July 2011: ACTED launches an emergency call for donations, to support populations affected by the drought and famine in the Horn of Africa

Sustainable economic development through community level empowerment and planning

ACTED is committed to strengthening and diversifying livelihoods by building local economies, supporting disaster preparedness, and fostering good governance through a community-driven approach. In Northern Uganda, as the internally displaced persons returned home, ACTED supported the final stages of return while beginning to focus on long-term development by laying solid foundations that would ensure long-term recovery, strengthened livelihoods, and increased access to markets. In the Karamoja/Pokot area, ACTED worked on a cross-border basis to increase access to water and strengthen livelihoods through their diversification, disaster risk reduction, Village Savings and Loan Associations.

Long-term recovery and economic development in Northern Uganda

In 2010, in Northern Uganda, ACTED supported the final stages of the return process while gradually shifting its focus to long-term recovery and sustainable economic development in the region. ACTED Uganda provided assistance to returning IDPs through Cash for Work, Voucher for Work, agricultural capacity building and input distribution, income generating activity grants, and the construction of infrastructure such as classrooms, water points and latrines. ACTED also focused on long-term recovery and sustainable economic development by building infrastructure, such as community access roads and agro-processing facilities, to increase communities’ access to markets and their ability to market agricultural products to large-scale buyers. At the same time, ACTED provided capacity building to farmer groups, traders, and the local government to increase agricultural production and subsequent profits. In pursuing sustainable development, ACTED facilitated the formation and capacity building of Village Savings and Loan Associations and local Savings and Credit Cooperatives (SACCOs) to enable communities to build financial resources from within. Lastly, ACTED, in cooperation with the local District Health Offices, piloted a district health reporting system utilizing Rapid SMS technology to improve the speed and efficiency of health reporting in the Acholi region of Northern Uganda.

Community empowerment through planning in Karamoja and Pokot

ACTED works with communities in Karamoja (Uganda) and North Pokot (Kenya) to empower them to strengthen and diversify livelihoods, plan for and mitigate drought and other disasters, and to build the government’s capacity to predict and prepare for droughts. ACTED aims at strengthening livelihoods by supporting Pastoral Field Schools (PFSs) which use a participatory methodology to foster innovative and diverse alternative livelihood activities, provide agricultural inputs and build communities’ assets through VSLA and Village Community Banking (VICOBA) methodologies. ACTED also focused on expanding access to clean water and veterinary services and began the construction of an agro-processing facility in the ‘green belt’ agricultural zone of the Karamoja. Since 2008, ACTED has been working in close collaboration with the Government of Uganda to build the first comprehensive Drought Early Warning Systems (DEWS) in the Karamoja region and is now in the final stages of the project. DEWS, which will warn the government and communities of impending droughts, is part of ACTED’s focus on improving the capacity of the government and communities to prepare for droughts. In late 2010, ACTED began using Community Disaster Management Committees in order to promote comprehensive community-based disaster management.

Promoting sustainable long-term solutions for Uganda through continuous community empowerment

In 2010, ACTED began laying the foundations for long term economic development by strengthening livelihoods, building community infrastructure, increasing access to markets, and focusing on disaster preparedness and drought early warning. A year later, ACTED remains committed to focusing on long-term development, in both Northern Uganda and Karamoja/Pokot, and is working at both the community level and with relevant government stakeholders to ensure sustainable solutions are found to alleviate poverty and vulnerability. In 2011, ACTED is expanding its disaster preparedness interventions, responds to early signs of a drought in North Pokot, consolidates DEWS, continues publishing timely and useful drought bulletins, pilots a SMS-based health reporting system in Karamoja, while continuing interventions focused on increasing market access, and capacity building of farmers and pastoralists to strengthen livelihoods. In addition to these long-term development activities, ACTED is maintaining an emergency response capacity and will use its experienced and recognized expertise to advocate sustainable cross-border solutions in Karamoja and Pokot, as well as in Northern Uganda.