implemented by Biogas Solutions Uganda with technical assistance from SNV Uganda. ABPP II is managed by SNV and HIVOS and funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Development Cooperation. The programme focuses on developing the biogas sector by providing sustainable private sector interventions; ensuring quality standards, resultbasedfinancialsolutions;awarenesscampaigns, and advocating for appropriate government support and policy. In 2015,

emphasis was placed on increasing the awarenessofthebenefitsofbio-slurrytoimprove crop yield and income for farmers. ABPP II programme is targeting 78,600 people with clean energy solutions.

In 2015, 3,000 people are already benefiting from access to clean energy for cooking and lighting.

“We were struggling with increasing the number of digesters and managed to construct only 3 bio-digesters in two months. When the foot soldiers came

on board within a period of two months we had constructed an additional 8 bio-

digesters.”Vicar Iga manager of ENERCOM, BCE Central Uganda

Business development for biogas construction enterprises

SNV in partnership with Biogas Solutions Uganda (BSU) are working together to increase the usage of clean cooking, lighting and organic bio slurry fertilizer through construction of bio digesters. BSU supports biogas construction enterprises (BCE) who carry out the actual construction of these digesters. One of SNV Uganda’s mandates is to create a viable biogas sector by strengthening the capacity of BCEs to manage their construction companies as a business in order to achieve the target of sell the biogas technology to 13,100 households and to ensure sustainable business practices.

Joseph Lubega has always desired to get a bio-digester in his home in Rubaga Kabusu, a suburb in Kampala. He approached a biogas construction enterprise (BCE) in 2013 but was informed that the space was not only inappropriate but also too small for a bio-digester. Indeed the available space of 5m by 3m was too smalltoconstructthemodifiedCAMARTEC6m3bio-digester.Hisdream was quashed by ‘lack of space’, but he never gave up. In July2015Joseph,approachedBiogasSolutionsUgandatofindout if there were alternative solutions available that could enable people like him own a bio-digester. Joseph was informed that his

available space was enough for a new design – BSU-2015. The rest is now history. Joseph is the proud owner of a bio-digester which had been deemed impossible.

Joseph soon discovered more valuable ways of making use of his digester. Because of his small compound, the slurry pit could be constructed but it had to be emptied regularly to avoid the slurry fromoverflowingintohiscompound.InJoseph’scase,hehadtoempty the slurry pit three times a week. This meant transporting the slurry to his gardens which are a few kilometres from his home. To reduce the amount of slurry production and thus the frequency of emptying the slurry pit, he devised means of ensuring that the gas generated during the day is stored elsewhere, in large tractortiretubes.Modificationwasdonetothetubestohaveseparate gas inlet and outlet points and ensure that the pressure wassufficienttosupplythestovewithappropriategas.

The tubes are tied tightly to one another using rubber ropes ensuring gas is delivered to the stove at appropriate pressure.By devising a mechanism of storing gas generated by his bio-digester Joseph was able to reduce on slurry production and the frequency of emptying his slurry pit from three times a week to once a week. Now Joseph and his family are able to store enough gas to use over the weekend when most of their cooking is done. Joseph is not done yet, he plans to expand on his storage and have 10 tubes in series acting as gas storage tanks.

Joseph’s dreams come true with biogas innovations

SNV in partnership with Biogas Solutions Uganda Limited (BSU)

have designed the BSU-2015 and

reduced the cost of bio-digesters

25%

Walter Okello BSU Quality & Client Services Manager explains how the BSU-2015 operates


SNV contracted the services of a local business consultant to coach the BCEs in business development services. The objective of the assignment was to strengthen the capacity of BCEs to sell biogas technology in rural and peri-urban areas with the ultimate goal of establishing a sustainable and commercially viable biogasbusinesses.Specificobjectivesincluded:• Support to develop practical business

and marketing plans. • Strengthen the capacity of the BCEs to

promote and sell biogas solutions. • Enhance institutional development

by strengthening their governance structures.

• Designandimplementsmartfinancialmanagement systems that will sustain their biogas business and make them attractive to credit.

• Strengthen the presentation skills so that they are able to train farmers and other biogas partners.

14 BCEs successfully underwent the business training and mentorship course and will be used as more BCEs are recruited. The coaching impacted the leaders of the BCEs. It changed their mind-set to appreciate their business as operating in a market led environment from an environment dependent on subsidies from development organisations. The BCEs embark on developing practical marketingstrategiesthatfitinamarketled environment. Before the coaching, BCEs posted an average of 1 or even 0 plants constructed per month, but after the mentoring, many now report an average of between 4-6 plants constructed monthly.

“The exercise was timely and an eye opener. If it had started like this, we would be somewhere very far. We will continue to use our demonstration centre as a practical

marketing and promotional centre to interest communities to demand for more biogas plants.” Mugume Robert of B&M

Engineers, Masindi.

FouroftheBCEsdidnothaveofficesandafterthetrainingtheyestablishedofficeswhere their customers can easily access them. Envirosyn is one of the BCEs that have now relocated their premises to Entebbe road, a more visible location.

“From the Business training sessions we received from SNV we realised that

our previous location was not selling our business because it was hidden far from potential clients. Relocating to a more

visible location where we can capture the eye of every passer-by thus made more business sense.” Paul, Managing Director

Envirosyn.

