DRDIP Uganda Updates

YUMBE: Poverty, illiteracy, religious misinterpretation and drug abuse are some of the key instigators of Gender Based Violence and Violence Against Children(GBV/VAC) in Yumbe district according to data available at the district social welfare department.  Other instigators are: negative cultural norms and practices, peer influence, irresponsible parenting, lack of sexuality education and male desire for young girls. Participants during the GBV/VAC meeting Yumbe Jamal Kiira, the Yumbe District Senior Community Development Officer in charge Gender, revealed that a total of 343 cases have been reported since last year.   Kiira was attending a GBV/VAC stakeholders’ engagement meeting organized by the Office of the Prime Minister’s(OPM), Development Response to Displacement Impacts Project (DRDIP) Monday at Yumbe District Local Government headquarters. Of the 343 cases recorded; defilement is the most rampant at, 123 according to the district report, consequently followed by c...

A carpentry workshop supported in Isingiro A number of youths in Isingiro have been able to gain practical skills to earn a living through Carpentry works when DRDIP extended support to Isingiro Town Council Carpenters’ Self Help Group. Patrick Sserunjoji, the Chairperson of the Self Help Group says, “DRDIP provided not only financial support, but trained the group members on financial management and that’s why we are now big and doing very well”. “We have so far trained about 50 young people, some have started their own workshops”, Ssserunjoji adds. Composed of 18(8f,9m) members, the group has strengthened and was able to acquire modern carpentry tools and machinery to enable them effectively generate income and train and employ, jobless young people within Isingiro Town Council. “We had a running capital of less than UGX 3000,000 before the intervention of DRDIP two years ago, but now I am proud to report that we have running capital of UGX 18,000,000”, Sserunjoji narrates. He co...

The new male/female ward contsructed by DRDIP The health service indicators at the then Kyegegwa Health Center IV were quite low before DRDIP intervention, two years ago. Dr. Tedson Kandole the Kyegegwa District Health Officer confesses that the Out Patient Department (OPD) was below one percent functionality, that, the Operation Theater was ramshackle and that, the inpatient services were quite low due to unconducive environment. “Currently we have 1.2% per capita up from 0.8%; we have a modern OPD plus other improvements by DRDIP which attracted the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health Dr. Diana Atwine to upscale our status from Health Center IV to a District Hospital”, Kandole notes. The DHO says, the number of patients undergoing operations at the uplifted Kyegegwa facility has increased exponentially from 20 to 60 patients per month.   “The improvements have enabled Ministry of Health to increase the number of medical officers of varying specialties”, he adds. Dr. Mar...

Monica Driciru lining up for nutricash payments by WFP DRDIP support to Omugo Primary School boundary tree planting in Narabu watershed, Terego district was not in vain . The 64 beneficiary (34f, 30m) sub project enhanced household earnings for the members during implementation through Labour Intensive Public Works (LIPW) approach . Teak trees grown by the group are meant to save the rapidly degraded environment. “ The species was chosen because of its ability to withstand long dry spell ”, says Robert Adiga the Community Project Management Committee Chairperson (CPMC). Adiga says the project, initiated since 2019, is valued at UGX 40million. Now in its fourth year of implementation, the trees are expected to provide school pupils with good shade to enhance flexible reading environment and yet it's also income generating in form of timber and a reliable source of wood fuel. Denis Acema , the DRDIP Community Facilitator says, group members earned different skills th...

The New face of Kyarugaju Health Center III, Isingiro district The Isingiro District Engineer, Asaph Abenaitwe describes the former structure that formed Kyarugaju Health center II as “a condemned structure that wasn’t fit to house health services”. Infested with bats and full of cracks, the lonely building was itself hazardous to the health of those who go to seek treatment. This situation has been turned around through DRDIP intervention.The project built a general ward, an outpatient department, a maternity ward, and installed piped water and solar energy within the facility. Other infrastructure put in place include; staff quarters, an incinerator, and a chain-link fence. Joseph Ahimbisibwe the Chairperson, Community Project Management Committee (CPMC) says, “ we had a very small health center that could not accommodate even 15 people and it was very old , so, we sat down in our community meeting and we applied for a sub project through our district and then after that , the...

Beneficiary refugee communities in Kyaka II refugee settlement Refugee communities supported by DRDIP in Kyaka II settlement are now producing energy saving cooking stoves on their own after receiving technical training and support from the project. Ronald Anguria of Green Heat (U)Ltd, an implementing agent of DRDIP says the beneficiary refugees had their capacity built on; cook stove fabrication, sustainable usage of the stoves, marketing, sales and record keeping. Four groups within the settlement have already made great progress. In Bukere area, the supported group made 375 stoves now ready for marketing, while Bwirize group now have 230 in the market. Others are; Itambabiniga community with 350 Stoves, and 330 in Sweswe area.Their products are now sold locally in markets and the beneficiaries use proceeds to pay their children’s’ school fees but also to acquire basic household requirements, says, Angura. Whereas the stoves are aimed at reducing tree cutting as a way of protecti...

Fifteen people; five men and 10 women, are transforming Iringa C village in Rwampara Sub County, Kyegegwa district, - South Western Uganda. Two years ago, they formed a group that benefitted from a Village Revolving Fund(VRF) enterprise, a livelihood aspect of the Development Response to Displacement Impacts Project (DRDIP). These people lived in one of the most degraded areas affected by population pressure. They suffered most from poverty. The refugee influx had made resources not enough for them. They needed support, which came through DRDIP. To-date, these members control ‘the economy’ of Iringa C village. They supply milk. They own individual household businesses. They upgraded from grass thatched, to permanently built houses for their families. Their children are settled in school. They have embraced group savings and investments after being trained on financial literacy. The group is noticeable and respected both at Sub County and District for making quick, steady, unstoppable...