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It is our pleasure that we you have visited Good Hope Foundation for Rural Development online today..
As we celebrate the end of 2021 and welcoming 2022 where COVID19has taken a lead role in every sector globally, I wish to extend my sincere appreciation to RWECO consortium members, partners, friends and well-wishers for the job well done more especially in supporting Good Hope Foundation for Rural Development’s efforts in the fight against community challenges. Years come and end, but the challenges in our communities like violence against children and women, poverty, food insecurity; climate change related problems among others have remained endless.
Therefore, my call is to re-strengthen multi-sectoral approach in tackling the above challenges I acknowledge and appreciate all the support (financial, technical & material) from HIVOS-EU, East Africa Child Fund under RWECO Consortium, WWF Country office, and the different District Local governments in Rwenzori region especially Kasese and Bundibugyo.
I end by thanking both staff, RWECO consortium members, our donors, board and all leadership of the different local governments where Good Hope Foundation for Rural Development has operations for the supportive efforts and request for more and continued commitment as we implement our programs in 2022 and beyond.
KULE OBED
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
Latest From the Blog
November 12, 2022Latest / NewsGood Hope Foundation together with the community wildlife ambassadors organized neighborhood assembly which is a community parliament through which community members come together to dialogue on a community challenge and come up with community-based solutions. The neighborhood assembly attracted 116 (57m and 49f) people from Bukangara village which neighbors queen Elizabeth national park.
The neighborhood assembly was also attended by the sub county leadership including the sub county chief, chairperson LC3, sub county community wildlife officer and many other local leaders. During this gathering, the community members raised a concern about the continued and increasing practice of poaching of hippopotamuses in queen Elizabeth national a practice that has been linked to reduction of hippopotamuses in the national park. According to the chairperson, in the last two months we have already our 3 hippos out of poaching for meat and money. He also added that they have again lost two people we were gunned by the rangers in the national park as they tried to poach the park animals.
The community wildlife officer, explained to the community members the importance of hippos to our community including; attracting revenue from tourists of which that revenue enables the government to construct for the community health centers, schools, good roads and water. He cited the two schools and five water points which were constructed by queen Elizabeth national park as part of revenue sharing to the communities neighboring the national park. It was realized that most of the community didn’t know the importance of hippos to the community and therefore, with all these importance of hippos to the community, the community members agreed together never to tolerate poaching of hippos and they launched a war against poaching in their village and the sub county at large.
They cautioned their fellow men and women with the practice of poaching to stop before the community bylaw catches them. Community members were also requested to keep an eye on each other and report anyone who will be found with meat from the national park [...]
March 11, 2022Latest / NewsAs it is said, a violent home is non- habitable. This was the case for Masika Scovia’s home. Her husband has been violent all through her marriage. He has been drinking alcohol throughout the time she got married to him. “Alcohol makes him more violent to an extend of hitting me and the children and sending me out in the dark. We would sleep on the verandah as he talks hurtful words that made me hate him….”
“I have been struggling to get food and school fees for my children alone. Whatever my husband used to get would be spent on his drink and sometimes he would steal my hidden money and go to drink and we sleep on empty stomachs with my children.” Scovia narrated.
She then received information about the parenting sessions organized by good hope foundation with support from CRVPF and joined the group. She convinced her husband to join the group too, which he accepted and got interested about what was being taught. “When we learnt about the session on Legacy, my husband was touched and confessed that he did not want his children to become abusers like what he had been doing. He has henceforth stopped beating us since he reduced the intake of alcohol…’’
“My children are happy that they can relate with their father without fearing him and I pray that when school finally opens, he will be able to help me in paying school fees because we together learnt that our children have a right to education and it’s the good legacy that we can leave to our children” She said.
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March 11, 2022Latest / NewsWhen Good Hope Foundation with support from Children’s rights and violence prevention fund (CRVPF) introduced school clubs in the communities, many children rejoiced and thought “the long wait is over”. They viewed this as an opportunity to gain more class knowledge and also gather to share experiences of how the lockdown was affecting them. The parents were also excited and gladly entrusted us with the children.
We received an overwhelming number of pupils ranging from 20 to 40 and these were taken through life skills to enable them build their self-confidence and esteem to ably express themselves and their feelings towards VAC. Most children had lost hope and some were already taken away by the “small” jobs they were involved in as one Simeon asserted, “I think this could be the end of our studies. We have been engaged in making bricks and we are earning money, enough to feed us at home. Some of our parents will not send us back because they are already comfortable of what we are offering…”
This gave us a basis to conduct several one-on-one counseling sessions for the children, assuring them that education is their right and that it can change life for the better, not looking at only money but whole individual development.