The BCES have also started networking as a strategy to develop strategic partnerships that can led to more businesses such as with dairy cooperatives and district veterinaryofficesinalldistrictswheretheyoperate. Each BCE developed a business plan during the coaching which now guides them during their growth.

For more information about Biogas Solutions Uganda visit http://www.biogassolutions.co.ug/

New study shows bio slurry increases farmer crop productivity by up to 70% and revenue up to 65%.

Uganda’s population is expected to reach 102 million people by 2050 (United Nation,

2015 World Population Prospects). The ability to provide food for this many people is a problem compounded by the over utilization of land and thus soil exhaustion.Uganda’s rate of fertiliser application is at one kilogramme of nutrients per hectare per year which is far below the recommended usage of 50 kilogrammes per hectare per year.

Access to quality fertilizers is challenging due to high costs. And inorganic fertilizers are either unavailable or unaffordable to farmers,andthesoilbenefitsareshortlived requiring regular application.

Since 2009, SNV Uganda has been promoting the use of biogas, an alternative clean energy source for cooking and lighting. To date over 6000 biogas plants have been constructed improving the lives

Improved crop yield after bioslurry application

A Mason constructing a Bio-digester


of more than 30,000 people with healthy clean energy for cooking and lighting. Now, SNV is promoting the additional provenbenefitsofbioslurry.The other by-product, of the biogas digesters, bio-slurry is a bio fertilizer that can be utilised to increase plant productivity. Bio-slurry, a form of organic manure contains nitrogen, phosphorus, and other nutrients that plants need to grow. SNV and Mbarara Zonal Agriculture Research and Development Institute (MBAZARDI) carried out controlled trials where the effect of the application and use of three forms of bio-slurry (liquid, dried andcompost)weretestedandquantifiedon three selected crops; maize to represent cereals, coffee to represent perennial crops and cabbage to represent vegetable crops.

Table 1 results show that:• Compost bio-slurry applied at rate of

10 tonne/hectare is the most effective form of bio-slurry and increased yield of cabbage by 70% and the yield of maize to 59%.

• Crop revenue per hectare of maize and cabbage increased by 18%and 65% respectively through application of compost bio-slurry at a rate of 10 tonne/hectare.

The effect of bio-slurry on the quality of soil fertility was also studied. Bio-slurry application was found to improve soil nitrogen content (one of the major limiting nutrients for most crops) thereby enhancing, soils aggregation, water holding capacity, stabilization of soil humid content and prevention of leaching of nutrients.

Scaling of bio slurry use in Uganda could save millions of shillings

In 2009, Uganda imported 45,000 metric tonnes of inorganic fertilizer including NPK blends, potassium products, nitrogen products and phosphorus including DAP (Uganda Revenue Authority import database 1994-2010).

Yet, 6,000 biogas plants constructed since 2009 can produce annually an average of 109,500 tonnes of liquid bio slurry which couldsignificantlyreducetheamountofinorganic fertilizers used in Uganda by large-scale producers of tea and sugar for example and smallholder farmers. Preliminary cost analysis indicates that, applying bio slurry fertilizer is 10 times cheaper than chemical fertilizers. Moreresearchison-goingtofinalizetheresults of bio slurry fertiliser on coffee yields, clarify its effect on soil micro

organisms, and determine how it might bebeneficialinthefightagainstpests.Innovative ways to effectively process, package and deliver the compost bio-slurry, outline additional income generating opportunities for farmers will also need additional study.

The detailed research report can be downloaded from the following link: http://bit.ly/1NnAAS8

Bio-slurry to promote viable smallholder coffee farming systems proves successfulSustainable and Secure Smallholder Systems at Scale (4S @ Scale) is a four year ECOM/ Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs funded project managed by HIVOS and being implemented by Biogas Solutions Uganda in partnership with KAWACOM with technical assistance from SNV Uganda. The 4S@Scale program will create viable smallholder coffee farming systems, that allow the coffee sector in East Africa to regain its vitality and offer long-term business opportunities for 20,000 smallholder coffee farmers in Uganda.

The project aims at addressing good agricultural practices; targeted women andyouthtraining;incomediversification;the provision of credit facilities; and incorporating biogas into the whole farm system.

After a market scan of the coffee sector, in partnership with Kawacom, SNV Uganda established a baseline target of which coffeefarmerswouldbenefitfrombiogason their farms. Demonstration biogas digesters were constructed at 43 farms with emphasis on the use of bio-slurry for improving coffee production. In addition to the biogas production for clean cooking, eachhouseholdbenefitedfromtheuseofbio-slurry on their farms. After 6 months of training and use of the bioslurry, several farmers were interviewed and expressed the following satisfaction.

• Organic fertilizers improve coffee production: Coffee nurseries with good bio-slurry application indicate better production results even in dry seasons while some of the mature coffee trees show low pest infections due to bio slurry application.

• Organic fertilizers improve horticulture yield: When spraying beans with bio-slurry, beans displayed goodresultsduringflowering.Theslurry also helped control pests

Table 1: Bioslurry fertilizer crop yield results

Crop Yield Improvement % revenue increase/hectare

Control (tonne/hectare)

Compost Bio (tonne/ hectare)

% yield increase

Control NPK

Cabbage 82 139 70% 65% 33%

Maize 2.7 4 48% 44% 18%

Improved crop yield after bioslurry application Coffee farmer pleased with improved coffee yield


associatedwiththefloweringofbeans.• More eggs and bigger chickens:

Mixing bio-slurry with maize brand has been seen to serve as a vital supplement in free range local chickens.Bothfarmersaffirmedthata chicken feed mixture of maize and slurry, shows fast growth rate, and one farmer points out that the local chickens lay more eggs when on bio slurry.

