urdt newsletter (13.6.2007)

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JUNE 2007 AWAKENING VOL. �. ISSUE �3

URDT COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER

JUNE 2006 AWAKENING VOL. 1. ISSUE 11

URDT COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER i

June 2006 AWAKENING VOL. ONE ISSUE.11


To cultivate the spirit of self reliance so as to enhance

Self-generating development in rural communities

AWAKENING THE SLEEPINGGENIUS IN EACH OF US

PROGRAMME

June 2007 VOL. ONE ISSUE. 13

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URDT COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER 3


EDITORIAL......................................................................... 3

URDT.OPEN.DAY. :. .Twenty. years.of . capacity.build-

ing/human.development..................................................... 4

African.Rural.University:.A.Student’s.Perspective........... 6

VISIONARY.LEADERSHIP.KEY.TO.SUCCESS:.ARU.

PRESIDENT.REVEALS.HER.EXPERIENCE........... 7

AFRICAN.RURAL.UNIVERSITY:.GUILD.GOVERNMENT.

TAKES.OFF.STEADILY............................................................. 8.

URDT.INSTITUTE:.Student.tells.succcess.story..................... 9

URDT’S. APPROACH. TO. MODERNISING. AGRICUL-

TURE...............................................................................................10.

Poems....................................................................................12

ART:.A.TOOL.FOR.SOCIAL.TRANSFORMATION......... 13

VALUES.DETERMINE.ONES.LIFE.STYLE......................14

Pictorial............................................................................................14

URDT.COMMUNITY.SCHOOL.-.NKONDO.....................16

YOUR.LETTERS...............................................................17

CHALLENGES.OF.WOMEN.IN.THE.JOB.MARKET....18

Contributors Social Cultural Economic Development Programme

(SCEDP)Rural Communication Development Programme

(RCDP)Institution Development Programme (IDP)

PrintersUganda Rural Development Printing Centre

AcknowledgementThis issue of the URDT Newsletter is funded by a grant from

(KKCR) Kagadi, Kibaale

All queries and address corrections should be addressed to the address below:

Uganda Rural Development and Training ProgrammeP.O. Box 24, Kagadi, Kibaale

Email address: [email protected]

No part of this publication may be reproduced, in part or whole, in English or any other language without permission from URDT.

All copyrights reserved 2007

To Obtain a copyWrite to the above address (Subscription Fee is 1500/=).

Table of Contents

Editorial Team

URDT NEWSLETTER

Akello Jacqueline Editor / Advisor

Hamim Masudi Editor


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URDT COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER 3



Editorial

JUNE 2007 AWAKENING VOL. �. ISSUE ��


Uganda like other UN member countries aims to halve its popu-lation living in absolute poverty by half by 2015. She domesti-cated the MDG goals in the Poverty Eradication Action Plan planning f r a m e -

work. Indeed a lot of quantitative progress has been made in the Universal Primary Education, Gender Equality and empowerment. Since the start of UPE, there is 87% enrollment for school going children in Uganda, secondary school enrollment ranges between 12-15%. This pauses a high development challenge for Uganda and more so for the challenge of realizing the eradica-tion of extreme poverty and higher, child mortality, environment sustainability, HIV/AIDS and other diseases.

The greater challenge is; a nation with low literacy rates cannot go far. To delve into development discourse, a nation has to breed its own thinkers, rather than just adopt what has worked in other areas. This does not necessarily mean reinventing the wheel, but promote independent research and development that can propel a country to progress. Rather than make two steps forward and two steps back. Uganda has been independent for more than 40 years; we cannot speak of the human resource it enjoys. Makerere was once renowned as the Harvard of Africa. After celebrat-ing the silver Jubilee, we still have 38% of Ugandan living below the poverty line. We have de-gree and Diploma graduates fleeing the country in search for better paid jobs in more developed countries, graduates with no jobs, and high levels of apathy, life expectancy at 49 with 88% of Ugandans living in rural areas with very poor economic and social conditions.

How can we best harness an education system that will get the country out of the poverty trap? A holistic education system where by each person finds identity, meaning, and purpose in life through connections to the community, to the natural world, and to spiritual values such as com-passion and peace. Holistic education aims to call forth from people an intrinsic reverence for life. An education where at whatever level one is, they are relevant to themselves and to the com-munity.

Jacqueline Akello


By Masudi Hamim

Lorena.stoves…bugler.proof .window. frames…leav-ing. room. seats…. wood-

en. beds…award. trophies…art.works…heaps.of .reminiscence.

These. heaps. of . recollections.formed. the. URDT. open.day. celebrations. on. May.2nd. 2007.. It. was. on. this.day. twenty. years. ago. that.URDT. came. into. existence..The.government.of .Uganda.confirmed the registration of .URDT.as.an.NGO..Since.then.things.have.never.been.the.same.again.for.the.com-munities.of .Kibaale..On.this.day. the. communities. had.gathered.to.show.case.where.URDT.has.taken.them.

Present. to. witness. the. showcase.were. the. state. Minister. for. Gen-der,. Labor. and. Social. develop-ment,. state. minister. of . internal.affairs,. state. Minister. for. Local.government,. area. members. of .parliament,.the.prime.minister.of .Bunyoro. kingdom. religious. lead-ers.and.local.leaders.

