World Vision invests 1.7 million dollars in the education sector

HOIMA – Hoima Catholic Diocese has signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with World Vision with the aim of promoting education in the diocese.

The MoU was signed by the Bishop of Hoima Catholic Diocese, Rt. Rev Vicente Kirabo and Jeremiah Nyanga, the World Vision Uganda Program Director under a project dubbed Collaboration and Partnering for Greater Impact in the Lives of Children.

The focus of the project is to increase enrolment of learners in primary schools to be able to read and write.

Nyanga in his address said, the organization is partnering with religious and cultural institutions in implementing the project to ensure sustainable education since such institutions have strong roots and are respected.

Nyanga further noted that nationally, World Vision will invest 1.7 million dollars in the education sector for the financial years 2021-2025 with a target of 5 million children.

These funds will be shared by different districts where World Vision operates to support the education sector.

The project will also focus on observing children’s rights by fighting against early marriages, rape, torture and illiteracy among children.

During the implementation of the project, World Vision will offer capacity building for teachers, and teaching and learning aids besides supporting with school management and leadership skills.

“World Vision is a faith-based organization and we partner with the church as a choice and as indispensable partners; we want to put resources and synergy together so that we are able to do more. The kind of investment we are making are both financial and also human resource focused which is our greatest asset,” said Nyanga.

Speaking after the signing of the MoU, the Bishop of Hoima Catholic Diocese, Rt. Rev Vicente Kirabo commended World Vision for the initiative saying, it will help to ensure a holistic education and that it will transform Bunyoro.

The Bishop also noted that the MoU is important because it seeks to address issues affecting children in the diocese.

He expressed concern over the increasing cases of child neglect and abuse especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, adding that there is need for parents, religious leaders, teachers and government leaders to emulate Jesus as an example by loving and protecting the children so that they can live their lives to its fullness.

“I must say, as parent we must love our children, so that we can nature and form them into better citizens, if a teacher loves a child then that teacher will see to it that the child gets a holistic education,” said Bishop Kirabo.

Keneth Happy Mugabe, the World Vision Western region manager said, 23,465 children in Hoima Catholic diocese will benefit from the project.

He also noted that 60% of the population in the region are youth and children whose illiteracy levels are high.

Mugabe further noted that 65% of schools that work with organizations in the region are Catholic founded but the capacity of teachers to teach the children in some schools is lacking and promised that during the implementation of the project, they will look at capacity building of teachers.

Fr. Patrick Mugisa the Diocesan Secretary for Education said, Covid-19, dilapidated school structures and illiteracy are some of the setbacks of the education sector in the diocese, and that such challenges need a combined effort.

https://thecooperator.news/alebtong-district-failed-to-recover-shs-840m-from-youth-projects/

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NARO engages stakeholders to scale up production of bananas in Gulu

GULU – National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) engaged Gulu district stakeholders in an effort to scale up commercial production of bananas in the district.

During a meeting at Paicho sub-county in Gulu district, Milton Tenywa, a Research Officer at NARO noted that, Acholi and Lango sub-regions consume bananas worth Shs 24 billion annually yet only produce bananas worth Shs 6 billion locally from the two sub-regions.

“We want more farmers to start growing bananas so that they earn that remaining Shs 18 billion and export some to our neighbors in South Sudan,” Tenywa said.

Tenywa also argued that bananas are a good perennial crop for farmers in Acholi sub-region considering that they don’t have any.

“Farmers in Acholi sub-region lack a reliable perennial crop. Every season, farmers must till the land to plant crops,” he said.

NARO established 25 banana demonstration sites in Paicho sub-county in 2020, from which 400 farmers received training on banana growing.

The research organization also generated tissue culture seedlings which it distributed to 86 farmers. The 86 farmers are now each expected to supply free suckers to two farmers in 2022.

“We now need partners to help scale up banana production and tell farmers that they can earn more from farming through bananas,” Tenywa said.

He further added that, “If well maintained, an acre of land can earn a farmer up to Shs 9million annually.”

He said that a similar project implemented in Western, Central and South Western Uganda has seen banana production increase from 5 tons to 30 tons annually in the last five years.

Gulu district Production and Marketing Officer, Jackson Lakor noted that banana production is mainly done on subsistence level and not properly managed because of the belief that the crop cannot do well.

“The few farmers growing bananas lack proper knowledge on how to plant, manage and market the crop. You will find a banana farm having 20-30 plants which produce very small bananas,” he said.

Lakor however said, Gulu district has a huge potential of producing bananas commercially because it has good temperatures and receives adequate rainfall.

“Gulu receives 1500 milliliters of rainfall annually which is adequate for banana production, we also have adequate land,” Lakor said.

The Production Officer noted that there is a need to organize a farmers’ stakeholder platform at parish or sub-county level to make access to inputs and skills easier and cheaper.

“In order to change the mindset that bananas cannot grow well here, we need to establish demonstration sites where farmers can learn from,” he said.

Brigadier General Francis Ongom Achoka, the Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) Coordinator for Acholi and Lango sub-regions said, bananas would be included among the priority crops to be supplied to farmers in 2022.

The five-year project worth Shs 36 billion is funded by USAID through feed the future-a non-governmental organization.

It is also being implemented in Alero sub county in Nwoya district, Amach sub-county in Lira district and Myene sub-county in Oyam district.

Its target is to have more than 8,000 farmers in Acholi and Lango sub-region to embrace commercial banana production in the next three years.

https://thecooperator.news/increased-cotton-prices-excite-farmers-in-acholi/

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