• Improve land for crop production: One farmer pointed out that, portions of his land that never supported crop production, now support perennials like banana with substantial yields, after the application of bio-slurry.

“After applying the bio-slurry, change is visible on the flowering of my coffee trees

and I expect a high yield next season. And I see big berries on my trees in my

new coffee plantation compared to the old garden.”Rugumayo Godiano, Kawacom

Coffee Farmer

150,000 Ugandans now have access to safe and clean energy solutionsIn Uganda, close to 100% of rural households use dirty biomass energy for cooking, and less than 5% of rural households report using electricity for lighting.

The majority of the population in Uganda depend on unsafe, dim kerosene lamps for light and have no source of power

to charge mobile phones or other small appliances.Thesignificantuseoffirewoodand charcoal for cooking puts pressure on the ecosystem, degrading forests with negative consequences to environment and ultimately the food chain for all Ugandans.

Theuseofdirty,inefficientcookstovesand burning kerosene lanterns, contributes to unhealthy households, causing an increase in respiratory illness and other poor health conditions for families.

SNV Uganda, designed and implemented the Uganda Domestic Renewable Energy Solutions (UDRES) programme, and through this inclusive business initiative reached over 150,000 people in 2015. UDRES included the promotion and distribution of improved cook stoves and home solar solutions in Eastern Uganda.

How was this accomplished?

The UDRES interventions overcame the constraints of limited awareness, affordability and accessibility of clean energy solutions. Responsibly targeting areas of the supply and distribution chain, SNV Uganda was able to support the energy sector, setting the ground work for scalable renewable energy businesses to prosper in rural communities. Emphasis was placed in supporting the sector through:

• Demand awareness creation via SWITCH! to Clean Energy campaign

• Partnerships with improved cook stove

and fuel, and solar suppliers to ensure availability of quality products

• Supporting rural distribution models withresultbasedfinancingincentives

• Complimenting distribution models with youth energy access service teams

• Last mile distribution development via business networking events for suppliers connecting them to SME/last mile distributors, SACCOs and other cooperatives

SNV, Uganda Domestic Renewable Energy Solutions programme, leveraged funding from SNV’s Integrated Renewable Energy Services (IRES) project, a two year multi country programme covering four African countries; Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, and PicoPV4Africa projects.

The IRES programme reached more than 300,000 people, developed skills of more than 200 youth, and 150 partnerships and distributors were formed at the last mile to provide access to renewable energy solutions in rural communities.

Youth Energy Access Service Teams (YEAST)

The Youth Energy Access Service Teams (YEAST) initiative is a youth apprentice programme developed to provide additional distribution support to the suppliers of ICS and solar solutions in Eastern Uganda while providing employment opportunities to youth.

Matching 32 youth from rural communities with four ICS and three solar suppliers, provided jobs for the youth, and generated sales for the suppliers. Youth were trained, mentored and supported over a period of six months to become sales agents and penetrate communities showcasing ICS and Pico PV products.

The training involved skills training in sales and marketing, and expanded to include public speaking, business planning and entrepreneurship, career planning and life skills. A reward system was developed and commissions paid by suppliers to youth who met their targets.

The youth were empowered and motivated through self-led teams. Youth were required to use a customised mobile applicationforverificationandmonitoringof sales, adding technical skills to the youthprofile.

The YEAST members sold more than 8700 solar or ICS solutions impacting over

2 Energy Country Report: Uganda, Embassy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands in Uganda, November 2015, p. 6

Off grid energy solutions


52,000 people in the East. This represents close to 40% of the total sales. The youth earned more than €17,000, providing on average, €530 in income per youth. By the end of the project in November 2015, 80% of the youth were either employed by the suppliers or had established energy businesses.

Extension of the SWITCH! To Clean Energy marketing and awareness campaign to educate last mile end users, create awareness about clean energy technologies (solar and ICS) and generate demand for the private sector suppliers. Community radios, expos during market days, billboards, banners, signage, brochures and posters were used to expand the SWITCH! to Clean Energy message in communities in Eastern Uganda.

Innovative financing incentives to reach the last mile To round out the UDREs initiative and ensure that product were available when demand was generated, a result based financial(RBF)schemewasdevelopedto incentivize the suppliers of ICS and solar products to reach the last mile communities. Due to the short duration of the programme, the RBF resulted in reaching about 60% of the pre agreed sales targets.

However, the sales trend from month to month shows promising results. The incentives supported the establishment of 90 distribution points demonstrating that products will be available to communities.

Acomprehensiveverificationsystemwasestablished and sales were monitored monthly.Complimentingthisverificationsystem, an android based mobile application was created, to more effectively track sales. Before YEAST, I didn’t know that I could sell.

“I didn’t know I could even ever make a sale, I had not done it before but now I know I can get good money from selling

stoves,” Babara Namataka YEAST member Mbale.

Barbara was able to sell 360 and 258 solar systems and cook stoves respectively in the 6 months of the YEAST initiative, which earned her a commission of 3,089,500 UGX(€825).Withherfirstpay,Barbara

bought herself a new mattress and has now started her own stove business, selling different stoves of suppliers she used to represent.

“In the third month I decided to think outside the box… I started getting

customers and meeting my targets.”