The. fact. that. all. the. guests. re-sponded. positively. was. a. state-ment.in.itself .of ...work.well.done..This.had.earlier.on.been.echoed.by.Mwalimu.Musheshe.the.CEO.and.chairman. URDT. during. prepara-tory.sessions.for.this.occasion..He.underlined.the.reasons.behind.the.invitation.of .each.guest.

URDT OPEN DAY : Twenty years of capacity building/human development.

“We. invited. the. minister. of . in-ternal. affairs. because. it’s. our. line.ministry.. We. wanted. them. to. be.grateful. for. giving. us. the. license.to.operate.an.NGO..The.Gender,.Labor.and.Social.development.was.invited.because.we.recognize.that.Gender.issues.are.a.factor.in.social.development..

Over.the.years.URDT.has.exhibit-ed.unprecedented.achievements.in.the.areas.of .capacity.building.and.in.particular.alternative.education..In. an. elaborate. but. measured.way. the. Director. of . programme.URDT,.Ms.Akello.Jacquiline.used.her. speech. to. draw. attention. on.the. following. phases. URDT. has.

gone.through.

1).From. 1989-1992. focus.was. on. extension. services.which. included. agricultural.extension,. demonstration.farm,.health.and.sanitation.2).1993-1999. Focus. was.on. education. and. capacity.building.. It. was. during. this.period.that.the.institute.was.started,. the.Artisan.Support.Program.Launched,.the.East.African. Community. Media.project.(an.off .spring.of .the.

Rio.Conference).concretized.3). 2002-Todate,.Focus.is.on.stra-

tegic.intervention.and.capacity.building..This.period.has.seen.the.expansion.of .the.institute.to.include.Media.Studies.and.evaluation. done. externally.by. the. national. examinations.board.. The. URDT. Girl’s.School. and. the. more. recent.African. Rural. University-an.all. women’s. University. were.started.

Against. all. odds,. the.African.Ru-ral.University.started.and.has.reg-istered. remarkable. achievements..This.was.clearly.portrayed.through.

Continued on page 6

URDT COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER�



Guests admire community products On URDT Open Day 1

Indeed.the.Gender,.Labor.and.So-cial. development. Minister-Hon..Syda.Bumba.was.the.guest.of .hon-or..And. in. a. speech.presented. to.the.audience.by.her.deputy.Minis-ter,.Mr.Suleiman.Madada.reiterated.the.words.of .Mwalimu.Musheshe.“You.are.talking.about.gender.and.development,. vulnerable. groups,.children.and.women,.this.puts.you.directly.in.the.middle.of .the.Min-istry.of .Gender,.Labor.and.social.development.. It’s.our.mandate. to.mobilize. people,. for. social. and.economic.development..What.you.are. doing. here. is. complementary.to.what.the.government. is.doing..I.want.to.announce.that.I’m.your.partner. in. development”. Madada.declared.

URDT COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER�



By Nyangoma Grace Guild President ARU

Educating.a.man.is.educating.an. individual,. and. Educat-ing.a.woman.is.educating.a.

nation,.when.a.woman.is.marginal-ized.the.nation.remains.back.ward..Over.a. large.population. in.African.countries.comprise.of .women.who.are.marginalized.in.education,.gen-der.imbalance,.imbalance.in.incomes.and.many.cases.of .the.day.where.by.the.number.of .professional.women.is.dismal..

However,. supportive. Organi-zations. like;. URDT. in. Kagadi-Kibaale. district. mid. western.Uganda. deserves. credit. for. it. has.given. women. an. opportunity. with.a. difference,. in. opening. up. Afri-can.Rural.University.an.all.women’s.University. to. awaken. the. sleeping.genius. in. each. of . us. for. human.development.. The. University. edu-cates. women. folk. of . all. ages. de-siring. further. education. in.Uganda.and. abroad,. strengthens. our. roles.in. national. and. rural. development.and.even.achieving.equity.for.us.in.Uganda.and.other.African.societies..

Education. being. core. in. URDT’s.integrated. approach. based. on. the.

principles. of . creative. process,.we. are. supported. in. knowing. our.dreams.while. cultivating. awareness.of . the. current. reality. around. us..This. forms. the. uniqueness. of . our.University.. This. dual. awareness. of .what.we.want.and.what.we.have.of-ten.creates.a.state.of .tension.that.by.its.nature.seeks.resolution..Actually,.the.most.natural.desired.resolution.of . this. tension. is. for.our.reality. to.move. closer. to. what. we. want.. To.give.an.example.of .this,..at.African.Rural. University. we. set. our. goals.say; “Having a first class degree” (Vision/Desired. state). we. do. re-search,.revise.our.notes.before.and.after. lectures,. consult.our. lecturers.to.make.our.tension.resolve.so.that.by.the.end.of .our.course.we.achieve.what.we.want.(Our.Vision)..Hence.our.working.motto.“Nothing.is.got.on.a. sliver.platter”./.“No. treasure.on.a.platter.”.

In. African. Rural. University,. we.explore. the. dynamics. of . personal.mastery. and. self . knowledge. not.only. to. have. the. capacity. of . pro-ducing.results.our.selves.and.to.our.communities.but.also.mastering.the.principles. underlying. the. way. we.produce. results.. Therefore. we. al-ways.recognize.that.part.of .our.pur-pose,.is.making.sure.we.succeed..We.bring.our. thoughts. (aspirations). to.align.around.the. things.we.have. in.common.to.achieve.what.we.want..