Safe spaces were created, where children are clustered according to gender and age, to talk about life experiences, existence of VAC in their communities and in these sessions, they are able to support each other, to equip each other with knowledge to fight VAC incidences. For example, Mumbere Valeri came with a challenge in the safe spaces of being beaten by his step father almost every day. His body had a lot of scars and his peers advised him to ask his mother to reunite him with his real father to avoid his step father’s brutality. After him talking to the mother, Valeri was taken back to his family and he is happy that finally, he is able to live without being tormented. [...]
March 11, 2022Latest / NewsThe adolescents and youths out of school have been targeted to build their skills to participate in prevention of violence against them and challenge their negative practices towards violence against children and adolescents. The youths out of school are among the victims and also among the perpetrators of different forms of violence against children both at home and in the community. They lure children in premarital sex and early marriages, bullying and teasing of children on their way to and or from school and also being exploited by the community members.
Thus, when God Hope Foundation for Rural Development with support from children’s rights and violence prevention fund (CRVPF) introduced the concept of engaging the youths out of school through the creation of safe spaces, many youths embraced it since they saw this as an opportunity to curb violence in their community and regain hope especially of the girl child. For example, a case for Mbambu Sylvia (23years) of Kayanzi landing site united youth, a single mother of 2 children said “I now have hope after learning a session about identifying my dream and work towards achieving them, I now have hope that am not a second hand person like people had labeled me. I know that the future is bright. I want to enroll for a skills course and disapprove those people that early motherhood does not guarantee failure and at the right time, I will get a good marriage and prove to my father that I am not useless”. Sylivia further was thankful to the Good Hope Foundation for Rural Development for mobilizing them through safe space where by they have been able to learn vocational skills like baking mandazi and chapati which they are using to generate income and they have come up with saving initiative and been able to save and borrow for their own development.
“I have been able to buy myself 2 goats since I joined and am able to do other petty businesses like selling fried G. nuts, and fried cassava. Thus, at the end of the day, I am able to save something and look after my two daughters. I will make sure that I protect my children and save them from what I have been going through through giving them an education. She said. This group has a total saving of 1,300,000ug shs and charge an interest of 3percent on every loan that is taken by a member. [...]
January 16, 2022Latest / NewsLocal council one chair persons have been warned against handling defilement cases and other injustices cases against women and children in their homes.
At the function of commemorating the 16days of Activism at Mundongo Primary school in Nyakiyumbu Sub County, the Resident District Commissioner of Kasese Lt. Joe Walusimbi sounded a warning that all those causing injustices against women and children risk to be jailed.
Lt. Joe Walusimbi who was the chief guest said according to the statistics that was reported in two years of 2020-2021, only 948 cases of defilement were reported in the District and only 32 cases managed by court meaning that other cases are being negotiated and compromised at local levels which is against the laws that protect women and girls.
The District senior probation and welfare officer Ms. Zainabu Asimwe said that 942 cases were reported in 2020 only in Nyakiyumbu sub county of which 48cases were reported by men and 92% cases were violations against women and girls which included 50cases of Defilement with an example of a 70year oldman defiling his biological grandchild.
In 2021, from January to November, 1042 cases were reported and only 31cases went up to court level.
Ms. Zainabu said that most cases are being reported when perpetrators have failed to negotiate and agree a reason which she said makes her office fail to handle since there is no one to follow up on such cases.
She added that Nyakiyumbu sub county is one of the sub counties where most cases are being reported unlike other sub counties that don’t report cases. However she attributed this to the efforts of NGO’s that have empowered citizens with skills of reporting.
Good hope foundation for rural development is one of the NGO’s that are implementing a program aimed at preventing violence against children and adolescents with funding from Children’s Rights and violence prevention fund-CRVP-F. [...]
January 11, 2022Latest / News10 safe spaces of adolescents out of school aged 13-24 have been formed in Nyakiyumbu sub county and they are holding weekly sharing sessions and discussions in their safe spaces through which they are learning and building their resilience to mitigate factors that expose them to Violence. The sharing sessions and discussions are conducted by the peer mentors using the peer educator’s youth training manual and the life skills manual. The adolescents have highly embraced the weekly sessions and the good attendance has been linked to the different games and sports activities which have always been integrated in the sessions that attracts many adolescents to attend the club activities. Through these sharing sessions and discussions, adolescents have been able to identify hot spots in their respective areas, identify challenges and make agreed actions. The discussions are also enabling adolescents to develop life skills to protect themselves in potentially risky situations and contributing to the empowerment of adolescents on their peer educators’ development path. The sessions are helping adolescents to feel useful, gain knowledge and skills that are important for life, develop self-esteem and positive self-image as well as changing their beliefs and practices towards protecting children from being violated.
