Government should copy Church on Service delivery

As Caritas Uganda brings hope, dignity to rural poor

By Valerian Kkonde

PEARL NEWS SERVICE

The rural poor have cause to smile and to look to the future with optimism. Caritas Uganda, the technical arm of the Uganda Catholic Episcopal Conference- dealing with development and relief- is implementing the Sustainable Agriculture Programme (SAP) and the Environmental Sustainable Agriculture Project (ESAP) in their midst.

“Caritas Uganda’s vision is the empowerment of all families through solidarity. But because we cannot manage alone, we seek the assistance of Caritas Internationalis. This is the umbrella organization for over 160 countries,” Msgr. Francis Ndamira, the National Director of Caritas Uganda told Pearl News Service (PNS).

“Caritas Uganda is also a member. Some come as partners like Caritas Australia and Caritas Japan have done. We also have many programmes in the country aiming at fighting poverty in the households. The household has not been empowered for long to the extent of not being able to meet its basic requirements. This is what we are addressing.”

Caritas Australia is funding the Sustainable Agriculture Programme (SAP) in Kasanga Parish in Kasese Diocese and in Bukerere Parish- Lugazi Diocese.

The SAP activities focus on improving the standard of living of the rural poor through improved household food security, increased incomes and fuel food supply. The Programme further aims at promoting the active participation of children, men and women as a family unit for improved family welfare. It also seeks to enable farmers, women in particular, to have access to credit facilities.

“We are emphasizing organic farming with simple farmers. Our soils are ageing so we need to resuscitate them. We organize workshops and seminars for them. We then empower them with farm equipments, hybrid maize, soya and bean seeds and animals,” Msgr. Ndamira revealed.

Bwambale Mathina, the Field Co-coordinator of Kasese SAP told PNS that Kasanga Catholic Parish was the most suited for the programme in the Diocese.

“Kasanga is the most densely populated parish in the Diocese. It is on the slopes of the Rwenzori Mountain with no soil and water conservation structures. The land is degraded and production completely down.

This is also where the Allied Democratic Forces war started and ended. We had to help these people to be food secure.”

Mathina further told PNS that government had virtually forgotten these people. He said that they were shocked then they received boxes and boxes of caps, from the Prime Minister’s office, as resettlement packages!

“People got so annoyed with the Government.”

This explains the joy, eagerness and optimism with which the SAP has been received in the area. It is also the reason why the beneficiaries now look to Caritas for solving all their problems; they asked Caritas to train them in the growing of all money-generating crops in their area.

Presently the SAP is emphasizing pineapple, vegetable, banana, passion fruit and fodder grass growing. It is also spearheading the planting of oxygen-fixing trees as well as animal husbandry.

“Our biggest problem is the overwhelming demand for our services. But we are optimistic that by the end of the programme, we shall have gone a long way in poverty alleviation and improved food security through modernized, integrated small-holder sustainable agriculture for 300 beneficiaries and 600 indirect beneficiaries,” Mathina prayed.

Paskansia Kaseta of St. Mary’s Women Group, Kyampara, told PNS that after she was trained in Sustainable Agriculture practices and vegetable growing, she looks forward to abundant harvests from her garden.

“When I sell my vegetables, I will be in a position to buy salt for my family. I don’t have to wait for my husband. I will also be in a position to meet other needs when I start harvesting my pineapples and bananas.”

Although many of the farmers’ groups have the tag of “Women’s Group” Fulgensio Baguma, an extension worker said that men too are members. The intention was to give prominence to women. A case of women emancipation!

At the time of visiting Kasanga Catholic Parish, the area was under a severe drought. But because the SAP beneficiaries had double-dug, mulched and added natural manure to their gardens, they were a big contrast to the non-beneficiaries.

Because the programme discourages the use of artificial pesticides and fertilizers, farmers are growing tobacco and red pepper to apply to the plants and animals.

In Katembu Catholic Women Association in the Rwenzoris, on the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), farmers are applying sangane double-dug and raised double-dug beds in their cultivation of vegetables and pineapples. Masereka Misaki told PNS that after the SAP training, he decided to start rabbit rearing so that he could use their urine and dung as pesticide and manure respectively.

Sixty-year old Zebron Tembo of Mwanamwolho Development Group has not been left out of the SAP train. His double-dug and mulched pineapple garden of 600 suckers, mulched egg plants heavy with fruits, the green fodder grass and the shelters for animals only waiting to be occupied, were a sight to behold. He also had healthy tobacco plants and a well pruned and mulched banana plantation. He told PNS the he will mix marijuana with tobacco to treat the cow he expects from the programme.

The SAP has introduced the passion fruit and Arabic coffee –growing on top of the pineapples and vegetables. High yielding maize and beans seeds, as a result of the agreement between Caritas Uganda and the Food and Agricultural Organization have been given to the farmers. The package also included a panga and two hoes.

