Proposal for a Wellness Center in Ngangi, Uganda

GRANT APPLICATION STEP 1 – PROJECT BASICS

Project Title:

Improving adolescent girls and young women’s economic self-reliance and health through a community women skills and health information center

Amount Requested:

$3,007.78

WC Application Type:

IGP

WC Partnership Type:

GHC

Project Primary Focus:

Health

Project Secondary Focus:

Economic Opportunity

Accelerator Grants Competition Focus:

Country:

Uganda

Region/Province:

Western

District/Department:

Kibaale

Nearest Town/Municipality:

Kampala

Village/Community:

Ngangi

Language/s spoken locally:

Runyoro, Rutooro, Rukiga, English, Luagnda

Locate the community on Google Maps (as best you can) and share the link, or tell us exactly what to search for:

0.5176837889893394, 31.631172099999958

GRANT APPLICA TION STEP 2 – PROJECT P ARTNERSHIP

A. Community Organization

Name of Community Organization:

Rural Aid Foundation (RAFO)

Where specifically is the Community Organization based?

Kibaale district

Community Organization’s website or website where we can learn more about your work (if available):

What year was your community organization founded and what is its origin story?

Rural Aid Foundation was initially founded in 2013 as a community youth based group as an integral platform between refugees and Ugandans and later registered as non-profit organisation. We are a youth led organisation founded to improve access to services for vulnerable rural communities and persons affected by conflict and disaster in Uganda. We achieve this mandate through utilization of the “human rights based and the community driven approaches” that guide direct implementation for service delivery, advocacy, research, documentation and community empowerment in thematic areas under the three sustainable development paradigms (Social, economic and environment). Our focus is on the most vulnerable persons including refugees, adolescent girls and young women, youth, orphans, widows, people living with HIV, sexual minorities, children and the elderly. Rural Aid Foundation was founded by children borne through intermarriages between Ugandans and Rwandan refugees who fled the genocide

What are your organization’s current programs/activities?

Rural Aid Foundation has four programs under which our activities are run. Refugee and Host Community program (REHOP) This program focuses on addressing refugee and host community challenges as well as advocacy for improved and increased access to services in our thematic areas. Rural Community Empowerment and Development program (RCEDP) This program handles interventions and projects that aimed at increasing access to services for the native refugee rural communities in Uganda. Research, Advocacy and partnerships program (RAP) This program conducts research in the three sustainable development paradigms and advocates and creates partnerships for policy change for increased and improved access to services. Youth Voice program (Youth Voice) Recognizant of the fact that youth face the most oppressing challenges, and thus require special attention. This program is made up of young people aged 14to 25 years. These take lead in advocating for youth rights mainly sexual reproductive health rights Currently Rural Aid Foundation is implementing sexual reproductive health rights projects including ending abortion stigma through utilizing the harm reduction model and storytelling with funding from Inroads, popularizing the implications of the global gag rule on access to sexual reproductive health care services for young people with funding from Alert Fund for Youth. We are also implementing a WASH project to provide drinking water to 1500 children in Kikaada primary school government aided school in Kibaale district together with 5000 residents of Kikaada village. Rural Aid Foundation is engaged in advocacy for universal health coverage with funding from Global health strategies .

Is your organization legally registered?

Yes

Non profit organisation Registration number: 80020001225508 Paid staff:2 Our funding is from largely donors below 1. Global health strategies 2. Alert Fund for youth 3.Japan Water forum 4.Inroads (International network for reduction of abortion discrimination and stigma) 5. UHC2030 6. Global health corps (professional Development Fund)

Does your organization have an elected governing body?

No

We have an appointed board of advisers and board of directors and elected community structures. Rural Aid Foundation has leadership at four levels. We have the Board of advisers, the Board of directors, the community based leadership structure and the community project based structure as part of our sustainability plan. The community structure is usually elected by the community members based on community recommendations in terms of transparency, reputation and commitment to community activities.

Do women hold 50% or more of the leadership positions within the organization? Please describe the number and types of positions held by women.

Yes

The board of advisers is composed of three people, two of whom are women. We have a board of directors chaired by a young women below 30 years, with a woman from the community in Kibaale district and a refugee representative. Our 7 staff team is majorly composed of 5 women and two men all who are young people less than 35 years. The head of the staff team (Program officer) is a woman. The finance and administration officer is a woman. Details of these can be found on our website

Has this organization ever received a cash grant or other financial award from an international organization?

