Lack of training crippling women associations in Kabarole

Kabarole, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |  Women groups in Kabarole and Fort Portal Tourism City are struggling to progress due to a lack of training and information on government programs.   

The women argue that they form associations to improve their household incomes by engaging in farming and craft-making among other businesses but they lack knowledge on how to improve on their ventures. They add that they also lack information on government programs meant to liberate them financially.   

Rose Balyeganira, the Chairperson of Bwenderwa Tukole group in Kiko town council in Kabarole district, says that they are engaged in craft making. She, however, says that for the many years they have existed, they have never received any training from the Community Development Officers – CDOs.   

She says that CDOs are difficult to find yet their group would have wished to get more knowledge about their project to increase their output or even get connection to potential buyers.   

Balyeganira says that they normally hear about government programs like Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme – UWEP on the radio but they have never had anyone to explain to them how it works and how they can benefit. 

Sarah Karugaba Tuhaise, the Chairperson of North Division Women Entrepreneurs SACCO in Fort Portal, says that the SACCO brings together 48 groups that have 846 members.

She says that all the groups are engaged in different projects including apiary, craft making and farming but they lack training on how to improve the productivity of their ventures. 

For instance, she says the apiary group wants to know the best bee hives to use, how to attract bees and ensure good quality honey among other things, but the lack of this knowledge coupled with financial constraints are frustrating them.   

The Kabarole Senior Community Development Officer, Beth Mbabazi, says that as the office of the CDO, they are aware of some of the challenges but they are financially constrained to solve all of them.

For example, she says the town council and Sub County CDOs lack means of transport, which makes them fail to fulfil their obligations.     She refutes the allegations of not information the Women’s groups about government programs, saying they normally go radios and villages talking about the same but promised to improve on awareness campaigns.  

Also, as a way of improving the functionality of women groups, All in One Women’s Association – ALOWA launched a project titled “Strengthening Grassroots Women’s Groups to Promote and Protect Civic Space in Uganda” in Fort Portal.

The project is aimed at bringing together women groups in Fort Portal and Kabarole to improve their understanding of their rights, how to write proposals that can win donations and grants, promote equal opportunities for them, and collectively address issues that concern them.   

Lillian Namirimo, the ALOWA Executive Director, said the project will last two years and they will be frequently meeting the women groups for training and dissemination of information about government programs of their interest.

********

URN