Human Resource Policy: To ensure that there is a uniform, equitable and objective way to manage and supervise personnel issues of the program in the districts of Lyantonde and Rakai. It is to serve as a reference document for employees on their rights, responsibilities and obligations and as a guide for senior management staff in the administration of personnel policies and procedures.
Procurement Policy: There is an outlined procedure of authorization limits and paperwork requirements for procurement in RACOBAO. The authority limits define who can act as a “budget-holder” to authorize expenditure on behalf of the organization by raising procurement requests. A budget holder raising a procurement request must ensure there is sufficient allocation in the budget to cover the expense prior to authorizing it. The Director must countersign every purchase order prior to a firm order being placed with a supplier. Finally, it is the responsibility of the Head of Finance and Administration and the person requesting the purchase order to ensure that proper authorization procedures have been followed. This policy aims to protect the image and credibility of the organization and to promote transparency and accountability. It also hopes to minimize losses through unplanned, unbudgeted and poorly handled procurements, as well as act as an internal control measure for the employees and employer.
Assets Management Policy: RACOBAO defines assets as properties, possessions, and resources that are used by RACOBAO to implement programs. The assets are both major, whose value is above $500 USD or minor assets, whose value is below $500 USD. The major assets include: vehicles, motorcycles, computers, photocopiers and printers, generators, digital cameras and projectors. Minor assets include: furniture, vocational tools, irrigation kits, scanners and hatchery, etc. This policy, therefore, lays down provisions for the effective and responsible use and management of RACOBAO assets. Ultimately, the policy is intended to safeguard misuse of the organization assets by staff and promote durability.
Cash Handling Policy: RACOBAO considers cash as the most liquid of all assets and, therefore, realize that it can expose the organization and its staff to particular risks. It is the most likely asset to be misappropriated and handling large amounts of cash on a regular basis exposes staff to the risk of theft and personal injury. For these reasons cash expenditure should be kept to the minimum amount feasible given the local circumstances wherever possible. Payments should be made by cheque, as this provides a legal proof of payment and a legal record of what has been paid to whom. The cash handling policy aims at taking these factors into account in a way that manages and minimizes the risks involved. It also promotes accountability to donors, staff and the public.
HIV and AIDS Workplace Policy: Central to this policy are the principles of non-discrimination, information and education, confidentiality, care and support. We affirm that no employee will suffer detrimental conditions of work arising from discrimination on grounds of their sero status. RACOBAO will seek to reduce and address the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS by improving knowledge and attitudes of staff towards HIV/AIDS. RACOBAO will protect the confidentiality and privacy of all staff with respect to HIV/AIDS, and will support staff and their immediate family to obtain counseling, testing, and treatment related to HIV/AIDS. The purpose of the RACOBAO HIV/AIDS Policy is to ensure a uniform, equitable and objective way to manage and supervise HIV/AIDS related work-place issues throughout the RACOBAO program. It is also to serve as a reference document for staff on their rights, responsibilities and obligations, and as a guide for senior management staff in the administration of HIV/AIDS work-place policies and procedures.
Communication Policy: Communication should be consistent, through the right channels, media and by the authorized person. In order to ensure or achieve the above, all communication shall be guided by this policy. Official modes of communication include: email, telephone, letters and meetings. Areas of communication include: communication with donors/reporting systems; filing system; communication with other stakeholders such as duty bearers and rights holders; and communication amongst staff and the Board of Directors. This policy promotes confidentiality, organization, sharing and learning; as well as high quality communication with all outsiders. Finally, to ensure that consistent information is communicated to all parties and to reduce conflicting messages, all important communications are verified by the Director or a designate before sending it out.
Gender Mainstreaming Policy: RACOBAO defines this mainstreaming policy as a development concept, which emphasizes that gender issues be put into consideration in all development endeavors. It entails identifying and addressing gender issues in development projects and programs irrespective of the section or type of project and at all stages of development from planning and implementation to monitoring and evaluation. This policy aims to minimize the negative impact of gender inequality and to indentify and respond to the specific rights of the discriminated staff, rights holders and volunteers on the basis of gender. The policy also aims to ensure equal enjoyment of services by all people irrespective of gender and to promote equal participation of both men and women in making key decisions affecting their wellbeing.
Environment Management Policy: RACOBAO will educate the communities and staff on how natural resources (forests, fisheries, soil, water, wildlife and vegetation) and values are looked after to meet the needs of the people and/or communities present and future. This policy also promotes a toxic free work environment and a good image for the organization. RACOBAO intends to protect the environment since its activities depend on the ecosystem; and also, to contribute to the realization of the Millennium Development Goal on sustainable use of the environment.
Volunteers Policy: A RACOBAO volunteer is a person from Uganda or abroad, who willingly decides to offer free services (without any remunerations) to the organization. This policy is set in place to regulate the volunteers’ stay with RACOBAO and their relationship with the different RACOBAO stakeholders. It also ensures effective coordination of the volunteer program; regulates volunteer’s conduct with staff, participating groups and other partners; and gives guidelines on how RACOBAO may support volunteers.
Visitor’s Policy: This policy welcomes and encourages visitations to the organization’s area of operation. It is our policy to treat all visitors in an open and collegial manner as friends of RACOBAO. Categories of RACOBAO visitors shall include: development partners, national and international students, local government officials, and individual visitors (through an appointment). By welcoming such visitors, RACOBAO is promoting the sharing of experiences and of cultural learning and acknowledges the possibility of creating fruitful partnerships through these visits and enriching the organization’s profile.
