Annual Report 2009
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
It is with great pleasure that I present the Annual Report detailing the activities carried out by Uganda Change Agent Association (UCAA) in the year 2009. It has been the first year of our five-year strategic plan that is titled “Capacity Enrichment for Economic, Political and Social Development” for the period 2009 to 2013.
In general, it was a successful year but not without its challenges, and I am proud of what UCAA has achieved. Most of the planned activities were carried out for the achievement of our mission to ensure that poor rural men and women are liberated and are able to initiate their own self-reliant economic, political and social development processes in order to contribute to the achievement of our vision of standards of living in poor rural households improved through self-reliant participatory efforts of members of those households.
UCAA carried out activities intended for the stimulation of economic development that enabled poor rural men and women to work together in self-help development groups through which they are successfully operating their own group savings schemes, their own group credit schemes and earning income from payments of dividends that they receive as a result of their membership in these groups. Individual poor rural men and women were enabled to initiate, invest in and manage their own viable income generating activities.
UCAA carried out activities intended for the stimulation of political development that enabled poor rural men and women to become consciously awakened, to begin to question why conditions around them are the way they are, to realise the need for them to take responsibility to reverse trends that negatively affect their livelihoods. Change Agents, ordinary women and men, were liberated and were able to stand for office, were elected as community leaders.
UCAA carried out activities intended for the stimulation of social development that encouraged the formation of associations and enabled Change Agents to link poor rural men and women to other service providers and to voluntarily work with thousands of self-help groups. Self-help groups were motivated to establish formal linkages with their respective local administrations.
UCAA gender policy was actively implemented ensuring that the knowledge, attitudes and practices of men and women in Uganda were improved with regards to gender issues.
UCAA continued to maintain its asset base and to utilise its assets in a frugal manner. These assets included visible and invisible assets such as full-time paid professional staff, volunteer Change Agents and development workers, financial resources, buildings and land, vehicles, training and office equipment.
UCAA membership continued to grow as more change Agents graduated and as more development partners appreciated the work of UCAA. It is also worthwhile to note that UCAA has re-entered Kajamoja region after suspending its activities in the region for almost 4 years and in 2009, one change agent training course was conducted in Karamoja. Financially, in 2009 UCAA was able to generate its own income that contributed 14% of its expenses.
UCAA funding partners continued to show confidence and trust in the work of UCAA through their generous financial contributions that contributed to 86% of the income that covered UCAA’s expenses in 2009.
However, our major challenges were limited funding for the implementing the planned activities due to the financial crisis that intensified during the year 2009. This affected the level of activity implementation and the resulting impact of some of the planned activities.
UCAA is satisfied that during the year 2009, together with our development partners we made progress in our efforts towards a more sustainable development in Uganda.
Dr. Maggie Kigozi
UCAA Patron