The. curriculum. offers. us. sub-jects. that. have. cumulative. learn-ing. effects.. This. provides. us. with.knowledge. and. skills. that. also. will.enable. us. facilitate. rural. develop-ment.through.holistic.and.integrat-

African Rural University: A Student’s Perspective

the.speech.made.to.the.Guests.by.the. University. Vice. Chancellor..He. said. “the. URDT. constitution.Article.‘n’.envisioned.the.creation.of .a.university.way.back. in.1987..In. 2006. it. was. launched. and. as.we celebrate the end of the first academic,.let.me.announce.to.you.what. we. have. so. far. achieved”.Dr.. Remegious. Munyonyo. pro-claimed.

“We. have. formulated. the. URDT.strategic.documents.for.formal.ap-plication.of .a.provisional.accredi-tation. from. the.National.Council.of . Higher. Education.. We. have.successfully.admitted.students.and.recruited. committed. staff.. Stu-dents.have.helped.in.the.develop-ment.of .the.Kahunde.Parish.Five.year. development. plan. and. have.successfully. launched. themselves.on.Radio.programs.with.a.central.theme-who. is. a.woman”.Munyo-nyo.said

Munyonyo. ended. his. speech. by.announcing.the.next.item.expect-ed.from.African.Rural.University-A micro finance model that en-hances.sustainable.development.in.contrast.to.conventional.ones.that.promote.commerce...

The.day.ended.on.a.forward.note.with.speaker.after.speaker.pledging.greater. cooperation. with. URDT..One. guest. promised. to. convince.the. president. of . Uganda. to. pay.URDT. a. visit. and. take. a. lesson.about.wealth.creation.

Twenty years of ca-pacity building/human

development.Continued from page 4

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URDT COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER7


By Nyangoma Grace Guild President ARU

How I got to become the guild president of African Rural Uni-versity.

I.became the first guild presi-dent.of .ARU.through. listen-ing,.patience,.consistence.and.

prayer...I. look.at.these.inquisitive.friends.as.guides.seeking.to.plunge.me. into. deeper. thought.. . Then.there. always. comes. the. most. in-teresting.one,.‘Guild.Presidents.al-ways.fail.exams.and.get.third.class.degree.. . What. are. you. going. to.do.about.that?’.These.are.all.chal-lenges..I.am.an.ardent.believer.of .the.visionary.orientation..I.believe.there. are. no. diminutive. or. im-

VISIONARY LEADERSHIP KEY TO SUCCESS: ARU PRESIDENT REVEALS HER EXPERIENCE

mense. challenges.. . What. matters.is.the.way.we.deal.with.them..My.challenges.have.taught.me.lessons.that.no.tutor.would.have.taught.me...When.you.know.where.you.are.go-ing.you.can.not.get.lost.......These.challenges. are,. to. me,. tests,. tools.of . analysis. and. evaluation.of .my.actions.and.as.a.result,.they.thrust.me.forward.. .Challenges.can. lead.to. a. good. situation. and. relation-ship. if . used. to. create. it.. Having.leant.from.my.errors,.they.are.the.basis. for.planning.new.situations...I.have.learnt.that.life.is.not.about.wining. or. losing. but. about. win-ning.and.learning...Surprises.have.served.as.eye.openers.and.guides.to.transcendence,.thus.trying.mo-ments. are. met. with. a. conscious.mind..Through.sharing,.true.con-versation,.and.self .knowledge.and.

surprise. among.other.tenets.of .life,.I.have.served.my.as-pirations..I.not.only.love.to.work.but.feel.comfortable.to.take.the.lead.in.activities,.even. those. that. are.viewed as difficult by. my. contempo-raries. and. this. has.been.key.in.my.elec-tion.and.leadership..I.have.come. to.ap-preciate. the. course.I. take. at. African.Rural.University.for.it. is. preparing. me.for.the.world..

When you know where you are going you can not get lost. These chal-lenges are, to me, tests,

tools of analysis and evaluation of my actions

and as a result, they thrust me forward. Chal-lenges can lead to a good situation and relationship

if used to create it.

ARU students think, learn together. ARU lectures in progress

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ed. approaches. thus. being. change.agents.. Our. University. curriculum.is. integrated.and.allows.us. to.have.our. own. understanding. of . life. in.different.aspects.and.enables.us. to.live. a.balanced. life. in. and.out. side.our.campus..Therefore.life.at.ARU.is.holistic.and.integrated..

As. students. of . ARU,. we. testify.and. appreciate. the. beauty. of . our.University. say;. the. introduction.of .women.learning.circles.which.have.determined. our. strength. and. re-vealed. our. weakness. there. by. pro-gressing.in.our.selves.accompanied.by. stature. growth. lessons,. routine.foundation. course. that. add. value.on. us,. public. lectures,. sports. and.

