Success Stories
Women’s advocacy groups, platform (Access, ownership, and utilization of water and fisheries resources) project
Hellen Alum, 43 years old along with the other 90 women feminist activists, and a resident of the Atongtidi sub-county in Kwania district is adhering to policy, and laws governing fishing, and negotiating with leaders for redress, upon receiving the training and capacity building by Village Synergy, Hellen says “I can speak up on issues affecting me, and other women…” The violent interruptions to regulate fishing by the Uganda government in 2018 without preparation and transition of the inhabitants adversely affected women, Majority of women in Uganda lack inclusion in the management, access to, and control of the natural resources, most notably land, water, fisheries, and forests. Village Synergy continues to support and empower through forming women’s Advocacy Groups/platforms (feminist movement activist groups) where women convene to discuss and negotiate issues affecting women through engaging with their local duty bearers for possible redress, propose local solutions and actions to be taken where the activist leaders would follow up in ensuring such action are working, so far two (3) advocacy groups of 60 women leaders from Kwania district have been formed to support spearhead process of Accessing and Utilizing Water and Fisheries Resources of Lake Kwania, to date 14 women own, fishing kits, and are accessing water and fishing resources
Entrepreneurship skilling for youth and women project
Dilish Akullu, a resident of Corner bar, Obutuwelo A’ Village, Lira City East is one among the youth supported by Village Synergy, in enabling and creating employment for the youth and women. After the entrepreneurship training and skill building, Dilish started her baking and chapati-making business with start-up kits provided by Village Synergy. Dilish says…” I can now pay house rent promptly, buy food, educate my child, and seek better health service as compared to before…”, and to date, Dilish trains youth to undertake baking business. Youth unemployment in Uganda stands at a level between 64% and 70%, and 1.8 million people representing 25% of Uganda’s population went back into poverty as reported by the independent newspaper on December 23, 2021. Village Synergy is contributing to bridging the gap in creating an enabling environment for the youth and women to have jobs and employment in Uganda.
Teen mother’s entrepreneurship skilling for income generation project
Ejang Agnes is 13 years old, residing at Obok of Orum sub-county, Otuke district. She is now practicing backyard farming in vegetables, food spices, herbs, and organic herbicides for pest control use, her livelihood, and income generation she says…. “it’s so magical, that I can now earn income, where on earth would I earn from!” Agnes got pregnant and dropped out of school in March 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown period, the COVID-19 period to which Uganda recorded 650,000 teen pregnancies, Lango sub-region indicated 23,549 and Otuke District registered 1,506 (DHIS-2, 2021 report) Village Synergy a local and grass root organization, supported the girls and young women gained economic empowerment, through skills and entrepreneurship training, where Village Synergy supported 60 girls and young women who are school dropouts, with skills in; backyard gardening, production of organic herbicides, shea butter value addition and cosmetic making for livelihood and encouraged climate-smart agriculture for increased productivity and profitability, the teen mothers face challenges from the society where they are not accepted, name called and branded “a cursed item”, the stigma leads most of the girls not to attend Antenatal care visit, skilled personnel based delivery, and these have accounted for 17.2 percent of the teenage maternal mortality rate in Uganda as indicated by (DHIS-2, 2021 report).
Maternal, New-born and Child Health and Nutrition (MNCHN) Project
School integrated SRHR, hygiene, and sanitation project, where Gloria Ajok, 17 years old, and others in the P7 class at Loro Primary School. Gloria says…” Ever since I received the MHM training and a Menstrual cup 3 months ago from Loro Medical Center, my life has not remained the same. Honestly if Loro Medical Center had not kept their promise of coming back to train us after the lockdown, we would have missed something so valuable, the cup! When I first received it, I had a lot of thoughts going on in my head, like what if the cup never comes out of me after inserting, what if it’s not that easy to use, what if I feel discomfort and pain, etc. Then I decided to try using the cup before my period came, just to be sure and rule out my fear. I boiled my cup and left it to cool, went and bathed, and came back to my hut to try it out. I folded and followed the procedure we were told during the training. I inserted the cup but didn’t hear the pop sound to show that it had opened from inside. I pinched the bottom of the cup and removed it, rinsed it with clean water, and reinserted, this time it went well, I stood up and felt nothing at all. I was amazed. Later that month when now my menstruation started, I knew what to do! Unlike other girls, I didn’t feel pain or even leakage in the first time. I have used my cup now for two cycles. I can’t appreciate Loro Medical Center and Village Synergy enough. I have never been this comfortable during my menstruation
Village Synergy supported and established 4 community healthcare centers for underserved communities With the “Yot Komi” project, A total of about 80,000 people living within the catchment area of the community healthcare center, pregnant and lactating women, youth-friendly sexual reproductive health rights services, family health services in Oyam, Nwoya, Amuru and Pader districts of northern Uganda, during the first two-month the community healthcare center establishment, 203 mothers delivered at the facility, and 346 pregnancies were registered and follow-upped. To date we have reached and supported 18,034 youth and women in households to gain and maintain family planning services, good nutrition practices, and sexual reproductive health services, as an entry point and using the healthcare center information, we identified malnourished children and enrolled them into our care and supported to improve their nutritional status School and Community outreach activities
More prgrams
Village synergy continues to mobilize farmer groups to form a network/ cooperative in enabling access to input and output market for farm products and services, 125 farmer groups of 3,128 smallholder farmers have been mobilized to form the farmer network and access the farm inputs and conducts bulk marketing of farm products, the activity/ project is supporting three (3) district of Lira, Pader and Omoro having in 5 (Aromo, Odek, Awere, Lapul, and Atanga) sub- counties of 25 parishes
Using a central farming model (Method project), we continuously mobilize and build the capacity of farmers through the lead farmers from the smallholder farmer groups learn from the 45 acres of farmland, where lead farmers cascade building the capacity of the members of the groups, the farm has built the capacity of 125 farmer groups, 3,128 smallholder farmers in Lira, Omoro and Pader District
The center supports the youth in acquiring vocational skills in catering, carpentry and joinery, welding and fabrication, building and concrete practices, tailoring and garment cutting, hairdressing, mechanics and motor vehicle repair, and driving among others 269 youth have been trained to gain skills and are self-employed in the center which is at Oyam district
In Uganda, the average primary school dropout rate is 45 percent but this rate is much higher amongst girls. Of the over 1.8 million pupils who start P1, less than 800,000 complete Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) in P7. Cited several reasons for this from the high cost of education, lack of sanitary pads for girls, poor learning environment as well as parents who deploy their children in labor-intensive tasks. a lack of basic needs like good nutrition, clothing, and or cultural reasons such as domestic chores, child marriages, and teenage pregnancies as reported by the Ministry of Education and Uganda National Examination's Board (UNEB) 2021 report. Village Synergy through the skill development center is supporting youth to gain skills.