The Mentors observed that, with the efforts and intervention of Good Hope foundation for Rural Development with funding from CRVP-F, the introduction of safe spaces is helping the youth and adolescents. It is through interactions in the identified safe spaces that youth and adolescents are learning how to build hope and confidence and most students learning how to resist violence. “We are now having skills and learning how to value ourselves.”
Young mothers are also having confidence in themselves and also with skills of how to care for their children and also have learnt how to use the available resources e.g Making small scale business to help themselves and their children.
Good Hope Foundation for Rural Development has trained mentors in Nyakiyumbu Sub County and these mentors are intended to reach their fellow youth in communities to utilize the Safe spaces as they struggle to prevent violence against themselves as youth and adolescents. [...]
January 11, 2022Latest / NewsGood hope foundation creates safe spaces for children in Nyakiyumbu Sub County to protect themselves from all forms of violence during the school closure as result of covid-19 lock down
With the COVID-19 lock down and the actions taken to contain the spread of the pandemic such as school closure, disrupted the school activities as well as disrupting school going children and adolescent’s routines and support systems as it disrupted the skill-building activities and undermining their aspiration and empowerment. For purposes of ensuring children’s participation in the prevention of violence against children, Good Hope Foundation designed interventions at community level that empower these children with knowledge and skills to be able to protect themselves from violence during and after the lock down.
14 children’s safe spaces were formed at community level and were supported to organize different child to child activities in the safe spaces which helped in empowering children with knowledge and building confidence, self-esteem and resilience to mitigate all forms of violence against children and adolescents. Weekly learning and sharing discussions were organized at club level by the champion teachers and through these discussions, children were given an opportunity to learn and get knowledge about violence against children. They were also engaged in several skill building activities such as Debates, MDD, poems, games and sports, public speaking, as well as radio talk shows through which children were empowered with life skills such as problem solving, communication, confidence, assertive skills to be able to prevent violence against them, and also improving children’s abilities to express their views in regard to prevention of violence against children [...]
January 11, 2022Latest / NewsThe parenting for respectability program implemented by Good Hope foundation for rural development in Kasese District has created a great impact in the lives of many parents in regard to preventing violence against children and adolescents.
During the field visits conducted by Good hope , members of Bukangara Abaghole na’bami thuhekerane ebiritho group testified that their families are now peaceful after attending the parenting for respectability sessions.
Some couples said that they have appreciated the need of working together as husband and wife and jointly planning together.
Some women are giving testimonies of joint saving and planning together at family levels which has led to stable homes and has increased love among spouses.
Some men testified that they have reduced on over drinking alcohol because the act exposed violence to their children. They added that they had wasted a lot of money in buying alcohol and other drugs which money they would have invested in the Education of their children.
According to the Executive Director for Good Hope foundation for rural development, the parenting program is aimed at improving positive parenting practices to prevent violence against children and adolescent at household level in Kasese District.
He added that the focus is on training parents and caregivers who are in most cases perpetrators of violence against children and adolescents.
Parenting for respectability program is being implemented in Nyakiyumbu Sub County by Good hope foundation for rural development with funding from children’s rights and violence prevention (CRVP-F).
Participants during one the Good Parenting Sessions in Nyakiyumbu Sub county, Kasese District. [...]
June 16, 2017Latest / NewsReligious and faith leaders often hold positions of great respect, trust and confidence in our society. Behind the protected walls of religious institutions, congregants often feel safe and comfortable to disclose and discuss their most private matters and secrets to their religious leaders, including the often painful secret that they are experiencing abuse in their homes. We have often stressed the role of the state and non-state actors in addressing violence against children and adolescents but this time we took a closer look at the role of our community of faith or our religious leaders. Religious/faith leaders are important in influencing the behaviors, practices and attitudes of house hold members and community members towards family building and uniting community members through building morals both among the children and community members which are all geared towards prevention of violence against children and adolescents as well as building stable families.