By Nyangoma GraceGuild President ARU

Through.utilizing. the.technologies. of . the.creative.process.and.

systems. thinking,. we. are.contributing. positively. to.the.development.of .Uganda.and.the.whole.of .Africa..Af-rican.Rural.University.Guild.government. has. taken. off .steadily.. The. members. of .the.guild.council.are;.Nyan-goma. Grace(Guild. President).Nanteza.Christine(Guild.Speaker).Kobusingye.Ruth(Guild.Secretary).Nansubuga. Catherine(Minister.for. Internal. Affairs. and. Culture).Birungi.Gertrude(Minister.for.Fi-nance). Ninsiima. Susan. (Minister.

for.Foreign.Affairs).Nabuke-nya. Madrine(Councilor).and. Busobozi.Catherine(councilor).. We.have.made.a.work.plan.and.have had our first Guild council. meeting.. Through.projects. and. a. fundraising,.we. hope. to. raise. our. guild.fund. as. we. observe. sov-ereignty. and. self . reliance....However.we.still.need.sup-port.. We. are. involved. in.different. projects. including.making. an. integrated. com-

munity. development. plan. for. a.village. in. Kibaale,. HIV/AIDS.sensitization,. and. development.of a Micro finance model. In our poultry.project.we.aim.at.protect-

AFRICAN RURAL UNIVERSITY: GUILD GOVERNMENT TAKES OFF STEADILY

Microfinance, Radio program and community. participation. for. rural.development.and.not.forgetting.ad-visory.services..As.pioneers.of . the.university.being. trained. to.become.rural. transformation.specialists,.we.complement. government’s. efforts.to. bring. services. to. our. people. by.empowering.them.(communities).to.re-build. Africa;. and. therefore. add.value. to. education. of . profession-als.in.rural.transformation,.there.by.being.trained.to.be.job.creators.but.not.seekers.as.far.as.creative.process.is.concerned..Therefore.we.aim.to-wards. reversing. the. education. that.contributes. much. too. rural. brain.drain...You.are.invited.to.share.the.approaches. and. strategic. thinking.of .African.rural.university..I.believe.this.is.the.way.to.go.now.that.all.at-tempts.tried.have.betrayed.us.

African Rural University: A Student’s PerspectiveContinued from page 6

Continued on page 9

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games,. research. in. communities. as.far.as.our.project.work./.communi-ty.development.programme.is.con-cerned..Focus.has.been.put.on.Gen-der. and. HIV/AIDS. sensitization,.

A University with enlightened healthy and active students

(women) who wish to participate as equal

partners in the global events.

The unwritten encyclopedia at African Rural University is also

an advocate for children’s rights as we discuss sensitive issues

like abortion, parenting, HIV/AIDS prevention, peace, who a woman is,

and development.

ARU guild compaign

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ing.the.indigenous.birds.from.ex-tinction..ARU.aims. at. preserving.the. African. culture. and. have. it.used.as.a. laboratory..The.unwrit-

ten.encyclopedia.at.African.Rural.University. is.also.an.advocate.for.children’s.rights.as.we.discuss.sen-sitive. issues. like.abortion,.parent-ing,.HIV/AIDS.prevention,.peace,.

who. a. woman.is,. and.develop-ment.. We. pres-ent. three. radio.programs. every.week. address-ing. such. is-sues.. ARU. has.attended. and.contributed. to.the. promotion.of . education.in.Uganda.. .We.have.fund.raised.for. two. schools.

and.have.planned.to.visit.as.many.schools.in.Kibaale.to.inspire.chil-dren.to.aspire.for.the.greatest..ARU.is.also.working.with.the.youths.in.Kagadi.Town.Council.to.improve.the.well.being.of .youths.....We.aim.at. encouraging. each. other. to. get.involved. in. productive. economic.activities.like.brick.lying,.bee.keep-ing,.tailoring,.carpentry,.hand.craft.making.and.education.for.the.nec-essary. skills.. . We. thank. all. those.that.are.supporting.us.and.hope.to.support.us...We.have.a.rich.exter-nal.program.that. includes.visiting.institutions.of .all.levels...We.hope.to.work.with.as.many. individuals.and.communities.as.we.can...You.are.welcome.to.African.Rural.Uni-versity.

By Magezi Bernard URDT Institute pursuing a diploma in Journalism

Before. I. came. to.URDT. institute,.I. could. not. even.

think. of . helping. my. sisters.in terms of collecting fire-wood,.fetching.water,.pealing.matooke,.washing.plates.and.finally cooking food. I nev-er. thought. that. these. roles.could.as.well.be.executed.by.any.one.in.the.family.setting..This.was.because,.the.struc-ture. in.which.I.was.brought.up,.has.got.set.roles.for.each.and. every. person. based. on. sex..In.my.culture.it’s.even.a.shame.to.see.a.boy.kneeling.while.greeting,.this.I.was.told.is.done.by.females..There. are. such. misconceptions.

as.men. are.believed. to.be. always.strong. and. women. are. rendered.weak.. While. burring. my. uncle. I.was.cautioned.on.crying,.that.this.

is.for.women.alone..But.who.said.that.men.don’t. have. feelings. that.can.out.rightly.be.expressed..These.are.all.the.misconceptions.that.still.hold.us.back.from.achieving.what.

we.truly.want.in.life..Now.with.the.skills.obtained.from.URDT.insti-tute,. i.do.the.same.work.with.my.sisters.at.home.and.even.at.the.In-

stitute. level.. URDT. has. im-parted.skills.of .entrepreneur-ship,.from.workshops.and.in.the. lecture. rooms.. This. has.enabled. me. to. establish. my.own.school.under. the.name.of . Infant. Nursery. and. Pri-mary. School. which. has. got.baby.class.up.to.primary.four.operating.in.Migamba.village.Rwahunga. parish,. Mpara.sub-county,. Kyaka. County,.Kyenjojo. District.. URDT.has. widened. my. scope. of .