Yes

1. Global health strategies-grant-$1500 Contact: Emily Bigelow Email: EBigelow@globalhealthstrategies.com 2. Alert Fund for youth-Grant-$1500 Contact: Yvonne Dubbers Email: office@alertfonds.nl 3.Japan Water forum-grant-$1000 Contact: Akie Gunji Email: gunji@waterforum.jp 4.Inroads (International network for reduction of abortion discrimination and stigma)-Grant-$3000 Contact: Kati LeTourneau Email: info@endabortionstigma.org

5. Global health strategies-grant-$1900 Contact: Emily Bigelow Email: EBigelow@globalhealthstrategies.com 6. Global health corps (professional Development Fund)-professional development fund-$600 Contact: Ruth Achillah Email:ruth@ghcorps.org 7. Omprakash-Technical support-$1000 Contact: Alex Knott Email:admin@omprakash.org

Does your organization have a bank account with more than one authorized signatory?

Yes

Account Name: Rural Aid Foundation (RAFO) LTD Address of Account Holder: P. O BOX 31042, KIBAALE Country: Uganda Bank Name: Equity Bank Ltd Branch Name: CHURCH HOUSE BRANK, KAMPALA, UGANDA Account No. 1001201111706 IBAN Code: 1001201111706 SWIFT Code: EQBLUGKA Address of Bank: CHURCH HOUSE BRANK, KAMPALA, UGANDA Country: Uganda

Is the organization affiliated with the government at any level?

Yes

We work in line within government national development plan and government development priorities through memorandum of understandings B. Local Leader

Local Leader First Name:

Irene

Local Leader Middle Name: Local Leader Last Name:

Nasasa

Local Leader Date of Birth:

11/06/1985

Local Leader Gender:

Female

Local Leader Local Address:

P. O BOX 31042 KIBAALE

Local Leader Email:

nassasairene@gmail.com

Local Leader Phone:

+256781237464

Local Leader’s Highest Level of Education:

Graduate Degree

Please provide a rationale for why the Local Leader is qualified to lead this project, listing any additional relevant experience, skills or certifications:

Irene is a true community leader with experience in community mobilization and working with women and girls groups in agriculture, health and economic empowerment programs. She currently runs the Kuhereka program in Kibaakle district. She hold a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture and currently pursuing and a master’s of science in Agro Ecology (sustainable agriculture). She has a sound experience in handling famers in rural areas, working with women saving clubs and groups and community health teams. She has undertaken different short courses including sexual reproductive health, HIV counselling and harm reduction model for prevention of unsafe abortions among rural women. She has a certificate in computer applications, Organic agriculture certificate, a certificate in safe pesticide use, a certificate in post- harvest and handling as well as a certificate in seed inspection and certification. She also worked with farmers managing them at group level in NAADS (seven years), farmer groups and Area Cooperative Enterprises in RECO industries (three years) before joing Rural Aid Foundation. She has experience in Village Saving schemes and VSLA She has experience in refugee work for health, economic empowerment, water and sanitation, and universal health coverage obtained at Rural Aid Foundation. ?

Have you ever received a cash grant or other financial award from an international organization?

Yes

Japan Water forum-grant-$1000 Contact: Akie Gunji Email: gunji@waterforum.jp C. Established Field Partner

First Name:

FRANK

Middle Name: Last Name:

ATEGEKA

Date of Birth:

17/11/1988

Gender:

Male

Local Address:

P. O BOX 31042 KIBAALE

Email:

ategeka56@gmail.com

Phone:

+256702145638

Highest Level of Education:

Graduate Degree

Please provide a rationale for why the established field partner is qualified to participate in this project, listing any additional relevant experience, skills or certifications:

Frank Ategeka is a monitoring and evaluation professional with interest in global health, universal health coverage, Sexual reproductive health rights, refugee health and emergency management, health determinants focused on refugees and host communities, project planning and management and health data management. He studied at Makerere University where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering. He also holds a post graduate diploma in project monitoring and evaluation from Uganda management Institute, Kampala, Uganda. He holds post graduate certificates in project planning and management, data analysis and management, public health, HIV/AIDS exposure, transmission and criminalization. He hold a certificate in basic security in the field from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) with field training in Age Gender Diversity humanitarian frameworks. He has attended the Global health leadership training under Global health corps fellowship in Uganda (2018-2019). He has worked as a monitoring and evaluation specialist SAAF, IDLO, ARASA, CDC, WFP, UKAID, UNICEF funded projects, and UNHCR refugee programs in Uganda. He has presented Rural Aid Foundation’s work at the recent United Nations High Level meeting on Universal health coverage, the AMREF’s Africa Health Agenda International conference in Kigali. He is a member of the Youth innovation hub under save the children International and a member of the civil society engagement mechanism on Universal health coverage. He is currently serving as a co-president for the Global Health Corps alumni community in Ugnada and executive director for Rural Aid Foundation. Frank has been a young leader who served as the Gender affairs minister in the students’ guild at Makerere University (2013-2014). He is an alum for the Young Leaders Fellows program after he completed a social justice leadership program from Frederick Ebert Stiftung.