Shokoma Enos is a YEAST member from Mbale. Enos is a secondary school language teacher in one of the schools in Mbale.

“Before the YEAST initiative I used to teach and teach but never had enough

money to show for all my efforts. My free time, which I had in abundance was spent

visiting friends and watching football.

When I heard about the SNV YEAST initiative I applied and I got hired. The first two months were hard, I was not meeting my targets because I was only able to sell to fellow teachers and some few friends. In the third month I decided to think outside the box and stop focusing on my friends

and fellow teachers to support me.

I started talking to parents and the students and interestingly the students referred me to their parents. I started

getting customers and meeting my targets. From the money I earned as

commission, I started buying chicken and goats to rear.

I now have a good number of chicken and goats and I expect to earn some good

money from my farming business. I am happy I joined the YEAST programme.”

Verification technology develops youth skills and transparancy

60,000 rural Ugandans learn about renewable energy solutions

youth retained employment and earned more than

€500 in just 6 months

80%


Improving Water-Supply Sustainability in Northern Uganda

Maintaining rural water sources that are managed by local communitiesisasignificantchallengeinUganda.Poorfunctionality is often attributed to the limited capacity of community water source committees (WSCs) coupled with weak institutional support mechanisms for operation and maintenance at the district level. In addition, the absence of spare parts supply chain results in expensive repairs that water users are unable to pay for. Based on SNV’s experience, two structural issues must be addressed in order to improve functionality:

• Preventive maintenance and appropriate savings mechanisms at the community level, which will reduce the number and cost of repairs and ensure that they take place in a timely manner.

• Strong post-construction support at the district level, including the bundling of services to attract the private sector.

The national functionality rate for rural water points has been stagnant for a number of years, remaining slightly above 80%. Improving Water Supply Sustainability in Northern Uganda is a three year project being implemented by SNV with funding fromtheCoordinationOfficeforDevelopmentCooperationofthe Austrian Embassy in Uganda. The project will enhance the functionality and sustainability of rural water supplies in 600 communities,withspecificfocusonimprovingexistingwatersources in the districts of Apac, Lira, Alebtong and Dokolo in northern Uganda. In rural areas, 64% of the population has

access to an improved water source. In these four districts, the percentage is slightly higher, ranging from 71% (in Apac) to 92%(inAlebtong),thoughthisisoffsetbyasignificantlylowerfunctionality rate than the national average. The capacity of WSCs varies greatly throughout these districts. It is estimated that of the 2,539 water sources in the four districts that operate under community-based management systems (CBMSs), approximately 512 are not functional.

In order to improve the functionality of rural water sources, the current policy on community-based management will be strengthened. Stakeholders in the four districts will be supported through a three-pronged approach:

• 300 new WSCs (currently dormant or not in place) and 300 existing committees will be strengthened to improve their capacity to effectively manage and maintain water facilities.

• Four existing handpump mechanic associations (HPMAs) will be supported to develop and implement business plans in order to improve their capacity to carry out preventative maintenance and repairs. These will be commissioned directly by WSCs and district local governments (DLGs).

• DLGs will be supported to oversee and guide WSCs and HPMAs, as well as provide post-construction support. Technical staff at the district and sub-county level will be provided with mentoring and coaching support, while 125 political leaders in the four districts will be trained on their roles in improving functionality. This will be further supported by the formation of sub-county water supply and sanitation boards that will oversee the management of all water sources within their sub-counties.

WASH

Handpump mechanics repairing a broken borehole in Lira district


Phase 1 project activities included mobilising and sensitising 225 communities, strengthening two existing water boards, forming 10 new water boards and building the capacity of four district HPMAs. Baseline data was collected on 225 water sources, and while the average functionality of these water sources was 87%, resources for operation and maintenance were inadequate. Only 16% of the 225 water sources reported having more than 100,000 UGX (26 Euros) in their treasuries, and 50% of the WSCs had never received any training on their roles and responsibilities.

Progress to date

Improvement in operation and maintenance: 225 WSCs were sensitised on their roles in operation and maintenance, and water and sanitation committees were formed for 100 water sources. All of the water sources were fenced and operation and maintenance funds, which have been a challenge to collect, are now being received from households. Subsequently, 25 non-functional water sources were repaired, providing 5,000 additional people with access to clean water. In addition, WSCs were encouraged to open bank accounts for their operation and management (O&M) funds. To date, eight WSCs in Apac District have opened accounts with Centenary Bank.

Capacity assessment and training: One of the key deliverables of the project is to build strong and knowledgeable sub-county extension staff teams that are actively supporting the WSCs to maintain water sources. During the reporting period, 50 extension staff, comprised of communitydevelopmentofficers,healthinspectors and parish chiefs from Lira, Dokolo and Apac districts, were trained. Instruction covered how to identify capacity gaps, mobilise communities with a focus on rural water supply and sanitation, and develop joint plans for fieldactivitiesineachsub-county.The

project also supported the Ministry of Water and Environment to roll-out the HPMA framework to all of the districts in Technical Support Unit 2. Formal linkages between HPMAs and water and sanitation committees will be promoted in order to ensure the sustainable management of water sources.

Sustainable Sanitation and Hygiene for All (SSH4A)I never knew how shameful the absence of a latrine was until I was triggered.