understanding. through. morning.sessions. done. in. the. foundation.course. (FC).. During. the. founda-tion. course. most. of . the. facilita-

URDT INSTITUTE: Student tells succcess story

Continued from page 8

Continued on page 10

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Martha Dolben facilitates ARU women circles lecture

... GUILD GOVERNMENT TAKES OFF STEADILY

Students of secretarial studies in a lecture

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tors. discuss. International. Issues.like. Iraq. War,. America,. North.Korea,. Somalia,. Sudan,. Rwanda,.Eritrea. among. others.. As. URDT.concentrates. in. rural. transforma-tion,.it.has.sensitized.people.to.be.creative. and. have. a. vision. when.you. want. to. be. a. creator.. I. have.used.these.skills. to. transform.my.community.on.what. to.do.differ-ently.. URDT’s. methodology. is.based.on.a.blend.of .home-grown.approaches. in. multidisciplinary.planning.. Its. linked. to. the. work.of . USA. business. thinkers. Peter.

By Twesige DominickAgricultural Credit Extension Officer-URDT.

URDT.is.developing.a.con-stituent. credit. program.as. an. intervention.

into. development. projects.of . the. parents. of . the. girls.at. URDT. Girls’. School..The.parents.will.access.real.agricultural. loans,. pegged.to.the.crop.production.and.the. parents’. will. pay. after.marketing..The.loans.will.be.phased.at.each.stage.of .the.crops;.funds.will.be.released.to.support.all.the.agronom-ic. practical. activities.. The.product.will.be. instrumen-tal. in. avoiding. loan. diver-sion.that.have.been.and.are.

responsible. for. the. high. default.rate.by.many.clients.and.so.reduc-ing.the.value.of . the.biggest.asset.for many micro finance institu-tions.(MFIs).and.also.in.sustaining.the. process.. Many. of . them. have.closed.down.because.of .this.prob-lem with no side benefiting.

URDT’S APPROACH TO MODERNISING AGRICULTURE

Student tells succcess storyContinued from page 9

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The alumni of Stanford Universirty, Staff and Students of African Rural University designing a constituent credit program model for parents of URDT School Girls. The pro-gram ia an intervention into the development activities of the parents of the girls

sources.but.there.is.an.information.gap.especially.in.the.rural.areas.and.the.value.chain.remains.a.challenge..All. these.need.a.holistic. and. inte-grated.approach.that.is.available.at.URDT. to. address. the. pressing.needs.that.have.existed.for.so.long.in. Uganda,. Africa. and. across. the.

world.. Well. and. above. the.dysfunctional.methodologies.that. produce. various. mani-festations.of .weaknesses.and.the. infrastructure. which. is.not.enough.to.support.agri-business.needs.a.creation.of .an. enabling. political,. social,.and. economic. environment.nationally.and.internationally.as.efforts.to.promote.sustain-able.agriculture.by.involving.households.as.a.unit..

There. is. a. call. to.promote.appropriate. investment. in.agricultural. sector. through.sensitization. to. change. the.mentalities.of .investors.to-

wards.agriculture.so.that.it.attracts.funds.as.well.as.strengthen.the.in-stitutions. involved..This.will.help.espouse. the. value. of . agriculture.and. create. all. round. agronomists.who. will. design. a. friendly. agro-nomic. environment. to. farmers’.need.on.best.practices. in.agricul-ture..This. is. the.path.we.have. to.choose..Join.us.in.this.thought.so.as. to. transform. agriculture. that.will. bring. meaning. to. Uganda’s.biggest. sector.. This. will. create. a.shift.from.subsistence.to.Commer-cial.specialization.so.as.to.achieve.both.monetary.and.non.monetary.goals.¡ ■

Agricultural.loans.are.not.popular.products for so many micro fi-nance.institutions.(MFIs).because.of . the. market. orientation. and. it.explains. why. many. of . them. are.centered.in.the.urban.areas;.many.fear. the. risks. that. go. with. them.but. at. the. same. time. not. taken.time. to.mitigate. them.but. simply.abandoned. the. product.. It. takes.a.development.oriented.organiza-tion.to.dare.into.the.business..

URDT. is.venturing. into.what.has.been defined as impossible to make it.possible.by.looking.at.the.missing.link.in.agriculture..This.is.based.on.the.belief .that.farmers.have.the.re-

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NEWS LETTER

By Akugizibwe DinahUrdt Girls school S�

I have walked all around Africa

Looking and searching for ARU

I have failed to find out the meaning

Of African rural university.

