UCAA was established in 1992 by 75 Ugandans (change agents, development workers) who had undergone The Change Agent Training conducted by Quaker Service Norway (QSN). It was registered as an NGO on 11th October 1993 under registration number S5914/646 that has been renewed regularly as required by the law. The Association is also registered as a non-profit limited liability company under the Uganda Companies Act.
Uganda Change Agents Association (UCAA) was founded in 1992 by 75 Ugandans (change agents, development workers) who had undergone The Change Agent Training conducted by Quaker Service Norway (QSN). To date, UCAA has a membership of over 4,000 trained Change Agents who have organized themselves into 230 branches throughout Uganda. These members of UCAA (Change Agents) are working voluntarily with over 5,000 self-help development groups (SHDGs) with a membership of over 69,000 rural men and women.
The UCAA programme is designed to promote change agent methodology to poor men and women so that the communities and individuals are empowered at the grassroots level to attain self-reliance in their own development. This is a self propelling drive that ensures that after being "conscientised"-i.e. critically made conscious of themselves, attitudes, behaviors and the social, political and economic environment in which they operate, rural men and women are able to demand for their rights and therefore able to participate in the decision making processes, initiate Income generating enterprises and sustain themselves.
UCAA facilitates self-reliance focused development, through participatory development processes and experiences. This way helps the communities to manage and sustain their own self-reliant social, political and economic development processes. UCAA ensures capacity building sessions, advocacy and networking for the communities. UCAA also supports and encourages delegates' assemblies, institutional strengthening and community mobilization for income-generating for self-help groups and savings schemes. The UCAA processes are targeted to particularly benefit poor men and women from all parts of Uganda.
UCAA believes that it is only an empowered community that can successfully fight corruption, demand good leadership and accountability and ensure peace and stability.
Over the years, UCAA major activities was Human resource development for Rural Development Workers and Community Leaders (Local Councilors and leaders of development groups) through the Change Agent Training which provides them with communication and facilitation skills, analytical skills (poverty analysis, gender issues, development theory, child advocacy, feasibility and viability analysis), leadership skills, groups fund management and bookkeeping skills and supporting the Change Agents as they carry out their development work in field. The Change Agent Training has its foundation in personal (human) development processes (conscientisation).
Currently, UCAA provides capacity building to rural men and women in the communities through conducting trainings and dialogue forums in the areas of sustainable livelihoods, Governance rights and Conflict Transformation, Education and Skills Development and ensures good governance, gender equality, unity and participation, economic opportunities, services and livelihood through partnering with other organizations. Some of the trainings provided include: Village savings and Loan Association (VSLA), Village Change Agent Training (VCAT), leadership Skills, Entrepreneurship and enterprise selection skills, Advocacy skills, improved agricultural practices, women land rights and gender issues.