On 6th and 8th June/2017, Good Hope Foundation organized a training meeting for 60 (34m and26F) religious from the two sub counties of Kisinga and Karusandara on positive parenting and prevention of violence against children and adolescents. This was intended to team up with religious institutions in building synergies in positive parenting and prevention of violence against children and adolescents. Among the religious institutions that participated in the meeting included; Roman catholic, church of Uganda, Muslim and Adventist from the two sub counties of operation targeting mainly the parish priests, catechists, lay leaders, imams, parish council members, head of lights as well as the church/mosque group/ ministry leaders who included; mothers union leaders and fathers union leaders, CHWA leaders, women’s league as well as the youth leaders representing the youth and children ministries. The meeting was mainly to strengthen the capacities of religious leaders to be able to engage in the prevention of violence against children and adolescents especially through building good morals among the families and communities and also to empower the trained religious leaders to reach out to their religious faiths and ministries to share with them on how children are parented and how to build stable families geared towards prevention of violence against children and adolescents since most of the violence against children begins at family level.
Key of the issues handled during the meeting included; understanding the concept of violence against children and adolescents where the discussion mainly focused at understanding the forms, causes and effects of violence against children and adolescents, laws and policies in place that protects the rights of children and adolescents and how violence against children and adolescents can be prevented.
Participants were also taken through the concept of positive parenting were the discussion mainly focused on understanding who a parent is, forms of parenting as well as the different aspects of positive parenting which included; behavior control looking at how children are disciplined were members emphasized on loving guidance and the use of alternative punishments when controlling the behaviors of children. The discussion also looked at the aspect of Respect for Individual autonomy looking at the child as a human being who needs also to be given plat form to express his/her mind on something that might affect him as a child and taking his/her decision of much importance in parenting. Members also looked at the aspect of modeling appropriate behaviors of which members said in parenting children are shaped by their parents which means what parents do while with the children it’s manifested in the behaviors of children. Under this aspect members discussed the different types of behaviors that parents can model to their children such as showing respect for others and yourself, practicing positive communication skills as well as working on anger management were members said most of the people punish children not out of love but out of anger. Lastly were taken through the aspect of provision and protection which looks at the joint roles and responsibilities of parents to provide basic necessities to the children and adolescents.
Key commitments from the participants
The following were some of the actions and commitments agreed upon by the participants;
As a way of reaching out to many community members on matters of child upbringing and family stability, leaders of the different ministries in churches and mosques committed themselves to always share with their members issues on preventing violence against children as well as on positive parenting practices during their meetings.
While organizing lessons for Sunday/sabath/ juma, priests/imams will always be sensitive on issues regarding children’s parenting and family stability
Working with other parish council members, a specific Sunday/Sabbath in a very month will be set for a summon specifically on children’s issues more especially positive parenting
Parish priests while working with the model couples to always organize enough sharing meetings with the partners going into marriage to prepare them for family tasks a head of them, duties and how to solve family issues. [...]
February 27, 2017NewsIn response to the 26th and 27th November 2016 Kasese attacks when government forces attacked Obusinga bwa Rwenzururu Prime Minister’s office and King’s Palace respectively, where royal guards, civilians and Police lost lives( allegedly 62-according to Police reports), Civil society organizations operating in Rwenzori converged in Kasese Municipality on 6th/12/2016 at the Municipal council hall to meet the Kasese District resident commissioner(RDC) to discuss urgent mechanisms of restoring sustainable peace in Kasese and Rwenzori at large. [...]
February 8, 2017LatestAction plans and recommendations were developed by the members in order to prevent violence against children in the communities and below are the action points;
– Sensitizing community members on relevant laws and policies concerning, domestic violence, children and adolescents by the police, CDO and Good Hope Foundation.
– Sensitizing women on their family roles despite them engaging in various businesses by Good Hope Foundation, CDO, and group leaders.
– Engaging religious leaders in popularizing the district children ordinance and also giving them copies of ordinance by Good Hope Foundation and CDO.
– Mobilizing children and adolescents in the sub county and engaging them international child rights days by Good Hope Foundation and the sub county leadership.
– Local leaders and community members to take action on alcoholism and drug abuse
– The Sub county CFPU to strengthen community policing mainly sensitizing community members on the rights of children
– Community members to be monitors and they called upon parents and care givers to be role models to the children and this will be ensured by the NA leadership and the group members.
– Members also requested the community members to embrace the Embale ya nyabaghole and requested that it should be extended at village levels and be conducted quarterly
– Sensitizing children on their roles and responsibilities towards their parents/families and this will be done by Good Hope Foundation, religious leaders and the senior woman and man teachers.
– Members also suggested that parents should always have enough time to talk to their children for example as mentioned by the head teacher who was on the NA he said averagely parents in the sub county spent only 37 minutes in a day talking to their children and part of these minutes are as well used in abusing them which members said it is a worrying culture in the families. [...]
D5 Creation