Have you ever received a cash grant or other financial award from an international organization?

Yes

1. Global health strategies-grant-$1500 Contact: Emily Bigelow Email: EBigelow@globalhealthstrategies.com 2. Alert Fund for youth-Grant-$1500 Contact: Yvonne Dubbers Email: office@alertfonds.nl 3.Inroads (International network for reduction of abortion discrimination and stigma)-Grant-$3000 Contact: Kati LeTourneau Email: info@endabortionstigma.org 4. Global health strategies-grant-$1900 Contact: Emily Bigelow Email: EBigelow@globalhealthstrategies.com 5. Global health corps (professional Development Fund)-professional development fund-$600 Contact: Ruth Achillah Email:ruth@ghcorps.org 6. Omprakash-Technical support-$1000 Contact: Alex Knott Email:admin@omprakash.org

How long have you been living and/or working in the primary project site?

for the last 7 years

When do you expect to no longer be living and/or working in the primary project site?

I will be in the project site because this is my home

GRANT APPLICATION STEP 3 – PROJECT DESIGN

When will this project start and what is its estimated duration in months?

The project will start in February 2020 and will end in January 2021

What is the proposed project, and how will it be implemented? Who will it benefit directly, and why is it important to them? Be specific, we need to clearly and practically understand what you intend to do with a grant from World Connect.

Rural Aid Foundation will construct a community women and health information center, to empower women to be economically self-reliant while empowering them to remain healthy. The project will use an integrated blend of skills development in making re-usable sanitary pads, training in tailoring and business skills while providing access to health information. This project will enable girls and women acquire skills and knowledge to start their own businesses for self-employment and self-reliance while empowering them to remain healthy. Health training will be provided using photo voices health information charts and Sexual gender based violence redress mechanism charts. Sewing machines and re-usable sanitary pad materials will be purchased. Through community local leaders, community based organizations, youth clubs and women groups, 20 adolescent out-of-school girls and young women (14 to 25 years) will be recruited and trained as trainers of trainees (community health teams) in making re-usable sanitary pads, tailoring, business skills,

sexual reproductive health, sexual gender based violence and its redress mechanism. These will train others and hold quarterly radio talk shows to sensitize communities on the same and popularize the women center and its services. They will also be supported to conduct community health information outreaches. Startup kits will be provided to enable graduands start up their own businesses while linking them to markets. Tailoring services will be offered to neighboring communities at affordable fees cover expenses. A center management committee (5 trainers of trainees) will be selected to run the project after the funding period.

Please provide a description of the affected community/ies as it relates to this project. Focus on characteristics such as the number of people and households, climate and topography, distance to the nearest schools and health facilities, sources of local employment/income, and tell us about any marginalized populations locally.

The 2013 Uganda parliamentary forum report on quality education showed that 71% of girls drop out of school due to lack of sanitary materials. The 2015 World vision report showed that Kibaale district had the highest girl child school dropout rate with 50 out of 93 girls who dropped out of school between January 2014 and May 2015. Girls aged 14-16 years were most affected. This was attributed to early pregnancies as parents force girls into marriage to get bride price as a source of income. Incest was another vice that was cited. To exacerbate the situation, the government has no policy to ensure girls who drop out of school re-join school after giving birth. This means a girl’s future ends the day she gets pregnant. They are expelled from school not to spread bad habits to others and no other school can admit such a student. Those in candidate classes have been stopped from siting final examinations and dismissed if found pregnant. The socially driven polygamy norms among men has left many young girls abandoned by their husbands after their first child. Many of such girls between (15 and 24 years) have resorted to sex work to earn a living to care for themselves and their children. The discovery of oil in the Albertine region (Kibaale and Hoima districts) increased suffering of young girls and women as their husbands continue to sell off the land to new business owners and companies that want to invest in the oil rich districts. Agriculture has been the only source of income for these girls and young women but with the discovery of oil, most of the land has been sold off by their husbands. This has resulted into girls and young women running from one man to another seeking financial support thus increasing HIV infections among them. Well as the discovery of oil has increased market for locally made goods like re-usable sanitary pads and clothes these are sourced from the cities due to lack of local skilled personnel in this field. The illiteracy and lack of skills among school drop-out girls and young women has made it hard to obtain employment opportunities thus increasing their economic dependency on men. This further exposes them to high health risks like HIV, sexual exploitation and limits their access to health care since they have to depend on men for everything.

