Community Participation

LWF Uganda: Community Participation in Rakai
September 2007

In all LWF projects in Uganda, community participation and involvement is an integral part of program strategy. The LWF has implemented a number of mechanisms for ensuring this close working relationship: from hiring qualified locals as field staff, to supporting local volunteer counselors to work in their own communities, to holding open meetings with members of the communities—the LWF is always looking for ways to stay connected.

Development Fora in Rakai and Lyantonde

One example of this close community partnership is the Development Fora that has been established in Rakai and Lyantonde districts. On an approximately annual basis, LWF Rakai/Lyantonde staff set aside three full weeks from their regular responsibilities to collect and process community input. Through the Fora, project staff speak directly with the people the project is meant to be serving, thus gaining valuable insight about how the project could better meet their needs.

Each day of the fora is a full one: from morning until evening, staff members are in the field visiting families and community groups and holding community meetings at the parish level. Speaking with individuals and groups who have received assistance from LWF is a chance for LWF staff to follow up with interventions and measure the impact. It’s also an opportunity for beneficiaries to relate their progress and any other issues they may have.

Additionally, every afternoon is taken up by a gathering to which all members of the particular parish are invited. Meetings often constitute several hundred people. During the meeting, LWF staff and community members enter into an open dialogue in which the LWF explains its strategies and plans, and communities offer feedback regarding the direction of the organization’s work. People are encouraged to ask questions and offer constructive criticism which the LWF can absorb and use to shape its future activities.

LWF staff invite university students, Ministry of Health officials, sub-country representatives, and other local leaders to join them in their visits. Encouraging public officials to join the Fora helps officials understand the LWF’s work and also helps bridge the gap of understanding between officials and their constituents.

Staying in Touch with Those in Need

Through the Development Fora, the LWF aims to stay in closer touch with the people on the ground—to reach out to communities in a more personal manner. Over the course of the three weeks, LWF staff collectively visit over 200 individuals and groups that have received LWF support, including orphans, child-headed households, people living with HIV/AIDS, women’s groups, and neighborhood groups.

As part of the 2007 Fora, for example, LWF staff visited an elderly couple with 4 orphans in Wabusana Kinuuka Sub County. The elderly couple was identified at a time when they had given up all hope. Lwanambwe Sylvester was overwhelmed with the load of the orphans yet he had a very poor shelter, no food and other basic necessities. LWF intervened and built them a house with a tank provided them with home basics like beds, mattresses, blankets, basins, plates, cups and jerricans. In addition they were given banana suckers which have ensured food security during drought. The program has also given them 2 goats as part of the “Give Me a Goat, Give me a chance” project, with the intention of providing a future source of income which can be used to buy food, scholastic materials, and other necessities in times of hardship.

From just 2 goats, a goat pen and the training that went along with it, the family now owns 2 goats which have become great assets. This family’s livelihood has greatly improved and they can live with no worries.

Another meeting in the 2007 Fora show cased the challenges and success of a women’s group Twekulakulanye with 20 members in Wabusana Parish. Focussing on the objectives of caring for orphans, helping create awareness of HIV/AIDS and increasing individual income. With support of cassava which is of great help during the drought season and an income generating activity. They also support 8 orphans by providing them with scholastic materials from this income coupled with milk from 20 cows, one provided by LWF. The groups’ future goal is to diversify their agricultural endeavours by growing beans and maize on a large scale with improved seeds from LWF.

One of the community meetings
during the Development Fora

The Wabusana parish community meeting, with an attendance of over 300 people, was also highly enlightening with regard to the plights and possibilities of community members. Though shy at first, people soon started asking important questions, mainly relating to food security and HIV/AIDS issues. Some people offered suggestions to LWF for improving the way the organization distributes seeds, since sometimes the timing is poor in relation to the planting season. People were also concerned about the lack of water during the long drought and requested help in building water tanks that could support up to 120 people. The community thus demonstrated its drive to build capacity in being able to care for themselves.

Results

LWF staff follow each day with a debriefing meeting, to review the events of the day and figure out how to adjust the program’s strategy to best respond to the community. For example this year’s development fora highlighted the need for LWF Rakai to train more volunteer AIDS Counselors since many of them have been inactive over the years. In addition, local leaders should be trained on HIV/AIDS and behaviour change communication because they play a crucial role in the fight against HIV.