WHO Health Priorities in Uganda

A recent assessment conducted by the UN emphasized the need to restore and construct new health and education facilities. There are approximately 1,000,000 people who are still displaced from the conflict that has tormented the country for several years. This displaced population is living in camps in the Acholi region located in Northern Uganda. These camps are breeding grounds for disease. People are living in close quarters with little to no sanitation and resources are often scarce. These conditions pose a serious threat to those living in the camps. It is absolutely crucial for the Ugandan government and outside organizations such as UNICEF to take urgent actions to reduce morbidity and mortality from communicable infectious diseases such as Influenza and Tuberculosis. In Uganda, Tuberculosis has a prevalence rate of 559 for every 100,000 in comparison to that of the United States which has a rate of 3 Tuberculosis infections for every 100,000.

The possibility of laptops...

I recently found a great article on BBC.com that describes efforts of One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) in Nigeria. We have mentioned programs like this one before in class and I found it really reassuring to actually see positive results in the news. This article can be found at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7115348.stm
Although the BBC article concentrates on efforts made in Nigeria, I think it can be easily transferred to the Ugandan situation. OLPC is great in general because it allows for more efficient, successful and up-t0-date schooling. Currently the Fund does not work with a program of this sort. However, after studying about what happens to former child soldiers when they return to their hometowns I think that something along the same lines as OLPC could be immensely helpful. Schooling for former child soldiers is a huge problem. Not only do most of these children or young adults have problems fitting in to their communities and schools but they generally have missed years of their education. In addition, many families in northern Uganda have been forced to migrate in order to stay away from the Lord's Resistance Army. Obviously, this increase in movement has caused lapses in education. Consequently, a program like OLPC could be used successfully to jump-start education efforts in war-torn areas.

Uganda in the News- The Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit came to a close today in Kampala. Though deemed a success by most, the 3 day event did attract some strict criticism directed mainly toward the host country, Uganda.

The Khaleej Times Online highlighted some of the similarities between Uganda and Pakistan, who was recently suspended from the Commonwealth Group until "rule of law" is reestablished. Public protests surrounded the buildings demanding that the human rights within their very boarders not go unnoticed. With more than 50 nations represented, the leaders continued with their agenda. President Museveni remained composed in the midst of the unfavorable crowds outside.

Overall, leaders were able to discuss issues of international concern. Climate change was on the top of the list for this year's agenda. Though Uganda underwent public scrutiny from its people for hosting the event, the international publicity they received for playing host was well worth the controversy for the developing nation.

For more information on the Summit, go to AllAfrica.com.
Sources:
<http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/opinion/2007/November/opinion_November97.xml&section=opinion&col=>

<http://voanews.com/english/2007-11-25-voa19.cfm>

A Royal Praise

According to CNN, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain commended Uganda in their efforts to resolve the 20 year conflits that have engulfed the unrest nation. Her praise came the day before leaving to make an appearance at the Commonwealth Heads of Government summit, which will be hosted by the African nation. This will be the Queen's first visit in almost 50 years. Read more about the article at the link posted below.


http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/11/22/uganda.queen.ap/index.html?iref=newssearch

Better Internet for Uganda

According to a recent article published by Uganda's national independent newspaper, The Monitor, the Ugandan people will soon be on their way to better, faster internet connections. Seacom, an undersea fibre optic cable, is currently under construction and will connect African nations such as Uganda, Mozambique, and Kenya to international broadband cables in South Africa, India and Europe. An additional $650 million was given in funding today by the AGA Khan Fund for Economic Development, which will give significant aid to this endeavor. The cable is expected to greatly increase the speed and cost efficiency of broadband in Africa, as well as speed up economic growth. As stated by Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa, an investor in Seacom, "This is a tremendous opportunity for our continent, because the cable gives us the technical capacity for much closer integration into the world economy where Africa will significantly share in the new opportunities and efficiency gains arising from this project." One can only hope that such an increase in ICT will have a significant, positive impact on the nation of Uganda. For more information, please visit The Monitor Online at www.monitor.co.ug

War/Dance

War/Dance is a very recent documentary set in the backdrop of the struggle in Northern Uganda. It follows a group of schoolchildren from a refugee camp to a national music competition. While certainly meant to move people with stories of unimaginable suffering, the movie caters to a Western movie audience with a strong message of hope and human spirit. Those with a more realistic grasp of the situation might be bothered by the lack of historical context and the general sense of optimism. However, the cinematography is fantastic and it won the documentary directing prize at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. It is certainly worth checking out and forming your own conclusion. Here’s the trailer:

Mobile Phones Have Reached Ugandan Villages

A recent story written in the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) reports that mobile phones have made it successfully into the hands of Ugandan villagers. Local villagers set up phone shops near their homes and provide mobile phone access to their neighbors. To acquire funding for these shops, villagers take out loans from what is known as microfinance institutions. Microfinance institutions are establishments that provide loans and other means of building credit to provide those living in poverty with the resources to aid them in acquiring credit. Once the loan is acquired, the business villagers offer their customers handsets and car batteries to charge them is electricity is not available. Owners of these mobile shops have been quite successful. One of the owners was able to repay her loan within four months and began using her profits to make investments. Opportunities like these put economic power into the hands of those who need it the most.

