My names are Mary Michelle, CEO, and Founder of KIwonnongo Foundation Inc (KFI) of Uganda/USA, an NGO that assist communities with free education to about 400 children in Lunya- Kiboga District of Uganda and provides assistance to women and youth groups both under the umbrella of the NGO. This organization started in 2012 and has changed Lunya and its surrounding communities. Once a community with 98% illiteracy rate, children marriages, poor nutrition, droughts, unrepresented women, children, and youth, now has a voice. The speed at which our socio-economic growth is very slow to lack of government support and the last war devastation that wiped the communities off the map. Currently, 400 children in primary school have education and we have 0.1% of school drop out. Where there was no school, children now spend at least 8 hours a day gaining education. Youths and women gaining self-sustaining skills.
Why is there a need to promote youth engagement and employment in agriculture and food systems?
Youths in Lunya and Kiboga district as a whole are not represented, education is non-existing and youths tend to lose interest, get frustrated and resort to going to the city where they become beggars. Kiboga used to be the best district producing bananas, now, they are starving, youths have no voice, no advocacy, no hope, no financial capability or skills training capacity. The few that grow food, are unable to financially profit from it due to lack of transportation, no strategies, and no corporations. Since they are not educated, the system that could be available for them does not invest enough time to engage in a community that has to be groomed from ground level. They have no role models. KFI has started to cultivate the arena for inclusiveness, but the pace is very slow due to a lack of representation. This village is only 64 miles from Kampala, but have no clean running water or electricity. No quality education system and no representation.
What are the key issues and opportunities?
*Lack of basic education skills.
*Lack of representation and advocacy.
*Lack of financial routes to fund start-ups with a well-organized team that can guide them at their level of understanding and function.
*Lack of hope due to broken promises by the government, the higher stakeholders that don't reach them as they promise.
*The local NGO are burnt out due to so many complex social-economic issues that have to be addressed prior to addressing key factors (such as local cultural beliefs of child marriage, polygamy, poor believe if education, poor women emancipation and continued oppression of women and girls even if they are the sole breadwinners of the family, lack of support of women and girls rights, beliefs that women must produce as many children to extend generations despite the fact that there is no economical support for that kind of growth and the worse of all is the women are not given a role on the platform of governance either at the family or community level), and so many others.
But, if youths are reached, met at their level of function, they are capable of being productive and commit to being accountable for their economic growth. They are willing, they are energetic, they are healthy, they have knowledge, but need structure, need guidance, need a starting base for growth.
They need training and awareness that child production does not mean just producing offsprings. They need awareness about HIV, deeper poverty, education, human rights, women empowerment, and inclusiveness. A majority of them practice their ancestors' beliefs of culturally oppressing women and girl children and polygamy. They need to be aware of HIV, early pregnancy deaths, STDs, malnutrition, education, climate changes, effects of deforestation, land rights, self-reliance and above all, they do not know what their civil rights are.
They need projects and training skills to acquire running or clean water as a community instead of waiting for foreign aid or government. This shall train them with decision-making processes before implementing any planned project.
They need access to finance start-ups.
They require gardening equipment access, more so as a cooperation instead of individualism that currently exists and has not worked all these decades. This would be done to improve standards of living and services in rural areas and mid-sized towns, as it would lead to retaining youths and young families in their small towns. Youths do not really want to go to cities, this avenue shall entice them to stay in the town, villages or small cities.
What are the most promising pathways to transform current agriculture and the food systems in developing countries to make them more attractive to the youth?
Youths must be shown that there are financial gains from agricultural products, that there is market and that they can be self-sustaining on agricultural products alone- if that is what they chose to pursue. The majority of the youths are attracted to monetary gains, to being able to support their lifestyles and their little or large family. When they grow their products, they must be able to sell them without loss.
Youths especially women, need to be included in all decison- making processes, to be able to contribute to the process that is involving the,- which is all aspects of life and they want to be allowed to be part of the government because they are the breadwinners in Uganda. Young women need the skills to make better decisions and learn to wait before becoming mothers themselves when they are not ready just because the culture tells them so. They need training centers than can accommodate their levels of understanding- any level and these accesses must find them at the grassroots level so that they can feel included and not displaced. They need equipment to farm. Growing any product using manpower is not productive at the rate of this rate of consumption and demand.
In Kiboga District, there is a need for training about cooperation and its benefits. Facing the lack of rules and laws in the country, little can be done at this level, but small groups are capable of making their constitutions and form cooperations and produce agricultural products at a higher rate and then learn/be trained on food security and proper nutrition.
There are numerous food security and preservation systems that have worked on grassroots levels for decades, youths need professional direction and guidance
What are the most appropriate policies to remove obstacles to empower youth initiate and/or upscale activities in agriculture and related services, in the food supply chain, in agroecology, and in the food environment, as well as in nutrition and innovation, in accordance to their skills, aspirations, assets, and contexts?
The best approach to empower current NGOs and Civil Society mechanisms and private entities at grassroots levels. The government is too corrupt to assist community-based devastation. For the communities to benefit fully and quickly from any higher stakeholders, it is imperative to engage, empower, work with, link, network with locally-based NGOs. In many communities, there are no policies, if there are there, people are not well represented and advocated for, many government agencies are corrupt and cannot reach grassroots communities, which lead the youths to run out of villages to cities where there is some hope- if at all deeper poverty is hope. But they are not aware of political preferences in Uganda, they find out when it is too late. Youths need to be educated at their level of understanding and capability. Not displaced.
What is the extent of wage discrepancies against youth and women in agriculture and food systems, and what are some successful experiences in removing such wage differentials?
IN our communities, there is no such a thing as wage in the agriculture sector. When a woman is empowered, they produce as much as the men and possibly more because they celebrate women emancipation at that level. In general, as everywhere in the world, women get lower wages than men for the same job description, women are less admitted to jobs considered extreme such as mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, construction and jobs or courses that require physical strength. But to break this cycle, women and capable girls need to be afforded the same opportunities as men and boys- if applicable. Public awareness must increase to allow women to know that they too, can do what they qualify for and desire. The vulnerable and disadvantaged need representation too, the major issue is the numerous existence of already complex issues to deal with.
Empowering and supporting current NGOs, Civil Society movements and private entities, holding them accountable for their roles is the key to global socio-economic development in Uganda and particularly in Kiboga District- that has been neglected for the last 3 decades.
Data that is necessary to create this awareness is through the already existing local nongovernment and other private entities such as religious entities, these sectors have all the data that is needed to start a journey of self-sustaining communities. These entities are ready, many communities have survived years of poverty due to the small assistance of NGOs and private and religious entities. These entities' support is crucial in a country torn by greed, inflation, corruption, and government neglect. For example at KFI, we serve several communities. The schools and community groups have existed since 2012, community members have come to know us and come to us for advice, training, advocacy, and representation, but the issues are so many and complex and we cannot tackle all issues without the presence of an effective supporting system. We cannot grow food for the community schools with manpower alone and without water, we cannot teach children modern technology without computers and power, we cannot train all community members and replicate our great services to reach vulnerable children if we have no local teachers with skills.
We need collaboration with high stakeholders to move faster and more effectively. The youths cannot wait for our slow system.
In conclusion, I am proud to be part and continue to innovate standards that are saving girl children; educating at least 400 per year, training youths and women and contributing to decreasing the 98 % illiteracy rate in Lunya, Lwamata sub-county, in Kiboga District. Communities without clean water, without electricity, communities that are not represented.
Thank you.
Mary Michelle
CEO and Founder
Kiwonnongo Foundation Inc.- Uganda
Mr. Eucario Villanueva