Please describe daily life for the individuals who will participate in your proposed project.

On a typical day, adolescent girls and women wake up and go different villages looking for what to do for a living. For the few that still have their parents have gone back to their parents with their children. In fact, 3 in 5 families in Bwamiramira subcounty have their daughters and grand children living under the same roof after the daughters are forcefully divorced. The women and girls are the sole bread winners for their children for all basic needs like education, health care, and food. Most girls and women have resorted to alcoholism as they visit local alcohol brewing points in different villages where they provide cheap labour and they are paid one litre of local alcohol a day. They cannot sell off this alcohol to support themselves financially because there is no market for it other than family consumption. Children start drinking alcohol as early as 5 years due to the early exposure. Early this year in Bubango village, we attended a burial of Kabonesa a young woman aged 24 who died due to excessive drinking and left behind 5 children with her grandmother. Those that stay in trading centers or small towns like Karuguuza, Kitutu, Kikaada, Bukonda, Mugalama, Igayaza and Kigaaza have resorted to sex worker as the source of income usually done both day and night time. Recently, police arrested over 40 adolescent girls in Kitutu village for being sex workers and some are not yet out of police custody todate. There is a high

How was the project determined as a priority by the community? Please specify how women were involved in this process.

On December, 2nd, 2018, Rural Aid Foundation in conjunction with Global health corps organized a health awareness campaign in commemoration of Universal health coverage day. The adolescent girls and young women presented their challenges in accessing health care services. They reported to the resident district commissioner who was the chief guest that they were forced into marriage by their parents as a source of income. As a result, they are victims of sexual gender based violence by their husbands in reference to the money they pay as bride price. They suggested they needed alternative education services and a healthy friendly environment to access treatment especially for sexually transmitted infections. Mbabazi a young girl from Kikaada village said that she can’t go to Kibaale health center because she doesn’t want her mother to see her because they go to the same health center. On October 28th, 2019 while we launched a water spring constructed by Rural Aid foundation in Kikaada village, the girls on the water management committee said the water issue was sorted but they needed hands skills opportunities and information on health. After the launch, we held a meeting with women and girls to discuss the how to maintain the water spring. The appreciated having clean water but suggested that they had more health and economic challenges that needed urgent attention. They gave examples of their loved ones who were arrested and some who had turned into serial alcoholics and those that were struggling with HIV but did not

Describe in detail the roles and responsibilities of each of the key actors below inthe design and implementation of the project.

Community Organization: Rural Aid Foundation (RAFO)

Rural Aid Foundation a community organization will support adolescent girls and women to acquire all the necessary documents needed before construction including building plan. The organization will support the beneficiaries obtain all the necessary approvals from local leaders, police and local authorities before any event is held. We shall support the women and girls to establish and strengthen the center management committee for sustainability.

Local Leader: Irene Nasasa

The local leader, Ms Irene Nasasa will be responsible for the implementation of the project. She will mobilize communities to supply local construction materials and labour. She will be responsible for recruitments, trainings at the community women center. She will link the community health teams to district health workers, support them in developing their work plans and offer technical support during community sensitizations. She will be responsible for reporting and monitoring the project progress

Established Field Partner: FRANK ATEGEKA

The established field partner will be the link between World connect and the local project leader. He will oversee the project leader and ensure project reports are submitted on time. He will mobilize all the needed partners during the project implementation and offer technical support and participate in project activities. He will approve any project funds to the project leader and work as the contact person between World Connect and the project leader and the community.

Community Members:

Community members will provide labor and local construction materials like sand, water, timber and bricks needed for the health information center. The community will also ensure they create awareness about the community health information center and its services and encourage women to visit it

Describe in detail the roles and responsibilities of each of the key actors below inmanaging and ensuring transparency of the finances for the project.

Community Organization: Rural Aid Foundation (RAFO)

The community organization will receive the project funds on its account. The organization developed and discussed the project budget with community women representatives for the project. They will withdraw funds for the project and provide a receipt and a bank statement to the women and girls during the project implementation. The organization will account for the funds spent on the project and share the accountabilities with the beneficiaries

Local Leader: Irene Nasasa

The project leader will make requisitions and receive funds for the project and pay suppliers. She will present the accountabilities to the beneficiaries in meetings. The project leader will in writing declare the amount of funds requested for any activity to the community.

