7 NGOs Receive Quality Assurance Mechanism (QuAM) Certificates
On 18th April 2024, the NGO Forum in collaboration with DENIVA (QuAM Secretariat) together with the QuAM council hosted the QuAM certificate award ceremony at Hotel Africana.
Following the assessment exercise that was undertaken between October 2023 – April 2024, seven NGOs were awarded certificates i.e. Anti-corruption Coalition Uganda (ACCU), Eastern Archdiocesan Development Network, Citizen Initiative for Democracy and Development – Uganda, African Centre for Media Excellency (ACME), Hunger Fighters Uganda, Ateker Cultural Centre Uganda, African Women and Youth Action for Development (AWYAD).
The certificates were received with enthusiasm as evidenced by insights shared by the awardees below.
“The QuAM assessment exercise was a checkpoint for us to establish the strength and weakness of our systems and policies. We are now aware of our weak areas that require capacity strengthening, and we will intentionally apply ourselves to those areas to ensure our organization is strong and attractive” Ms. Catherine Nakasinde, Advocacy and Influencing Officer, AWYAD.
“This QuAM certificate comes in with more responsibility to continue improving on the way we service our constituency. Yes, the certificate shows we have some systems in place, however, as the organization grows, we need to build stronger systems that make our delivery even better and ensure adherence to our policies and this will improve our credibility in the eyes of our participants, leaders, donors and Government” said Mr. Fred Ejautene, Team Leader – CIDD Uganda.
Speaking at the award ceremony, Ms. Janet Opio, the Vice Chairperson QuAM Council called upon the NGO sector in Uganda to embrace self-regulation as it not only prepares them for compliance to government regulations, but also boosts their internal systems which are key in positioning NGOs to be fit for purpose.
In September 2006, NGOs working in Uganda launched a self-regulating instrument, the NGO Quality Assurance Mechanism (QuAM). This initiative was designed to promote adherence by civil society organizations to generally acceptable ethical standards and operational norms. QuAM sets principles and standards of behavior for responsible practice, to protect the credibility of NGOs in Uganda.
Uganda National NGO Forum and DENIVA are the main promoters of the QuAM initiative, should you have any questions, kindly feel free to reach out via info@ngoforum.or.ug