56 year-old Ukidi Terensio and his wife, Acibu Regina, aged 54, live in Alengo village, Zeu sub-county in ZomboDistrict one of the districts in West Nile that is implementing the DFID-funded Sustainable Sanitation and Hygiene for All (SSH4A) Results Programme.

Ukidi and his wife, who have eight adult children, had become accustomed to sharing a latrine with their children who lived nearby, following the collapse of their own latrine. Ukidi felt uneasy every time he had to cross his homestead to

use his son’s latrine. One day Ukidi and other members of his village attended a community-led total sanitation (CLTS) triggering meeting. The SNV local partner that was facilitating the CLTS exercise, WaterSchool,magnifiedthesenseofunease in Ukidi. “I felt ashamed that a grown man like myself had failed to provide something as basic as a latrine for his wife. I knew then that I could not go on with life as it was – visiting my son’s latrine and inconveniencing my wife and children,”Ukidisaidinreflection.

Two months after the CLTS exercise, Ukidi had constructed a latrine, handwashing facility and bath shelter, and is now one of the few elders in his village to own a latrine.Ukidiisnotsatisfiedyet,however,as his new goal is to teach others about thebenefitsoflatrines.Healsoplanstoimprove the structure of his latrine once he secures adequate resources.

Thisstoryexemplifiesthekindofchangethat SSH4A is bringing about in 15 districts in the West Nile and Rwenzori sub-regions. The programme was launched in 2014 and is being implemented by SNV and its local partners with support from DFID’s Results Challenge Fund. After one year of implementation, CLTS triggering has taken place in more than 1,000 villages, with more than 50% now declared open defecation free (ODF). To date, of the 7 million people in the project area without latrines, 350,000now have access.

“My dignity was restored once we learnt how to construct round pits to deal with the collapsing soils in our communities. Now I am filled with pride because I have a clean latrine,”Kwonga Sidonia of Jupungolo village in Pakwach town council Nebbi district.

The goal of the programme is to create access to sanitation for 800,000 people in the 15 participating districts.

As a result of the programme, 200,000 people are no longer practicing open defecation (OD), and 290,000 people who were practicing OD or were sharing latrines now have access to basic sanitation. This meets the basic access

Ukidi washes his hands outside his newly constructed latrine

Base-line

Mid-term

People reached

OpenDefecation

16 % 6 % - 200,000

Basic access 60 % 74 % + 290,000

Access (JMP) 28 % 45 % + 350,000

Hand Washing

7 % 23 % + 330,000

people now have access to clean

water

54,500


criteria (ensuring hygienic separation of human excreta from human contact) of the Joint Monitoring Programme of WHO/UNICEF. Furthermore, 330,000 additional people now have access to handwashing facilities within their compounds.

The programme’s approach is to target all of the villages in a sub-county for ODF status. To date, over 1,000 villages have been triggered. By the middle of 2016, the programme’s goal is to have more than 3,000 villages declared ODF, with 1.5 million people living in an ODF environment.

Behaviour change communication

Improving sanitation not only involves the construction of latrines, but changes in behaviours that will sustain the use of

latrines and bring about associated practices, such as handwashing with soap. Field surveys conducted by the programme clearly indicate that knowledge about appropriate hygiene behaviours is widespread; however, these behaviours are often not practiced in everyday life.

In collaboration with the National Handwashing Secretariat, SSH4A partnered with six local radio stations to air jingles and DJ mentions, as well as host regular radio talk shows, with the objective of reaching 800,000 people with hygiene messages that will prompt them to move from handwashing knowledge to actual practice.

Building on the radio campaign and using CLTS posters provided by the secretariat, fieldfacilitatorsengagedininterpersonalcommunication with community members to discuss new and innovative options for latrine construction and handwashing facilities. The campaign was implemented by 22 organisations in 48 sub-counties, covering more than 2,000 villages.

As a result of the programme, the number of people with handwashing facilities increased from 7% at the time of the baseline study in 2014 to 16% (330,000) in 2015.

Young Sanitation Entrepreneur (YSE) groups

Poor-quality latrines often cause people to slip back into open defecation. One of the constraints to the success of SSH4A was a lack of technical expertise available to households regarding latrine construction, particularly related to building techniques necessary to reduce incidents of faecal contamination and latrine collapse.

In addition, some households required specialised expertise to deal with waterlogged, rocky or loose soils. Providing training for masons – the conventional intervention for improving sanitation supply chains - was not facilitating adequate solutions. In rural areas, the formation of village savings and loan associations (VSLAs), in which communities come together to save money, is a growing trend. Most of these VSLAs are spearheaded by youth who are using the VSLAs not only as insurance or saving mechanisms, but as entrepreneurial structures. These organised groups provided SNV with a platform to launch young sanitation entrepreneur (YSE) groups that could provide expertise

in latrine construction to community members. In 2015 SNV conducted a survey to identify and select these local groups. The main criteria for selection was that a group must have previous experience in entrepreneurial activities and interest in making locally-relevant solutions available at scale to households in the 69 sub-counties covered by the programme.

21 YSE groups were selected and trained in entrepreneurship, marketing and finance,masonry,businessplanningandlatrine construction technologies. One of the YSEs in Maracha District – Yivu Savings and Credit Cooperative, with 520 members (81 female) – managed toconstructtheirownofficepremises.Currently, they have saved 44 million UGX (11,683 Euros) and disbursed loans totalling 57 million UGX (15,133 Euros).