In Lugazi Diocese, the SAP is being implemented in Bukerere Catholic Parish. The Programme Co-coordinator, Florence Nakimuli Ssebukyu told PNS that at the inauguration of the Diocese, Bishop Mathias Ssekamaanya found food insecurity a big problem.

“The Bishop invited two representatives from each parish and trained them in sustainable agriculture practices. After the training, they were told to go and implement what they had learnt and to teach others about the practices.”

Nakimuli added that after six months of monitoring, Bukerere Parish was far ahead and thus selected to host the SAP.

In Nnyanja Agali-Awamu Caritas Group, Goma Sub County, the beneficiaries gather on Mondays and Fridays to work at the home of one member. They construct the Lorena stoves and help with the tilling of land.

The leader of the group, Adam Ssebanakitta- a Muslim- told PNS that the members stand out from the rest of the villagers as far as sanitation, nutrition, food security and environment are concerned.

Local Council 1 Chairman, Kyesereka village- Zeveriyo Muyanja was beside himself with joy with Caritas’ programme. He was frank and said that his experience with government programmes had misled him into believing, at first, that this was another white elephant.

“The SAP has been on since January 2002, but has already brought development to the area. It has enabled me to lead by example and can talk to others about sanitation, food security, nutrition and sustainable agriculture.”

By spearheading the empowerment of the rural poor, Caritas has set a challenge of service delivery and ensuring that the services reach their intended beneficiaries. The earlier the government took a leaf from the Catholic Church in service delivery, the better for the poverty stricken.

Filista Nabunnya, a member of Nnyanja Agali-Awamu Caritas Group said that the programme has taught her to make a program for the day. She keeps a drum of over 200 litres of urine in which a bag containing cow and chicken dung is suspended.

“I keep the urine in the drum and keep stirring for 14 days. After that I apply it on the banana plantation and vegetables.”

The pruned and mulched banana plantation as well as the passion fruits looked healthy and promising.

 Participating farmers have already received hybrid soya, maize and bean seeds. Florence Ssebukyu told them that farm tools like spades, wheelbarrows, hoes and pangas, have already been secured but that they will be distributed to those who demonstrate that they need them. Bicycles will also be given out to ease transport for the farmers. After training in pasture development and animal husbandry, 16 diary goats and 6 heifers will be given to individual farmers.

Every participating farmer keeps a visitors’ book. It is used by the extension workers to make comments about the gardens and to indicate the next visit. The book is also for recording incidents in the home.

The Caritas Japan- funded Environmental Sustainable Agriculture Project is hosted in the Dioceses of Fort Portal, Mbarara and Kabale.

In Fort Portal Diocese, the project is being implemented in Kahunge Catholic Parish, an area that has had no assistance from government or NGO, with a lot of pressure on land usage.

At the time, Bishop Paul Kalanda told PNS that his Diocese covers about 13,000 sq. km with a population of over 1.5 million. Of these, Catholics are about 700,000 in 19 versed parishes. Bundibugyo district forms one of the parishes. He pointed out that poverty is the biggest problem and that there is need to step up efforts.

“If the people are too poor to take care of their needs, take their children to school and to improve on their well being, they cannot help the Church either.”

The Bishop stressed that the social, economic and spiritual development of the people has always been their concern because that is what the teaching of the Church is all about; developing the soul and the body of the person. He added that through the Diocese’s department of Health, Environment, Water and Sanitation (HEWAS),      the diocese has improved the status of many homesteads, irrespective of their religious beliefs.

“We encourage our people to work in groups and the benefits are already many. But my people are being discouraged by the low prices at which business people buy their produce, and then proceed to sell at exorbitant prices.”

Bishop Kalanda praised Caritas Japan for funding the organic farming project which is a great success, adding that collaboration of overseas partners is crucial for their success. The field coordinator, Kasande Josephine told PNS that the farmers received the project with a lot of vigour. She went on to say that the project keeps a central nursery where agro, neem and fruit trees are raised and then distributed to farmers.

Kanyatembe Tukundane Group members praised the Fort Portal diocese leaders for the support and guidance aimed at uplifting them. They observed that they are too poor to join micro finance groups but that if they are given hens, cows and goats, they will increase their household incomes.

“After setting up demonstration gardens and giving out hybrid seeds, farmers now appreciate that planting in rows, on time and improved seeds are beneficial,” Tinka Silver a field worker said.

The deputy Diocesan coordinator, Caritas Fort Portal, Albert Katurebe told PNS that they are aiming at setting up at least two groups in every sub county. He pointed out that the biggest problem is attitude change.

“Men spend most of their time drinking alcohol. It is the women who do everything. The problem is compounded by the introduction of tea plantations in the area. Men are now migrating to these plantations.”

Katurebe also lamented the number of orphans in the area, saying that it is very high and they need a lot of assistance so that they cope up with the challenges before them.

The Caritas programmes have proved false the view usually peddled by politicians that people are poor because they do not want to work. People are eager to work and improve on their status but often times they lack guidance and assistance.