Fund's Project Combats Important Health Issues

The Christian Counseling Fellowship (CCF), one of the Fund's current projects, is implementing some revolutionary strategies to promote the health of women and children in Uganda. The current under-five mortality rate of Uganda is at outstanding rate of 13.6%. To give you an idea of how extreme this is, developed countries such as America have an under-five mortality rate of only 0.7%. The principle reason for this 13.6% under-five mortality rate is that there are many Ugandan women who return from being held under rebel captivity with children and no means to provide for themselves or their children. These women who have been held under captivity have missed their opportunity to receive an education and do not have the skills necessary for obtaining a job. The women have difficulties finding work, have limited income and can not provide their families with food and the necessary medical attention to prevent illness. The CCF is addressing this issue by building a center that will provide these women with a place to obtain schooling and vocational training that will give them the skills to enhance their income. Not only is CCF creating this center, they are engaging women in local income-generating projects such as employing women at a popular restaurant and catering service.

For more information about this exciting project visit: http://www.ugandafund.org/projects.html

Meeting Minutes

Our group met on November 11th, as well as tonight, to discuss our critiques for the Fund's new website. At the last meeting, it was decided that each group member should bring a list of five or ten questions or suggestions that they have regarding the website. During tonight's meeting, we all shared our questions and have decided to create a Google Doc, which we will be updating regularly. This Google Doc will serve as the basis of our critique, which we will be submitting to our professors in the form of a final paper. If you would like to take a look at our progress, you can find this document on the right hand side of our blog under "Project Links."

The Moment We've All Been Waiting For...

This is quite possibly the most important link we've posted yet!

We are happy to announce that the website for the Fund for War-Affected Children and Youth in Northern Uganda is now available for the public's viewing pleasure. The site will be continually updated as more information is available. Though we originally thought our assistance would be needed in mapping out the website, we were not able to do so due to time constraints. However, as Caroline has stated we will be putting our thinking caps on to provide an in depth critique of the developing site.

In the mean time check out http://www.ugandafund.org/index.html for more information regarding the fund!!

Our NEW plan and some meeting notes

Just wanted to make a quick post of our final (yes, final!) project plan.
Because of our meeting last week with Tom several things have been cleared up and I think we finally have a real, concrete idea of what we are doing and how it will be helpful for the Fund.

We will be creating an extensive critique of the Fund's current website (www.ugandafund.org). This critique will be displayed in an "one hundred question" format. In our final paper and final submission to Brandee we will be able to make clear suggestions on what we think could be done to improve the website as a whole.
We hope that this project, while maybe not the most glamorous, will be able to do some real good for the Fund. Currently the organization is not able to put sufficient time of money into the creation of a professional and well-functioning website. By putting together well thought out suggestions and critiques hopefully the Fund will be able to greatly improve their website without having to spend a great deal of time or money on the endeavor.

At our group meeting on Tuesday, November 13 we will each bring to the table our initial questions (based on our team member divisions) and from there be able to form our overall critique.

Show Them The Records, And They'll Show You The Money

After our meeting with Professor Scialfa on Tuesday, we began to take a second, more critical look at the website that had already been built for the Uganda Fund. I thought one good point that was raised in this meeting was that the public might be hesitant to donate to this fund without more information about how exactly their money is being spent. One interesting side note, this point was also raised that night at the Jeffrey Sachs/John Legend Event. John Legend stated that people tend to paint with broad strokes and write all of Africa off as too corrupt to invest money into. However, there are many great projects, like the Uganda Fund, doing a lot of great work. After researching more established non-profit organizations, I believe there are a few key things that the Uganda Fund should include on its website in order to make itself appear more trustworthy in the eyes of donors. First and foremost is a statement of audited financial records and tax records so people know exactly where the organization spends money. I've included links to some major non-profits financial records, which are always easily accessible online:

The Red Cross

http://www.redcross.org/services/governance/0,1082,0_234_,00.html

Habitat For Humanity

http://www.habitat.org/giving/report/

The William J. Clinton Foundation

http://www.clintonfoundation.org/cf-financial-info.htm

Extra Extra Read All About It!

The Fund for War Effected Children and Youth in Northern Uganda is receiving some well deserved recognition for their work in the war torn nation this month.

Empowering Hands, one of the current projects the Fund sponsors is being honored by Glamour Magazine as the first annual Women of the Year Fund. A group of female former abductees of the Lord's Resistance are working to provide hope for the teens effected by the ongoing national turbulence through peer-to-peer counseling, community education and other alternative activities that assist in the coping process.

To see the glowing coverage of Empowering Hands, check out Glamour's website at http://www.glamour.com/news/woty_fund.