I guess ARU is like other universities

We share the visions withWe care for in visionary and

creative approachesWe respect actions and

reactionsWe open up to achieve a

desired pictureAnd share the past

But guess what, ARU is hard to find

To get one, you try thousand of universities

It is like sweet melodyIt helps a person with

personal masteryTo succeed it mends the

broken hearts through team learning

How grateful and fortunate to have one we call ARU

For she is rare and hard to find

One may leave diplomatic courses and achieves,

degrees, mastersFor ages with ARU

I wish you knew how I love joining ARU

AFRICAN RURAL UNIVERSITY (ARU)

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I think I was born to join ARU

It accommodates students who have

Good mental models and systems thinking

ARU, a university of comfort and confidence

It is amongst the BEST universities in academicsWith its encouraging and

caring lecturers

We are blessed to have ARUThe mother University of All

FemalesWith personal mastery and

shared visionPeople of Kibaale, Uganda

and Africa at largeAwaken the sleeping genius

by joining ARU

Chance + opportunity =success

News aboutEnvironment,

Wealth creation,System thinking

Linked to,External and internal forces with

Team learning,Technique,Encouraging

Rural development.

By Akugizibwe DinahUrdt Girls school S�


By Hasakya Kulusum.

Art. seems. to. be. a. complex.term. because,. where. as.some. people. take. it. at. a.

level.of .drawing.in.a.classroom;.an.innovator.regards.it.as.an.opportu-nity.for.development.in.our.respec-tive.communities..It’s.a.pity.that. in.our. education. systems. in. Africa. it.has. not. been. taped. on. as. a. factor.in. development-it’s. only. perceived.as. an. amusement.. At. URDT. girls.school,.the.story.is.different-it’s.per-ceived. as. a. tool. for. social.transformation

URDT. girls’. school. ex-presses. feelings. and. ideas.that.are.essential. in.devel-opment..In.music.the.girls.design. messages. demysti-fying. socially. constructed.prejudices. against. women.and. education.. The. same.art. of . singing. is. used. to.promote. gender. equal-ity-a. factor. development..Massages. such. as. educate.a.man.and.you.educate.an.individual,. educate. a. woman. and.you. educate. the. nation. have. been.

like.popular.theatre.

Weaving. is. an. important. section.of . art. and. URDT. girl’s. school. is.exploiting it to the benefit of the community..On.any.exhibitions.or-ganized.in.Kibaale.district.ones.eyes.will.not.miss.the.URDT.girls’.booth.filled with all sorts of locally woven items. like. mats,. baskets. and. shop-ping. bags.. A. variety. of . craftwork.makes. up. most. seating,. bedding.and. wardrobe. facilities. in. Kibaale.homes.. Textiles. (decorated. fabrics.or.clothes).though.faced.with.an.at-titude.problem.and.of .course.cheap.imported. second. hand. designs. is.another.area.that.the.girls.have.mas-tered..Using.tie.and.dye.clothes.are.decorated. in. interesting. patterns.that. if . used. to. make. dresses,. they.can. make. great. ‘bitenge’. (an. Afri-can dressing outfit/fashion) and curtains.which.make.dressing. look.natural.and.therefore.African.

Other.than.the.above.contributions.art. is.making.to.boost.so-cial.transformation.efforts.in. Kibaale. district,. it. en-ables. families. bring. food.to.the.table,.send.children.to.hospital.and.leave.a.rea-sonably. happy. life. from.the. extra. incomes. earned..The. girls. themselves. have.been beneficiaries-they raise. incomes. from. their.back.home.projects.which.they. use. to. supplement.scholastic. materials.. The.youth.have.tapped.on.this.opportunity. and. set. up.

workshops. where. they. make. and.sell.artworks.for.their.livelihoods..

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ART: A TOOL FOR SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION

On any exhibitions orga-nized in Kibaale district ones eyes will not miss

the URDT girls’ booth filled with all sorts of locally wo-ven items like mats, bas-kets and shopping bags.

blended.well.with.drama.to.get.the.girls. from.the.kitchen. to. the.class-room.. The. impact. of . this. is. enor-mous..The.fact.that.the.school.was.declared. a. model. school. by. the.Kibaale district Education office is a statement.that.“we.wish.all.schools.in.the.district.do.as.you.do”.Among.the. reasons.given. for.choosing. the.school. to. become. a. model. school.are:. It.brings.both. the.girl. and. the.parent.back.to.school.and.it’s.educa-tive.community.outreach.programs.

URDT Girls School Students in an Fine Art session

By Akugizibwe DinahUrdt Girls school senior six

Value can be defined as the worth of some thing. It also means quality of

being useful. A more personal meaning of value is how im-portant certain beliefs or ideas are to a person or what one treasures. Our behavior is shaped by what we attach val-ue to; for example a child who values his or her parents will do every thing to please them. A person, who values health, will not engage in any thing that will put his or her health at risk. A student who values education will try to study hard and intelligently to excel. What we value may be influenced by our upbringing, families, culture, religion, media and peers. It is important to note that value begins with yourself. You can not give what you do not have unless we are posi-tive about ourselves, we will not be able to value any thing around us however valuable it may be. Here are some tips to add value to yourself, be com-passionate to yourself, speak positive about yourself, and consider yourself valuable.