The programme will continue to provide training and business coaching and mentoring to YSEs. It will also create linkagestofinancialinstitutionsforcreditfacilities, as well as to local companies that are seeking rural outlets for their products. This will support the “last mile’ distribution of consumer goods and services.

Achieving 100% handwashing coverage in Uganda by 2030

Every year, more than 35,000 children inUgandadonotlivetoseetheirfifthbirthday because of malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea. Handwashing with soap is one of the most effective means of preventing diarrhoeal diseases, along with proper stool disposal and safe, adequate household water supply.

Evidence suggests that improved handwashing can have a major impact on public health and reduce the incidence of the two leading causes of childhood mortality, diarrhoeal disease and acute respiratory infection, by more than 35%-50% and 30% (Rabie 2003) respectively.

National handwashing initiative

The Uganda National Handwashing Campaign (NHWC) was initiated in August 2006 by the National Sanitation Working Group (NSWG) to spearhead handwashing with soap (HWWS) across the country, particularly among mothers and caregivers ofchildrenbelowfiveyearsandschoolchildren 6-13 years old.

Sidonia and his wife outside their clean latrine

people have gained access

to quality sanitation and

hygiene

680,000


The campaign is grounded in a vision that by 2030,100% of Ugandans will practice HWWS at key times. The approach is informed by the national 2006-2015 Integrated Sanitation and Hygiene Strategy, and addresses hand hygiene issues related to demand creation, supply chainsandfinancingmechanismsand

behaviour change communication, as well as the creation of enabling environments for handwashing.

The overall objective of the campaign is to increase the number of mothers and caregiversofchildrenunderfiveyearswho practice HWWS at key times by 4% peryear.Thefollowingspecificobjectiveswere approved by the national steering committee:• Improve the capacity of technical

support units, district local governments and civil society organisations to implement and sustain large-scale HWWS.

• Ensure the effective coordination of national and district partners for efficient,large-scaleHWWSpromotionat the district level.

• Strengthen learning and knowledge management around HWWS.

Progress made:

With support from UNICEF, SNV steered national collective effort from various partners including private sector, media,

Ministry of Water and Environment to commemorate global hand washing day. The celebrations which took place inLuwerowereofficiatedbytheVicePresident Hon. Edward Ssekandi who pledged government’s commitment to prioritizing handwashing.

The Hygiene Charter was also adopted during the celebrations with stakeholders appending their signatures as a commitment to collaborate in the

promotion of sustained high quality hygieneserviceswithlastingbenefitsforeveryone, everywhere in Uganda.

Girls in Control project, changing the landscape of MHM in Uganda

“We need to collectively break this silence, articulating menstrual needs in policies, budgets, and programmes and monitoring systems and calling upon

communities to empower women and girls by guaranteeing safe menstrual hygiene management,” Hodan Addou, UN women

Country Representative

The primary goal of the SNV Girls in Control(GiC) project, launched in 2014 acrossfiveAfricancountries,wastochange the state of menstrual hygiene management (MHM) by addressing the cultural norms around menstruation and improving the education and services connected to MMH. The project was implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Sports (MoESTS) and a number of international and local organisations.

Specificobjectivesoftheprojectincluded:

• Increase the number of girls with access to and use of girl-friendly MHM facilities at school.

• Increase the number of girls with access to and use of affordable menstrual hygiene materials.

• Increase the number of girls who

4 Huttly, S. et al. (1997). Prevention of in Young Children in Developing Countries. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 75(2), 163-174.

Vice President Hon Edward Ssekandi (c) and other stakeholders pose for a group photo after signing the hygiene charter of the national handwashing initiative


practice safe menstrual hygiene while at school.

• Advocate for integration of MHM into national programmes and policies across key sectors, including WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene), reproductive health, humanitarian emergencies, education and human rights.

In Uganda, the project was implemented in 606 primary schools in the districts of Dokolo, Lira, Mubende and Mukono. GiC has moved subjects that have largely been regarded as a taboo in Uganda to the fore front of public discussion.

This has been accomplished through a number of activities, including the launch ofthefirstmenstrualhygieneconferencein East Africa, as well as celebration of the second annual worldwide Menstrual Hygiene Day.

Theprojecthasfivecomponents,whichcontributed to strengthening professional and institutional capacity and advancing evidence-based learning.

Governance and evidence-based advocacy for improved menstrual hygiene management in schools: : GiC partnered with the MoESTS, resulting in a three-year memorandum of understanding that was signed to implement water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) initiatives in schools.

Through the initiative, SNV and the Ministry will work together to develop a policy on menstrual hygiene management in schools and champion its implementation at both the national and local government level.

The Ministry will support the formulation of indicators to track the progress of menstrual hygiene management interventions.SNV will provide capacity-building services for Ministry staff, school management committees (SMCs)/boards of governors, parent-teachers associations (PTAs), students and community members involved in MHM for school programmes.

“This is a very good opportunity for us as a Ministry to join forces with organisations such as SNV to scale up our work in schools, especially supporting the girl child to stay in school,” Permanent Secretary – Dr Rose Nassali Lukwago

Menstrual material supply chain development: GiC supported 604 schools to develop their own menstrual supply chain materials. The project increased the number of girls with access to and use of affordable menstrual hygiene materials, training 11,300 pupils and 210 women’s groups to make reusable menstrual pads (RUMPs) and soaps.

