Mpatta Residents commit to take action for the wellbeing of the community
In October 2018, Uganda National NGO Forum in partnership with Mukono District NGO Forum conducted community immersions in the villages of Busoke and Kisinsi in Mpatta Sub-County in Mukono District. It is against this background that UNNGOF undertook Participatory Monitoring of the Mukono Regional Action Plan on 6th September to track progress on the implementation of the community plans. The meeting was held at Bethany Primary School where community members shared experiences on the different issues that were presented in their action plan.
Ms. Esther Nakayima Coordinator, Policy Advocacy and Engagement reminded participants of what transpired from the community immersion. She underscored that participatory monitoring process was to ensure that the communities were able to actualize what was presented in the action plan. She also urged them to use the issues in the action plan as demands for the election period.
During the Immersion, the community raised issues such as; access to safe water and sanitation facilities, lack of government health facilities, youth unemployment, sexual harassment, reduced market for agriculture produce, lack of secondary school and poor roads among others.
In the participatory meeting, community members appreciated UNNGOF for organizing immersions which helped them identify their problems and were presented at the district. As a result, training opportunities have been provided for youth especially girls in different skills such as tailoring and hair dressing; health centre nurses have been trained on how to handle women issues and communities members testified to this; economic empowerment programmes are evident through institutions like Vision Fund, Africa Sustainability Fund and Opportunity Bank; on the issue of sanitation, the youth had cleared all the bushes around the water sources.
However, community members still hope of getting a secondary school so that their children can attain higher education. The community with the help of the District Councillor committed to petition the RDC on the issue of clearing bushes which have been a home of sexual harassment and also on the issue of providing a village ambulance. The community Development Officer committed to front the action plan during budget preparation meetings.