VALUES DETER-MINE ONES LIFE

STYLE

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URDT open day guests tour the green house on URDT campus

End of Term URDT Girls’ School students’ workshop

URDT Girls School dance for the guests on URDT Open Day

Pictrorial


6

Sharpen your competence

Awaken Your Genius

URDT InstituteIntegrating

Business, Vocational and Media studies Vision: Center for Transformation, Excellency and Development. Mission: Providing people with mental tools needed to become productive members of their communities

CONTACT:Principal, URDT I P O Box 24, Kagadi Kibaale Uganda Email: [email protected] Office Tel. 256 414 256 704 Mobile, 0772 843 526

�The desire to gain vocational, journalism and leadership skills offered by URDT Institute were the primary reasons for my joining the Institute�

Ntegyerize Gard Benda; Graduate of URDT Institute Radio KDR Station Manager & Country Representative, World Voices Uganda

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INSTITUTE

By Patrick Opachu

As.the.people.within.the.Bu-nyoro. counties. of . Buyaga.and. Bugangaizi. struggle.

to.regain.their.lost.glory.and.status.as. “lost. Counties”,. it. is. surprising.that.some.sections.within.this.same.group.are.still.“lost”.as.a. result.of .traditional.and.social.vices..Nkondo.village,. the. home. of . URDT. com-munity. school. is. one. of . the. com-munities.where.the.people.seem.to.have. lost. hope. in. themselves,. the.place. and. all. other. aspects. of . life.simply.because.of .historical.and.so-cial.vices.

The. people. still. sub-scribe. to. traditional.and. social. practices.like. witchcraft,. super-stitions,. etc.which.dis-courage. majority. not.to.engage.in.productive.work,. initiate. develop-ment. projects,. attend.formal. education,. and.participate.in.any.other.activities. that. would.lead. to. improvement.in.their.lives.for.fear.of .being.bewitched,.mur-dered,.etc.

The. few. educated.who. would. be. the. champions. of .change.and.social.transformation.in.most.cases.could.not.even.afford.to.make. a. stop-over. at.Nkondo. trad-ing.centre,.nor.a.visit.to.share.with.their. relatives. and. friends. their. ex-

perience.and.challenges.

The. government,. both. local. and.central,. non. governmental. organi-sations. (NGOs),. both. indigenous.and.international,.community.based.organisations.(CBOs).and.all.other.development. partners. can. hardly.be. seen. locating. Nkondo. village.for.their.interventions..These,.have.made. people. of . Nkondo. to. lag.behind.. Issues.of .clean.safe.drink-ing. water,. sanitation. and. hygiene,.proper.nutrition,.Basic.health.care,.food.security.among.others.are.still.a.dream.to.the.majority.of .the.resi-dents.

Cases. of . poor. health. among. the.people,. domestic. violence,. social.conflicts, murder, theft, robbery, over. drinking. of . crude. waragi.among.others.are.common.But.rays.of .hope.seem.to.be.trick-

ling. in. with. the. intervention. of .URDT,. an. indigenous,. voluntary.non-governmental.organization.op-erating. in. Kibaale. district. with. its.headquarters.in.Kagadi.town.coun-cil..Driven.by.its.mission.and.vision.to.enable. the.people.of .Kibaale. in.particular. to. create. for. themselves.happiness,.wealth,.peace,.prosperity,.health. and. freedom,. URDT. after.discovering.the.current.situation.of .the. people. of . Nkondo. decided. to.extend.its.arm.to.Nkondo.in.order.to. facilitate. the. process. of . change.among.the.people..

Through.its.integrated.development.programme,.URDT.decided.to.start.

up. a. community. sec-ondary.school.(URDT.community. school-Nkondo). “Education.for. Rural. and. Social.transformation”.For. the. one. year. the.school. has. existed,.signs. of . change. are.starting.to.set.in..The.number. of . children.attending. second-ary. education. has. in-creased,.students.who.had.failed.to.continue.with. education. after.senior.four.and.senior.six. are. now. able. to.

continue.with.studies..Homes.with.students. at. the. school. are. begin-ning. to. look. different. in. terms. of .hygiene,. sanitation,. nutrition. and.relationships. between. the. family.members.and.the.neighbors.

URDT COMMUNITY SCHOOL - NKONDO

The ray of hope for Nkondo village

Students of Nkondo on their demonstration farm

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Hullo Editor

Sir I would like to recommend you for the job well done. I wish to react to the article that you published in the last edition on HIV aids: real realities: In most cases people have traded on lies and have acquired the virus. This has been greatly due to low or no sensiti-zation and poor testing and counseling services at the village level. I would like to advise

the readers of the URDT community newsletter to take life as a primary choice.

Thank you

Mutegeki Godfrey Kyenjojo mechanics,Kyenjojo District

Dear Editor

Am impressed by the URDT community newsletter. It offers us a channel through which we can share our views. I would like to appreciate the impact created by the URDT artisan support program for the knowledge and skills imparted on us the artisans. We can now cre-

ate what we want in life and most of all manage our artisan projects effectively.

Thank you

Dear editor,

Thanks for the good work. Through our publication, I would like to move a vote of Appre-ciation for what you are doing.

Nitwe abazaire bomwaana naziwa manjeri. Twina omuhimbo mwingi nokusemererwa hamu na cabinet yawe byemutukolire, omukutukonyera hamwaana waitu ogwo. Nitubasima munomuno mukama abongere emigisa mingi munomuno. Kandi nitwongera kusima radio ennu gyemwatu-letire etwegeseze bingi bwetwali tutamanyire. Waitu abakuru nkaba ntakusobora obwebem-

bezi, hati natunga obwebembezi habwokunyeyesa, engeri gyemwatwetaga nimutwegesa nyebembera.