Established Field Partner: FRANK ATEGEKA

The established field partner will be the principle accounting officer or the grant contact person between the organizations, the project leader and the community and world connect. He will ensure the funds are used for the project activities as highlighted in this application. He will approve all the finances or requisitions mage by the project officer, receive accountabilities and present the final accountabilities to the community or the beneficiaries before submitting them to World connect.

Community Members:

The community members will be required to submit accountabilities and reports of activities performed under their work plans. They will participate in the accountability reporting sessions organized by the project leader and the established field partner. The community will also approve any funds received for any activities by project officer. They will also declare any funds received as contributions from friends and the community during the accountability meetings.

How does the project build upon the efforts of the local community and/or other locally-led groups, such as neighborhood associations, women’s groups, health clinics, local government, etc., which are not the listed Community Organization partner on this application?

The project will build on the district health efforts of creating youth friendly health services under the ministry of health. This project will recruit women and adolescent girls from the already existing women farming groups, youth clubs and sex worker groups in Kitutu and Karuguuza. We shall work with the district health office and Kibaale district health center to provide quarterly health services at the established center. This project will also tap into the Global health corps alumni community to provide skills training for the women and girls.

What are your sustainability strategies for this project? For example, five years from now, what will remain, who will be responsible for what remains, and what ongoing costs do you foresee?

The sustainability plan for this project is embodied with in its design. The community center will be a permanent structure. The center management committee will be composed of women and girls from within the community. These will be trained to offer the same services to other women continuously. The center management committee will hold monthly meetings to ensure effective performance. The center will offer other services like tailoring services to the neighboring communities at an affordable fee thus ensuring financial sustainability. The center management committee will have a constitution that will outline the length of service, the eligibility criteria to become a center management committee member, the roles and responsibilities of the members and financial usage procedures and others.

How does the community, particularly women, define success for this project? Please list their three most important success indicators. Describe how each of these indicators will be measured and by whom.

Success of this project will be based on the following indicators; Number of women and adolescent girls trained in making re-usable sanitary pads and tailoring at the center The project leader will keep records (an access data base will be developed) of the number of women and adolescent girls trained in making re-usable sanitary pads at the center in the first quarter of the project. Thereafter, the project leader will support the community health teams (center management committee) to track the number of girls and women trained in making re-usable sanitary pads. This will be measured by counting the number of women and girls that start and complete a three month course in making re-usable sanitary pads and tailoring. Number of girls and women reached with health information The project leader will keep track of the number of women and adolescent girls who are reached with health information at the center and through community outreached conducted by the community health teams. This will be measured by counting the number of women and adolescent girls that attend the community health sensitization event organized by the community health teams (trainers of trainees). This will be done

quarterly. Number of girls and women starting up their own businesses. This will be done by the project officer by following up the girls and women after they complete the tailoring and making re-usable sanitary pads course to establish how many start up their own businesses after receiving start up kits. It will be done by counting the number of established business in the different villages and market places.

What will be the impact of your project on the community, and specifically on women? What will it change for the community, and specifically for women?

The project will improve economic self-reliance and health of women and adolescent girls in Kibaale district. When women are trained in making re- usable sanitary pads, tailoring and provided business skills and provided with health related information including redress mechanism for sexual gender based violence, they will have improved knowledge on economic opportunities and health (outcome) thus becoming economically self-reliant and healthy (impact)

Is there anything else we should know that will help us in make a decision about partnering on this proposed project?

Rural Aid Foundation has previously implemented previous projects where community contributions have been utilized. We are currently running the Kuhereka project aimed at economically empowering women in Bwamiramira subcounty through using funds raised from the community. This project involves the use of the traditional Kuhereka model where a domestic animal is given to one poor family in the village and after it deliver, it is transferred to another family while the young one remains a property of the former. This is a purely community led project based on the traditional culture and customs in Bunyoro. The project has so far reached its 60th beneficiary. We also have a past experience of working with adolescent girls and young women on sexual reproductive health through groups and women clubs in Kibaale district. We have also worked with women and adolescent girls on Universal health coverage in Kibaale. Rural Aid Foundation already secured land for this project and the necessary labour and the local construction materials will be from the community. We have previously tapped in the global health corps alumni community expertize and held joint community health sensitization events in Kibaale in Uganda. We have raised $300 from the community during the Universal health coverage day campaign event to construct this center. The community will provide local construction materials including timber, bricks, sand, clay, stones worth $550.

GRANT APPLICATION STEP 4 – PROJECT BUDGET

Exchange Rate

1 USD = 3600 Ugandan Shilling (UGX)

Budget Summary

Budget Details

Community Cash Contribution

Community In Kind Contribution