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Uganda@50
13th April to 18th April 2015
FOWODE E-NEWS
FOWODE E-NEWS, P.O BOX 7176, Kampala Uganda | Plot 15 Vubya Close, Ntinda Nakawa Rd.
Email: [email protected] Web: www.fowode.org. Twitter @FOWODE_UGANDA
Facebook: http://facebook.com/Forumforwomenindemocracy
Celebrating the gains of Women and Girls Empowerment
• CELEBRATING THE GAINS OF WOMEN AND GIRLS’ EMPOWERMENT • SHARPENING CIVIC ACTION MENTORS FOR VOTER EDUCATION
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Village Gender Governance group Exchange visit
Last week, the Village Governance Group from Rukungiri visited Kibuku district to learn best practices of how the Grassroots Gender and Local Accountability project is impacting the communities of Kibuku district.
The Village Budget Clubs (VBCs) work in Tirinyi Sub County on local accountability created impact due to the vigilance of the communities in ensuring that social services that are due to them are provided for, and address the needs of the poor. The duty bearers appreciate our intervention in the district. The Rukungiri VGCs visit to Kibuku demonstrated that the leaders at the district freely share budget information with the citizen’s.
While sharing experiences with the district technocrats, Mr. Moses Mwiraguzu, CDO and focal point person for FOWODE at district level showed how the VBCs and FOWODE have continued to track service delivery, the ability to give alternative budget concerns and which has helped the district to review FOWODE’s priorities for inclusive local government planning and budgeting. The VBCs and the citizen’s have always put us the leaders to task to explain and debate how public resources are allocated and utilized at community level, ensure quality in service provision and value for money in development concerns.
That an empowered woman is a tool for community development was a key lesson learnt during the exchange visit. Women’s enthusiasm to demand and defend their rights as development rights is now something Kalampete Village Budget Club has put on the agenda, helping fellow women who are affected by gender based violence in their communities. However, the community members decried the government current position to increase taxes on agricultural inputs and reduce budget allocation to health and education sectors, all these sectors affects us most the rural women.
As a result of FOWODE’s community sensitization on poverty alleviation in Tirinyi Sub County for example, the women informal groups organized themselves into savings and credit groups that continued to bring them together to think for common course but also economically empowering strategy for community wealth creation initiatives. For instance in Tirinyi Sub County, the community members formed Tugaite Women savings and credit group and also transformed Kalampete VBC in savings and credit group with 80% composition of women in both membership and management structure. In Kirika Sub County another FOWODE area of intervention, the community member was quoted saying “I really thank civic action mentors and FOWODE for empowering us in family wealth creation and now we are able to organize and form Nabiswa village savings and credit association”. The testimonies from the community members indicate that poverty alleviation is now concern of people who received knowledge on wealth creation in an effort create sustainable approaches but also uniting citizen’s during our civic education engagement trainings in the district. This is in one way enhances campaign on no vote buying and selling for real issues of development
Celebrating the gains of Women and Girls Empowerment
Forum for Women in Democracy in partnership with GIZ Uganda held a very interactive dialogue at Hotel Africana in Kampala on 16 April. This dialogue was meant to celebrate the gains Ugandan women have made so far in empowerment of women and girls. The Ugandan and German governments continue to show commitment in achievement of MDG 3 Gender equality.
In her keynote speech, Celebrating gains for Women and girls in 30 years- in Uganda’s Health, education and agriculture sectors, Dr. Maggie Kigozi noted that Uganda and much of the world has plenty to celebrate; in politics- there are women Presidents, Vice Presidents, In Uganda we have a female Speaker in the August house, 22% Ministers, and 35% of Uganda’s MP’s are female. Strides have been taken in the academia, in the civil service, in the judiciary, among district leaders, in the Civil Society Organisations, business, and the media.
“Women now have role models that they can look up to Kazibwe, Kadaga, Musisi, Alaso, Clinton, Ellen Sirleaf, Thelma Awori, Sarah Ntiro, Graca Machel” said Maggie
Even with all these strides she acknowledges that there are still challenges; high rates of Maternal Mortality, Hospitals are in despicable condition, limited access to family planning, limited access to information, limted sectoral support, access to finance and limited access to foreign markets.
In the discussion, Florence Kata, former CEO of the Uganda Export Promotion Board, one of the panellists said that women need money in their pockets because most of the women will have an education but barely have finances therefore economic empowerment is key if women are to have impact.
Victoria Sekitoleko added that “We would wish to see banks headed by women because only one bank in Uganda, Uganda Development Bank, is headed by a woman”. She also said that Agriculture is a noble profession.
The young women were urged not to settle for less. They should set big goals and go for them.
From the discussion, it was clear that the men must not be left out. Women and men need to work together with children and youth to break down persistent gender stereotypes.
There was a lively discussion going on twitter with the hash tag #WG2015. To benefit from the discussion and more, please visit us on twitter @FOWODE_Uganda
In consideration of the electoral processes towards the 2016 national elections in Uganda, Forum for Women in Democracy re oriented 50 of her civic action mentors in Voter education. Representative of 7 districts of Uganda including; Gulu, Kibuku, Luweero, Kibaale, Rukungiri, Kabale and Napak, the mentors acquired knowledge in voter education; enhanced their understanding of the road map to the national 2016 elections; with specificity on citizens’ engagement in the electoral processes. David, Byakutaga, the facilitator urged the mentors to engage in Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT) as a tool to reinforce public confidence in the election process, foster election integrity and contribute to election peace.
