Group Farming and Rearing

   Group Farming and Rearing

YEU collective market oriented farming (“youth group farming strategy”) has continuously enabled youth to engage in agriculture sector and earn a small progressive income through their fruits and vegetable market hub given the fact that  such crops mature fast [less than 5months] favoring ‘impatient’ youth.

Youth Empowered Uganda has therefore embarked on formation of interest youth groups (small scale rural producers’ ago-enterprise youth groups) engaging them into collective fruits and vegetable farming which act as chain contributors in the fruits & vegetable ago-farming at village level. Currently we have 6 (six) youth farmers’ groups in Kateete, Kitto, Buikwe, Kigowa, Kitigoma, and Wasswa Villages in Buikwe and Mukono Districts with over 8 farmers in at least  each group and more effort is being channeled towards formation of even more groups throughout Buikwe and Mukono Districts. This project continues to address issues of low house hold income, ignorance, malnutrition, unemployment, hard core poverty challenging the youth and bridge the gap of scarcity for fruits and vegetable produce on market.

Project objectives:

1. To instil positive attitude towards farming among the rural community youth, being the backbone of our country employing 82% of Ugandans;
2. To organize youth farmers to be market oriented (producing what can be sold as opposed to selling what we produce);
3. To promote rural community collective responsibility among the youth hence leading to team work and its associated advantages like collective bargaining and marketing of farm produce;
4. To improve on the general health of all people living within and around our community;
5. To improve on traditional agricultural practices and methods as well impart modern farming techniques among the youths and rural community in general;
6. To contribute towards reduction of increasing youth unemployment in the country.

Youth  Empowered Uganda through partnership with a local farmer (Madam Christine) started up a piggery demonstration farm in Namengo Lugazi town council, where we train and encourage our fellow youth to engage in productive rearing, even if not the piggery project. It empowers and enhances the potential of local community members (youth and women) through equipping them with agricultural resources, skills, local market information, and learning opportunities coupled with mobilizing them to become change agents in their own lives, as well as in the community and the farm continues to strengthen advocacy for suitable policies that augment the agriculture sector.

Today, the demonstration farm at Equator College (Christine’s place) contains a piggery with 11 pens, and in August of 2012, we purchased a metallic tank and constructed a water harvest system, using the roofs of the school to put in place a water reserve for the animals at the piggery farm.

Youth Sensitization and Awareness on Sexual Reproductive Health including HIV/AIDS

Through major collaborations and partnership with the areas health units and Kawolo hospital, we are carrying out free HCT services, open sensitization in schools and communities within Lugazi-Buikwe town councils and the entire Mukono-Buikwe community. We were privileged to participate in a Training of Trainers’ workshop at Lugazi town community Hall with the Naguru Teenage Centre youth trainers in June 2012.

Our main goal in this activity is to reduce the HIV/AIDS prevalence rate by curbing down new infections(now at 200,000 individuals) in fellow youth through School Focused HIV/AIDS Awareness and Prevention campaigns, YEU has designed a special program for primary and secondary based students; where YEU staff and volunteers share a message of HIV/AIDS through presentations based on the current Impact of HIV/AIDS in communities, staff and volunteer testimonies and social interaction and the program currently operates in Lugazi, Buikwe Town Councils, Buikwe District and Nagojje sub-county Mukono district. (Source: National HIV Indicator Survey, 2012). Our new program has also tried to focus at HIV/AIDS prevention reach outs to higher institutions of learning and the community at large.  Below is a list of all institutions and villages we have reached out to in 2012.

•  Buikwe Secondary School
• Mehta Senior Secondary school
• Equator College School
• Nagojje Secondary School
• St Andrews Secondary School
    
  With the aid of our partners Kawolo hospital and Lugazi town council we are mainly carrying out  Youth friendly interventions and services of  Sexual Reproductive Health and rights (SRH) including sex and sexuality, gender and rights, Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) diagnosis and management, Information and counselling on sexuality, life skills, safe sex and reproductive health , HIV counselling (and referral for testing and care), Contraception and protective method provision , Pregnancy counselling and testing (with referral for antenatal and postnatal care at all times) , Counselling on sexual violence and abuse (and referral for needed services; Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) and other medical attention, Post-abortion care (PAC) counselling and contraception (with referral when necessary) and Condom programming among youth coupled with these others; Communication for social and individual Behaviour Change (BCC), Adoption of Safer Sexual Behaviours among females and males.  
    
  Program Objectives
  1. Expanding coverage quality and uptake of biomedical HIV prevention services to our target groups (youth in & outside Schools, Youth fish folk, and Boda boda riders).
  2. Disseminating quality information on Sexual Reproductive Health and rights (SRH) including Condom programming.
  3. Empowering youth and communities to effectively demand for quality HIV&AIDS services and to demand for comprehensive delivery of these services.
  4. Empowering people to take life as an asset/resource.
  5. Creating a sustainable environment that alleviate the underlying sociocultural and other structural drivers of the epidemic,
  6. Achieving more coordinated HIV prevention response, by strengthening information systems for HIV prevention at all levels.
  7. Sharing Life skills and train adoption of  safe sexual behaviours
  8. Exterminate HIV/AIDS problems and poverty among the community members

  
  

   

Lugazi Community Library Project Benefits

Overall Library Project Benefits

• Poverty will be eradicated among the community resident which is brought about by lack of information.
• Improved academic levels among the area schools and learning centers
• It will create a strong social interacting centre for people of all classes
• Changed educational habits of the youth will be achieved
• There will be reduced unnecessary arguments among the general public due to ignorance.
• It will enhance people’s thinking capacity by bringing information resources closer
• It will try to improve talents and skills of people especially the youth.
• It will improve on the general health of all people living within and around our community.
• Improved agricultural practices and methods will be realized after the project is put in place.

Lugazi Community Library

A public or community library is an organization established, supported and funded by the community, either through local, regional or national government or through some other form of community organization. It provides access to knowledge, information and works of the imagination through a range of resources and services and is equally available to all members of the community regardless of race, nationality, age, gender, religion, language, disability, economic and employment status and educational attainment. – International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions/United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization Guidelines for Development.
The Lugazi Community Library will operate under the management of Youth Empowered Uganda (Non-governmental organization; Lugazi, Uganda) and her partners; Lugazi Town council, volunteers from HELP International (Registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization; Provo, Utah, United States). Members of all parties are committed to positive development in the Lugazi area and understand that the Lugazi Community Library will be a self-sustaining project that also alleviates a dire problem in the community.