Thirty tailors were also trained to ensure that there is a continuous supply of RUMPs available for girls. Subsequently, 18 women’s groups and nine tailors have started businesses producing RUMPs.

Behaviour change communication (BCC) and empowerment: Many schools lacked proper facilities for girls, including handwashing and water facilities, as well as incinerators to properly dispose of menstrual products. In many of the schools, girls shared the few existing latrines with boys, and changing rooms exclusively for girls were largely non existent.

To address these and other HHM issues, BCC and empowerment activities were implemented at the school and sub-county level.

In schools, students, parents, PTAs and SMCs were sensitised on MMH. 67,300 pupils in 604 primary schools (21,000 pupils of menstrual age), and 5,000 women and men were trained on MMH and reproductive health. At the sub-county level, radio spots and talk shows were also used to reach the wider communities

around schools with the goal of demystifying menstruation and sensitising people about MMH.

Themes and information related to MMH were also incorporated into school performances, songs, health clubs and school debates.

As a result of the project, there has been a big increase in the installation or construction of water and sanitation facilities, including boreholes, rainwater harvesting tanks, latrines and changing rooms for girls and handwashing sites. Schools were exceedingly receptive to the project and willing to embrace MHM.

Consequently, 58 schools developed infrastructure for MHM, providing 11,600 girls with access to sanitation facilities.

Girls and their parents making rumps

girls of menstrual age now have

access to hygienic facilities.

11,600

SNV Uganda wins Special Award for reporting using International Public Sector Accounting Standards

Reporting under IPSAS has a number of benefits:

• Improved organisational accountability and transparency, providing stakeholders with a complete and accurate overview of the organisation’s business and performance.

• Strengthened programme management due to IPSAS support for a results-based management approach.

• Enhanced credibility for the institution.• Harmonisation of reports and statements across the

institutions using IPSAS reporting.

ThefinancialreportingawardsareorganisedbytheInstituteofCertifiedPublicAccountantsofUgandawiththegoalofimprovingthequalityoffinancialandbusinessreporting in Uganda.

At the 2015 Financial Reporting (FiRe) Awards Ceremony, SNV Uganda won a special award forfinancialreportingusingtheInternationalPublic Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS).

SNV Uganda adopted IPSAS in 2014 as a frameworkforreportingandbecamethefirstNGO in Uganda to win this respected award.


Kenneth Mukisa, SNV Country Controller and Michael Tugyetwena, SNV Operations Director with the IPSAS award


In 2015, the total annual budget was 5.3 million Euros.The different sources of funding are indicated in the chart below.

Financial Report

Funding partners

Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (EKN) AgriProFocus

European Union

- HIVOS

- World Food Programme- UNICEF


SNV staff 2015 Country Office Jeanette de Regt - Country DirectorMichael Tugyetwena -Operations Director Michael Opio Ambrose -Sector Leader AgricultureJoyce Demucci - Sector Leader Renewable Energy Keneth Mukisa - Country Controller Pheonah Kisembo-Omach –Human Resource ManagerPeace Kansiime - Advisor Renewable Energy Sylvia Namara - Advisor Renewable Energy William Fotseu- Advisor Renewable Energy Sarah Mubiru- Senior Dairy Advisor Bernard Conilh de Beyssac - Advisor Inclusive BusinessIrene Sekamwa - Advisor Agri-Finance PolicyMoses Komagum – Advisor Agri-FinanceApollo Muyanja – Advisor Agriculture & private sector development Anja de Feijter - Advisor Agriculture Dorah Egunyu -Communications OfficerChemisto Satya Ali –Project Manager Girls in Control Tom Omach – Advisor WASH Robert Otim – Advisor WASH & Coordinator National Handwashing InitiativeKetrah Kakai Mukone – Finance and Administration Officer Deborah Nabirye - Administrative AssistantAndrew Opila - Transport Facilitator

South Western, Mbarara office TIDE (The Inclusive Dairy Enterprise) Rinus van Klinken – Project Manager George Oroma - Dairy Advisor Dr William Kihire - Dairy Advisor Fredrick Kizito - Nutrition AdvisorJoseph Kiirya - Investment Advisor Lucy Musana - Project Accountant Charles Chandiga - Transport Facilitator

Rwenzori, Fort Portal Office Felix Kazahura – Project Manager Sustainable Nutrition for All Livingstone Turyatemba – Nutrition Advisor, Sustainable Nutrition for All Henry Kakooza – Advisor WASH, Sustainable Sanitation & Hygiene for All Nakku Stella- Field Operations Officer Patrick Okwanga - Transport Facilitator Stephen Kisembo - Transport Facilitator

Kasese satellite office Bwambale Lazarous - Project Officer, Purchase for ProgressBiira Jackline - Project Officer, Purchase for ProgressProssy Nakayima – Nutrition Advisor, Sustainable Nutrition for All

Kamwenge satellite officesJames Kebirungi - Project Officer, Purchase for Progress

North East, Lira officeBernard Eyadu – Advisor WASHWilbrord Turimaso – Project Manager, Improving Water-Supply Sustainability

Nakapiripirit satellite office AbdallahLoeseAtibu-ProjectOfficer,Learning&Earningthrough school gardens

West Nile, Arua office Hilda Achayo – Project Manager, Youth Entrepreneurship & Skills development Lillian Nabasirye – Project Manager, Sustainable Sanitation & Hygiene for All Dennis Lakwo Odong - Advisor WASH, Sustainable Sanitation & Hygiene for AllCatherine Kemigisha - Field Operations Officer James Amoru - Transport Facilitator