“We need to address the issue of vote rigging squarely, if it is at the ballot box during vote counting that the votes are stolen, I don’t then see why citizens themselves do not engage in Parallel Vote Tallying.”said a participant from Rukiga Sub County.
Elaborations on integration of gender in voter education were salient to enhancing equal participation of both men and women in the electoral processes. For women, unfortunately the current level of participation and representation in politics and decision-‐making processes is still not satisfactory as they are consistently left out in the electoral process. The training noted that inspite of women enjoying the legal right to participate in politics and the decision-‐making process, this is hampered due to a number of reasons and hence there is a dire need to make women politically relevant in Uganda as they play key roles such as: candidates, voters, political party members or supporters, and political activists. Since women have different needs and issues of concern from the rest of the population, it is important that they take part in the electoral process so as to have their voices heard. The mentors were advised to emphasise the need for citizens to vote for women especially those that plan to stand for directly elected seats in the 2016 elections.
“ Citizens should be encouraged to know that its them that have the power to determine who comes into power, a man or a woman, so if the women support and vote fellow women, then their views could be more aired than in a male dominated leadership” Said Fatuma Kyomuhangi, Lyantonde district.
Both the candidates and the electorate often corrupt elections. The Civic action mentors discussed the “No Vote Buying, No Vote selling campaign” aimed at mobilizing members of the public and those intending to contest in the 2016 elections to shun vote buying and selling. The mentors were urged to encourage citizens to vote for people that have their issues at heart rather than those that convert issues into voter bribery packages of sugar, salt, among others. Citizens have a critical role to play in preventing commercialization of elections that makes Ugandans end up with leaders who are not focused on national issues and could lead the nation into a leadership crisis.
“We need to combat 2 major thoughts: 1. Every politician thinks that you must have money to buy votes and win an election; 2. Every electorate thinks that one must be bought to cast a vote: No wonder, politics is a business for the leaders where they expect to earn profits from the money they spent buying votes during elections.” Leanard Okello, Facilitator Civic Education, emphasized.
The civic action mentors were advised to guard against 3 fears including: Lack of information; Dis-‐information, and Mis-‐information and take personal responsibility for the leadership of the country as they pass the information on to the citizens.
The future of our country lies in our hands, and the women really need to get on board and suffocate vote buying and selling, engage effectively in the electoral processes to have better leadership and development in Uganda. There is a great link between election corruption and poor service delivery, the former leads to the latter, so let’s jealously guard our vote and cast it wisely. For the women, it’s our sole duty to transform this country, so let’s act responsibly for the National Elections 2016.” Said Patricia Munabi Babiiha in her closing remarks.
The training was part of FOWODE’s civic education programme, which has been rolled out this year with focus on
voter education to ensure that voters are well informed, ready, willing, and can effectively exercise their rights to
participate fully in the election processes.
SHARPENING CIVIC ACTION MENTORS FOR VOTER EDUCATION
Women in Govt offices are powerless – Matembe
They have offices, some of them have once been appointed to the second highest office in the land but, according to Maria Matembe, a woman activist, these women are “powerless.” Citing her experience in Government as a minister and legislator, Matembe said that women cannot even stand their ground while debating key decisions. “When I was in parliament fighting against rape in marriage fellow women in parliament were telling me to step back and yet this was an issue affecting them as women and needed to be addressed,” she noted. Matembe was Thursday speaking during the National women’s dialogue organized by Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE) at Hotel Africana. She attributed the women’s powerlessness to an unfavorable political environment. "The political environment in Uganda now is manifested by corruption and deceit making it difficult for women to transform it, as a result, they have conformed to it," Matembe said.
See more: http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/667131-women-in-govt-offices-are-powerless-matembe.html
Women Undress Before Migereko, Gen Aronda
The scene at a disputed area in Apaa parish where a mark stone was to be erected to demarcate the boundary between Amuru and Adjumani districts turned ugly on Thursday when women protesters undressed before minister for Lands Daudi Migereko and Internal Affairs minister Gen Aronda Nyakairima who had visited the contested land. Hundreds of residents of Apaa in Pabbo Sub-county in Amuru district sombrely waited for the ministers until about 3pm when the latter arrived. The duo arrived at the sight of naked elderly women sitting on Apaa junction and yelling out traditional slogans condemning the boundary demarcations. The women said the demarcation is a move to push them out of their ancestral land.
See more: http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Women--undress---Migereko-Gen-Aronda/-/688334/2689156/-/a43gy2/-/index.html
How a tribal king sparked deadly violence in South Africa
Over the past week, at least five immigrants have been killed following clashes with xenophobic mobs in the major South African cities of Durban and Johannesburg. Fears of further tensions and violence are growing, with thousands of foreigners seeking shelter at police stations, temporary camps and even a soccer stadium. Others formed machete-wielding vigilante squads, aimed at defending their turf. South African President Jacob Zuma appealed for calm in an address to Parliament on Thursday."The attacks violate all the values that South Africa embodies, especially the respect for human life, human right," he said. "No amount of frustration or anger can justify the attacks."
See more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2015/04/17/how-a-tribal-king-sparked-deadly-violence-in-south-africa/?postshare=4221429290657524
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FOWODE E-NEWS
P. o Box 7176, Kampala, UgandaPlot 15, Vubya Close, Ntinda Nakawa
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