Group Progress Report 11/4/07

We are currently working as a group to develop a website for the Uganda Trust Fund. The Uganda fund is a branch of the MacArthur fund which is an international fund that sponsors a variety of international development projects and activities. The Uganda Fund is dedicated to the allocation of money to several service projects that aim to assist children affected by the Ugandan war.

We are working with Ms. Brandee Butler, Program Officer for Human Rights and International Justice. I am the contact person for our group. At the moment, we are discussing ideas for the website: the layout, organization of content, and design. The following tasks were suggested by Professor Tom. We have allocated each task to a specific member of the group.


Lindsay: About us; - structure of the Fund - organizational structure of the Fund, where incorporated, members of committee, technicians, areas of expertise/concentration. genesis of the Fund.

Jenny: Partners/contributors - definition of "partner" and compare to a "donor" used by the Fund. list of partners and contributors available. special attention to relationship of the MacArthur Foundation to the Fund.

Caroline: What has been done (TA provided, reports financed by the Fund, project's financed and projects identified waiting for financing). what is planned for next 3/6/12 months. include but distinguish any related documents/TA not done by the Fund itself (prior to Fund creation).

Jackie:Services offered by the Fund - what does the fund do in addition to identifying and financing projects? who does this? (employees of fund, contractors, volunteers?) (this is part of "what we do?" who to contact for additional information a) technical b) non technical?

Lydia:
Donations - anything related to the topic of raising additional money for the Fund. fund raising goals, what raised to date, to what can one donate (general support, specific projects, people?), how can one make donations? where your money goes when you donate. what to expect.


We will be talking more with Brandee later this week to discuss the details of the website such as what she wants to be on the main page, what she wants us to emphasize, and any deadlines she needs to meet.

History of the Fund

The Fund for War- affected Children and Youth was established in response to the ongoing war that is being waged in northern Uganda and the atrocities being committed there by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). As Caroline described in her last post, during this twenty-year long conflict, the LRA has abducted over 25,000 children, forcing them to serve as soldiers, slave, and sexual laborers.

In response to this conflict, between July and November of 2005, the John D. MacArthur Foundation, in cooperation with the Canadian Government, conducted an assessment in northern Uganda to identify possible ways to improve the lives of young children and youth in the region. This assessment took place in four different stages and included on-site visits, interviews with staff at reception centers for previously abducted children and youth, and meetings with community leaders, local and national officials, and the representatives of local NGOs and international aid agencies. The assessment resulted in the identification of the successes, failures and gaps of local and international initiatives in the area. In addition, recommendations were formulated for actions to be taken by the MacArthur Foundation and the Canadian Government that would improve the lives of these young children and youth.

Thus, in 2006, the Fund for War-affected Children and Youth was established by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, in partnership with other international donors. The Fund aims to provide long-term financial support to organizations in northern Uganda to promote sustainable peace and reconciliation. As Jackie described, the Fund is committed to supporting initiatives in the Gulu, Kitgum and Pader districts that focus on educating and reintegrating war-affected children and youth and facilitating processes of transitional justice and reconciliation. The Fund and its partners, including local community-based and international organizations, are working to develop evidence-based programs to promote the following objectives:

• Access to education and income-generating activities for children and youth
• Access to traditional and formal forms of justice and truth-seeking
• Capacity building that will enable organizations to launch and sustain long-term projects; facilitate inter-institutional coordination and cooperation; and facilitate community participation, especially in regards to the reintegration of LRA returnees
• Access to services by under-served populations, especially those in remote camps for internally displaced persons; and
• The work of talented individuals and enterprising organizations, especially those that encourage entrepreneurship, in northern Uganda.

Joseph Kony's exclusive interview

In the summer of 2006 Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army, had an exclusive interview with BBC. In this interview Kony denies all crimes that have been brought against him. He claims that it is Museveni, the Ugandan President who is harming the Acholi people. However, there is overwhelming evidence that although Museveni has not been successful or even intent on stopping the war in the north, he has not committed any of the serious crimes that Kony tries to blame him for. Furthermore Kony claims that the child soldiers in his organization came willingly and eagerly as opposed to being forced as most believe. Interviews like these can be extremely important in the fight towards peace and acceptance for former child soldiers because they give unprecedented insight into this complicated situation.
This remarkable and contraversial interview can be found at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/5124762.stm

Meeting Minutes

Tonight we met to discuss some of the questions and confusions we had about the documents that Professor Scialfa provided us. Professor Scialfa also suggested to us a way that we could divide the content amongst ourselves, with each team member focusing on a specific aspect of the Fund, such as its history, projects, partners and donors. Following his format, we each chose one of these sections to work on.

It was decided that Lydia should send an email to Brandee, asking her some of our more pertinent questions about the Fund's structure, history and projects so that we could make progress in these areas. In addition, we have decided to set up a meeting with Professor Scialfa so that we may discuss our questions with him as well. This meeting will take place next Tuesday, November 6, and minutes will be posted for that meeting as well.