Eco-Agric Uganda is implementing the Sustainable Outcomes for Children and Youth project to economically and socially empower 62,957 people in 21,198 Households in Kibaale district. This is being done through supporting people to improve food security, nutrition and income in their households. The project is based on the need to economically and socially strengthen OVC and their care givers while improving access to basic services including protection and support of children infected or affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the district.
The project is being implemented in line with the National Strategic Program Plan of Intervention (NSPPI-2) for Orphans and other Vulnerable Children. It is strengthening the protection and care of orphans and other vulnerable children within their immediate extended families and communities. However, Eco-Agric Uganda is focusing on household economic strengthening and empowering youths and adolescent girls through different socio-economic and life skills activities. These involve; Savings and Internal Lending Communities (SILCs); enhancing marketing and market linkages; organizing youth into youth clubs and training them in life skills using the evidenced-based curriculum. The youth are being trained in agro-businesses, entrepreneurship, crop-specific agronomic practices, marketing and market linkage and will later access interconnected package in better parenting, and the Faithful House. They are also being linked to vocational training centers and private sector internships to help them acquire skills for employment.
Eco Agric Uganda has mobilized and sensitized 122 youth (54 M & 68F) about the project and formed them into 8 youth groups. It has also identified girls for the girl’s education sponsorship program and looking out for the potential sponsors to support the girls.
Thirty one artisans are providing skills to youth who have been identified in the two sub-counties; Bubango and Matale and their capacity is being assessed. These are training the youth in carpentry, Sewing and Tailoring, concrete and Hand Craft training.
Psychosocial support has been provided to OVC at household level through home visits for stigma reduction, positive behavior change, enhancing self-esteem and personality development. Counseling and peer support done for OVC and their guardians in an effort to address; isolation, fears, anxieties and other family and relationship problems for guardians as well as the OVC themselves.
Eco-Agric Uganda is using the Savings and Internal Lending Communities (SILCs) PSP methodology to increase saving and credit opportunities. The Savings and Internal Lending Communities (SILCs) model is a holistic programming approach that is being used to provide a strategy to increase vulnerable household income by providing people, primarily women, with income generating opportunities through access to self-managed savings-led financial services.
It aims at ensuring that beneficiaries have adequate access to financial resources since its key to successful economic empowerment and an important sustainability strategy. Eco-Agric Uganda has introduced SILC to offer targeted households an opportunity to protect their assets, have a smooth cash flow and provide flexible financial solutions while increasing the asset base. SILC will provide savings-led financial services to targeted vulnerable communities in Kibaale district that have no access or limited access to formal financial services or where access is denied due to high transaction costs and other entry barriers.