Abalema hamuna P.D.C.Abegesa nimbasima muno omulimo gwemwakazire hamwaana waitu, mwebale muno kumwigura amaiso. Ninsima omukuru Maloba habwa programme ze zatekoho tuzikwata. Bakuuru mwe-

bale nitwe abazaire bomwaana naziwa mangeri.

Bugangaizi-county,Kikaada - parish.

Rwenkanga - village,P .o. Box 522 kakumiro

YOUR LETTERS

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CHALLENGES OF WOMEN IN THE JOB MARKET

By Kabaru Everest

Over.along.period.of .time,.women.have.been.among.the.most.marginalized.lot.

in.most.societies. if .not.all. in.Afri-ca.. This. folk. are. looked. at. as. non.valuable,. just. there. to.be. exploited.without.any.regrets..For.this.article.I.will.put.my.emphasis.on.the.chal-lenges. faced. by. the. women. in. the.performing. societal. set. roles. and.the.job.market.

It.is.noted.that.the.responsibility.of .mothering.a.child.is.entirely.left.to.a.woman.. Women. always. carry. their.babies.on.their.backs.in.an.attempt.to.offer.extra.care.and.attention.to.their. children.. During. that. period.women. are. subjected. to. hard. time.more. especially. where. nutrition.and. medical. services. are. of . poor.standards..As.women.continue. ris-ing. children,. their.bodies. gradually.weaken.. In. this. they. are. rendered.weak.to.compete.with.men..Despite.the. input. from. men,. this. is. latent.and.limited..In.the.employment.sec-tor.there.are.all.sorts.of .disparities:.there.is.a.feeling.that.some.jobs.are.for.men.and.others.are.for.women..This.is.hinged.to.the.patriarchal.so-

cietal. set. up. that. often. determines.what.transpires..As.we.know,.struc-ture. determines. behavior.. That. is.why.an.employer.would.freely.offer.a.tractor.driving.job.to.a.man..This.job. is. left. to. a. working. father. and.the. entrepreneur. feels. very. com-fortable.with.this..However.women.have.equal.rights.with.men.even.at.the.job.market..In.a.related.scenario,.most.of . the. laws. that. are.destined.to.portray.equality. to.women.have.not.been.enforced..Whereas.its.stip-ulated.in.the.law.books.that.as.well.as.giving.a.two.month’s.paid.leave.to.a.working.mother,.companies.have.to. further.give.one.hour. to. such.a.mother. for. breast. feeding.. An. en-trepreneur.will.never.be.happy.with.such.expenses.

although.this.is.not.most.times.put.into. value. terms. because. of . the.structures. in. place.. Thus. women.are.never. recognized..This. luck.of .recognition. and. appreciation. from.their. counter. parts. living. in. the.same. society. has. always. rendered.them.marginalized..Working.moth-ers. are. also. taken. to. be. a. cost. to.the. company.. To. the. organization.whose.greatest.target.is.to.maximize.profit, such expenses are immensely unconducive.. Organizations. have.always.avoided.giving.sensitive.jobs.to.mothers,.by.giving.them.to.men..With.this.situation.of .double.roles,.women find it difficulty to offer sat-isfactory.services..Working.mothers.have reached an extent of sacrific-ing.their.motherhood.to.build.their.carriers.. Some. women. have. been.denied.the.right.of .having.the.num-ber.of .children.they.want..This.has.been.done.in.the.name.of .satisfying.the. job.and.career.demands. set.by.the.employers..One.such.strategy.is.family. planning. used. as. an. excuse.whereby.very.few.children.are.raised.to.avoid.interruptions..Where.as.at.this.level.the.discussion.is.all.about.how much in terms of profits has the.woman.brought.(contributed).to.the. organisation,. little. is. discussed.about.her.health.status..This.is.taken.for.granted..Women’s.health.is.very.important.and.delicate..It.should.be.looked. after. with. the. greatest. care.compared.to.the.men..Finally.I.call.upon.the.government.to.enact.laws.which. will. protect. child. care. and.the.working.mothers.in.the.working.communities. by;. enabling. them. to.properly.enjoy.their.rights.like.

An.employer.without.a.gender.pol-icy.will.raise.such.questions.as.who.will. serve. in.her.position.while.on.maternity. and. what. therefore. will.be. the. effect. or. performance. of .that. particular. department. where.the. woman. is. working. at. the. end.of . the. production. cycle.. Although.these. might. be. pertinent. in. terms.of . economic. analysis,. they. don’t.hold.true.in.the.daily.realms.of .life..Women.are.always.doing.something.

An employer without a gender poli-cy will raise such questions as who will serve in her position while on maternity and what therefore will be the effect or performance of that particular department where the woman is working at the end of the production cycle.

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KAGADI KIBAALE COMMUNITY RADIOKKCR 91.7 FM

Commited to Rural Development (Tune in Now!)

We are committed to serve for human and rural development HABWENKURAKURANA

YAMAKA NEBYARO.

KKCR 91.7 F.M is the only community Radio in Uganda and unique for its programming.

Our most popular programmes are:“Ekiteekerezo ky’amaka’ (Family Life Education);“Obugabe bwawe” (Human Rights Programme);

Children’s programme and ‘Facts and Sense”.

20



urdt newsletter (13.6.2007)

Documents

urdt community newsletter2

urdt community newsletter

rural areas

urdt open day

awakeningvol issue

awakening vol issue

acknowledgementthis

poverty line