Consultants Abraham NangiroAsaph BesigyeBlue Edge MarketingB-space limitedCatherine KemigaboConsultea - Pamela ReynellsDavid Alele Mugabe DEEP Consults Ltd - Doreen KirungiDiana L. CaleyDoreen Natukunda Dr. David NdawulaEdward ZzimbeGerald OwachiHamidah Naishur NakimuliHenry BongyereirweIsaac Gamdwe AndrewJoweria Nambooze


List of LCBs

Karin WeberKaruth InvestmentsMiriam KyotalimyeMustapha B. MugishaMwalimu MushesheOne SolutionPamela OtaliPatrick Tajjuba MusibaPeter MugishaPetroleum Institute for Proactive ActionRichard Wakholi SMJR Consult - Stanley MusiimeSusan KarungiTwin Source Investments LtdVictoria BrownMango Tree Marlyse Laure SobtafoRuth Kuteesa

Local capacity builders Agriculture

African RevivalAgasha CompanyAgency For Sustainable Rural Transformation (AFSRT) Card Uganda Agribusiness Development OrganizationCybertrends limitedEdward Kamoga Farm Reap LtdJoseph SemujjuLunch for Learning Matlin consultancyMohammed MoshyMunakenyaNational Agricultural Research Organisation Rwebitaba Zonal Agricultural Research and Development InstituteObin EngorokPalm Corps Uganda LtdRwenzori Information Centres Network (RIC-Net)Sarela General Services LimitedSMJR Consult - Stanley MusiimeUganda Agribusiness AllianceUganda Rural Development and Training Programme Palm Business Consult Virtuos springs limited

Renewable Energy Agro Support ServicesEdward Kamoga Hamidah Naishur NakimuliKARUTH InvestmentsOmnicom Uganda LimitedOmni Tech ltd Yard BuikweNARO MbazardiDFH UgandaCEW-IT Uganda

WASH Agency For Sustainable Regional DevelopmentAll Nations Christian Care Calvary ChapelCaritas Arua Diocese Caritas Kasese Caritas Kiyinda Mityana DioceseCaritas Lira Caritas Nebbi Center for Governance and Economic Development

Child Care and Youth Empowerment FoundationChildren and Wives of Disabled Soldiers AssociationChildren’s Chance International Development Foundation for Rural AreasEdward Kamoga Emesco development foundationErrand technologies Former Seminarians Initiative for Development Foundation for Urban and rural Advancement Global Partnership for Holistic Development UgandaHAI Agency Henry Kimera KyebambeHewasa Programme-Diocesan Social Services and DevelopmentHumanitarian Efforts and Relief UgandaJoint Effort to Save the EnvironmentJoseph AbisaKarambi Action for Life ImprovementLink to ProgressNeedy KidsNorthern Umbrella of Water and SanitationNutricare International Ltd Omni Tech ltd Palm Business Consult Rural Health Care Foundation Uganda Rural Initiative for Community Empowerment West Nile Uganda Muslim Women VisionUganda Rural Development and Training ProgrammeWater School Uganda Women in Development Concerns Coalition MubendeYouth Social Work Association

Partners hosted in Kampala office

Agri- ProFocus

Lucy Asiimwe – Country Coordinator Sylvia Natukunda - Agribusiness Linkage FacilitatorRichard Mugisha - Linking & Learning FacilitatorRita Kusasira - Events ManagerMarion Alyek – Office FacilitatorSharon Shaba - Communication & Marketing Facilitator

Biogas Solutions Uganda office

Juliet Kyohunda - Managing DirectorFlorence Kintu- Business Development & Marketing ManagerWalter Okello - Quality & Client Services ManagerGodfrey Ayebare - Manager Contracts, Monitoring & EvaluationRittah Nakasawe - Customer Care Advisor

Financial AccessMerel Anten - Programme CoordinatorJohn Ssali - ManagerBlessing Nakalema Aisha - Manager

AGRITERRA Taco HoekstraHenry Mpanga


List of LCBs

3

WHEN SHOULD YOU WASH YOUR HANDS WITH SOAP AND WATER?

1:Visiting

the Latrine

3:EatingFood

2.CleaningBabyʼsBottom

4:Feeding

Your Baby

AFTER BEFORE

WASH YOUR HANDSWITH SOAP

SNV Uganda officesCountry officesPlot 36, Luthuli Rise, BugolobiP.O Box 8339 Kampala, UgandaTel: +256 (0)414 563 200 +256 (0)312 260 058Email: [email protected]: www.snvworld.org

North East regionPlot 3 Kabalega Road, Yodev Plaza,Lira, UgandaTel: +256 (0)758 260 050

Rwenzori regionPlot 2/4 Rwenzori RoadP.O Box 78, Fort Portal, UgandaTel: +256 (0)758 200 778 +256 (0)392 200 778

West Nile regionPlot 10A, Bwana Volla RoadArua, UgandaTel: +256 (0)758 200 781 +256 (0)476 420 623

South West regionPlot 10, Haji Kasaka Road, Kiyanja Ruharo-KamukuziP.O. Box 1653, Mbarara

Editors: Dorah Engunyu, Mango TreePhotography: SNVConcept & design: Helika Ltd

snv uganda 2015-2016 · 4 2015- 2016 promoting leadership and sustainable development ... menstrual...

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