Katine - It starts with a village
AMREF is partnering with the English newspapers The Guardian and The Observer as well as Barclays Bank to implement a three-year development project in Uganda.
The project was the initiative of the Guardian’s editor, Alan Rusbridger, who wanted to get involved in a long-term development project, with the newspaper and website acting as a bridge between the readers and the community involved. Through articles, blogs, and videos, readers and web users will be able to follow the course of the project.
AMREF submitted an application for a project in Katine sub-county in Soroti, one of the most deprived districts in Uganda and we were delighted when it was chosen. Later, Barclays bank joined the project as a corporate partner.
Soroti has always been a deprived district, but development has been severely held back by the effects of the 20-year civil war in the nearby northern region.
In 2003, rebel insurgencies displaced the whole sub-county, killing people and cattle and razing whole villages to the ground. As a result of the conflict, mass displacement from the north has placed a major strain on the already weak health and education facilities.
The health center in Katine village has no electricity or running water and frequently runs out of basic essential drugs. People do not have the knowledge or the means to protect themselves from easily preventable diseases, such as malaria. The water supply from wells and boreholes is often the cause of water-related diseases, such as diarrhea and bilharzia.
The conflict in northern Uganda destroyed much of the infrastructure in Katine, including schools, and also depleted farmers’ herds and crops. Since then, recovery has been slow.
Main objectives of the project
As with all AMREF projects, the Katine project will work in partnership with community members and local government authorities so that it is sustainable and closely responds to people’s needs.
The main objectives are to increase access to good quality health care, clean water, sanitation, and education, as well as improve people’s ability to earn a decent living and give them a voice in local decision-making.
Barclays made a major contribution upfront and provides matching funds for readers' donations over a three-year time period. The bank will also work with AMREF in Katine to provide better access to financial services and help community members better manage their small businesses and money.
Activities extend beyond AMREF’s normal remit of health, but the project adheres to one of AMREF’s overriding principles; achieving sustainable change through community empowerment.
FARM-Africa, our sister organization, will be implementing the agricultural activities. For more information visit www.farmafrica.org.uk
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