One community at a time
UDS supports its partner working in KAMULI, chosen after research showed high poverty statistics and low external development assistance. They run a Development Centre, which is a Multipurpose Community Telecentre, building up a model of best practice to share with other parts of Uganda.
Kamuli District - the facts
Kamuli town, where the UDS Telecentre is situated, is the administrative centre of Kamuli District. (A District is similar to a county in the UK and is divided into counties, subcounties and parishes.)
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Location: 100 miles by road N.E.
of Kampala
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Topography: Altitude 1083 metres (3355 feet) above sea level; just north of the equator; covers 1,700 sq. miles (23% being water); bounded on the west by the river Nile just north of its source.
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Population: Aprox. 700,000 (49% males; 51% females).
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Annual population growth rate: 2.98%.
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Rainfall: Average 53 inches p.a. (Bimodal with peaks in March - June and August - November) (Weather patterns have been changing in recent years, giving more severe dry seasons)
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Average annual temperature: 19 to 25 degrees Centigrade.
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Vegetation: Forest / savannah type of mosaic consisting. A big reduction in trees due to burning for charcoal to sell to the cities.
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Economy: 4th poorest District in Uganda, most depending on agriculture directly or indirectly
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Co-operative business organisations: 167 registered;
30 active.
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Uganda Development Services works with farmers and schools
Cultivation:
More than half the land is used for cultivation on a small holder basis (averaging two hectares per farm unit) Crops: cassava, sweat potatoes, groundnuts, beans,
bananas, rice, cotton, coffee and soya beans
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UDS is helping to fight poverty by enabling farmers to access advice on improved planting, improved strains and other inputs and techniques
Education:
The policy of Universal Primary Education (UPE), associated with debt relief, has contributed to boosting education in the district. Education remains a cost to parents for paper, pens, uniforms, PTA charges etc.
Total enrolled in education: 33%
of the population Girls enrolled in primary schools: 100,000
Boys enrolled in primary schools: 110,000
Primary schools: 309 (278 are government aided)
• Over 90% of people
farm like this
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Uganda Development Services also works with community groups and the District Government to fight the various features of poverty identified by them as keys to the development of the district, e.g.:
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• Insufficient and ineffective technical and social infrastructure
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• Poor agricultural methods
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• High burden of preventable diseases
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• Deforestation
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• Low industrial production
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• Insufficient information management system for planning
at various levels
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