This program aims at guide the planning and budgeting processes, in order to ensure, that resources are properly mobilized, allocated and utilized in an efficient, equitable and gender sensitive manner to promote sustainable development at both higher and lower local governments, through use of available platforms and networks that we subscribe both at national, district level.
This project aims at improving community livelihoods and household incomes through provision of free interest loans to rural women groups and teenage mothers for purposes of promoting production, business and in farming of short gestation crops.
This majorly has had captivating impacts through the “adapt a million trees campaign” in our society. For emphasis of mitigating effects of climate change by campaigning against wanton destruction of environments and greenery belts, poor garbage disposal, destructive mining practices and poor exploitation of natural resources.
In assisting communities to attain adequate and sustainable incomes through the Family Action Community Empowerment, we have supported a total of 439 women individuals and 33 associations in the last 6 years of Integrated Rural Community Empowerment.
In 2014, through personalized support to young mother household initiatives to support vulnerable young mothers in rural communities with skills and household incomes, we supported 17 young mother clusters in Rugyeyo, Kambuga, Rutenga sub-counties in Kanungu District with livelihood projects. Each cluster with atleast 4 to 7 beneficiary young mothers and their children.
In 2016, we rolled out the Micro Loans Support to Women in the rural communities targeting atleast 150 Women in 7 rural women associations and communities of Kanungu and Kikuube districts with free interest capital initiatives through agricultural enterprises.
This initiative has supported 67 rural community women associations so far on a recovery lending by 2020. Most of the beneficiary communities in Kikuube being the displace communities of Kijaayo and Kangwali settlements.
In 2018, we renewed our bid to strengthen microfinance support to women through support to 22 women associations in Kanungu district alone, with 22 micro loans support disbursed on a recovery model to both business and agro enterprises to enhance their household incomes. This would boost household income support of about 83 women amidst the COVID19 pandemic.
Through support from the FACE UK with funding from Network for Social Change, (NSC) we are strengthening this niche, support and empowerment to women groups with a total of over 154 women benefiting in Rugyeyo, Rutenga, and Kanyantorogo and Kambuga sub-counties.
These women groups received interest-free capital for selected business enterprises and financial literacy for the period of 12 months.
Our goal remains to empower and support less-privileged communities in Uganda to access support, and quality service delivery.
Our initiative has grown to supported and train women and children in empowerment, skills and entrepreneurship for future sustainability.
It is evident the situation is changing as communities appreciate our message and hope for women to take an effective role in shaping the societies’ social and economic attitudes.
Fast forward, through the years we have worked tirelessly to roll out a comprehensive plan to sensitize community women and children on the importance of remaining steadfast, get access to information for empowerment and protect and defend their communal rights.
We have continuously rolled out an annual voluntary children’s rights advocacy program through the game. This initiative dubbed K-Talent with support from Football for The World Foundation has enabled children in and out of school to participate in an amateur football league for the U-14 in Kanungu for the last 4 years since 2016.
4 Primary Schools have so far been supported (Karuhinda Primary School, Kirima Parents School, Karuhinda Primary School, Makiro Model and Mother Care Primary Schools) whose participation in the annual league has been amazing.
With engagements of close to 200 children annually both in and out of school, the league has attracted and supported up to 750 vulnerable children in the rural communities to remain in school through the game.
On invitation from Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH), IRUCE was asked to organize along several other civil society organisations and government agencies a scientific 2nd Africa Primatological Society Conference in Entebbe from 2nd -5th September 2019. This was an opportunity to highlight our efforts in conservation of natural resources in Uganda.
The privilege to facilitate and chair the publicity committee but most importantly interact with regional CSOs and governments on conservation of the great apes and primates in Africa was immense. As a civil society advancing justice for natural resource development, our desires is to remain at the frontline for advocacy for conservation.
As rural community activists, in 2019 we set out on a voluntary community rights assessment to find out unintended consequences in the ongoing road project in the communities of Rukungiri and Kanungu districts, along a 78km road project by a Chinese contractor M/s China Henan International Corporation Group (CHICO).
This was after community outcry with evidence of threat to major human rights and information gaps on the environmental, social, and economic aspects of the project.
As a major highlight, this assessment lead to adequate payments and compensation of close 215 project affected persons by the road construction.
IRUCE featured in 2019 Hult Prize on Campus Awards pitching, where the Executive Director, Mr. Arans Tabaruka was honored with an invitation as a judge and IRUCE as a mentor and sponsor of participant, ECO team that pitched and qualified to represent the country at a regional level in Nairobi-Kenya.
Hult Prize established by Bertil Hult, is an annual, year-long competition that crowd-sources ideas from college students after challenging them to solve pressing social issues around topics such as food security, water access, energy, and education.
Through these initiatives, young women and children in rural communities will overcome poverty through self-employment, education and community action and create sustainable livelihoods.
Integrated Rural Community Empowerment, (IRUCE) is an indigenous not for-profit Organization working with the rural communities to strengthen their potential to advocate for improved Livelihoods, Environment justice and reduction in Poverty Levels in the South West Uganda.
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