FUTURE AND PROPOSED PROJECTS:

Environmental Protection, Improvement of Health and Poverty Alleviation.

A PROJECT PROPOSAL ON NATURAL RESOURCE CONSERVATION IN AND AROUND KIWUUNYA DRAINAGE BASIN THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, IMPROVEMENT OF HEALTH AND POVERTY ALLEVIATION.
 

LOCATION: KIWUUNYA DRAINAGE BASIN, KAMPALA DISTRICT

A. VISION STATEMENT
Kiwunya channel is one of the main tributaries of River Lubigi.River. Lubigi is part of the complex network of rivers and streams draining into Lake Victoria. The channel flows through an area that has been at the forefront of severe environmental degradation for a longtime.

One of the biggest factors responsible for the degradation of the areas bordering Kiwunya channel and Lubigi swamp has been the increase in population. The mushrooming of unplanned congested settlement units or slums and the search for survival through haphazard urban agriculture has led to net drainage of the wetland, clearance of the swamp vegetation, dumping of waste in the stream (this includes human waste, Kitchen refuse and non biodegradable materials like polythene bags and plastic bottles) as well as the planting of eucalyptus trees.

As a result of the above activities, a wide range of consequences manifesting themselves in such occurrences as disease, flooding after slight downpour, blockage of drainage channel, contamination of freshwater sources, soil erosion, destruction of the landscape and loss of biodiversity have occurred. For instance, agriculture along the banks of the channel and within the swamp itself has led to reclamation of the floodplain along the banks, the clearance of vegetation has impaired the water purification and filtration functions of the wetland, the dumping of waste in the stream has contaminated fresh water sources and the planting of foreign swamp plants like yams, bananas, sugarcane and eucalyptus trees is threatening this wetland ecosystem. The intensity of the above consequences has led government into declaring this area part of the gazetted Nakivubo Channel Ecological Zone. There is therefore an urgent need to protect the integrity and functions of this wetland ecosystem to prevent the thought out interventions has never been more important. The agenda for the protection of this important ecological zone has to start immediately since this wetland performs so many functions that have a big stake in the productivity of various areas elsewhere especially down stream.


B. BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Kiwunya channel covers the areas of Nakulabye, Kasubi and Kawaala in Rubaga North as well as some parts of Bwaise, Kikoni and Makerere West in Kawempe Division.
This area is drained by a network of small channels which pour into the wider Kiwunya Channel.The channel drains into Lubigi River that flows into Lake Victoria. This stream flows through areas of dense population {estimated population 10,000 people} and traverses a variety of social, political, economic and cultural activities which impact directly on this wetland ecosystem. This therefore makes it very necessary to address the negative impacts and optimise the positive attributes of the conditions prevailing in this area under focus.

BIOLOGICAL CONDITIONS:
The biological conditions that will be focused on by this project are the soils, vegetation and water.
Soils:- Clay soils (vertisoils) are the most prevalent soils in this swamp area and they are characterized by fine texture, poor internal drainage (circulation) and this makes them wet and sticky during the wet season thus shrinking during the alternate dry seasons. These soils are very fertile and therefore present a big potential for agricultural development. This explains the indiscriminate clearance of swamp vegetation for crop cultivation and use of the area for animal rearing. However, there are unsustainable agricultural practices which are carried out including poor cultivation practices, overgrazing, soil compaction by animals, loss of vegetation and others. If these effects are not addressed, they will increase and continue to devastate the ecology of the area through acceleration of erosion, silting of the channel, complete destruction of given plant varieties and other impacts.
The extraction of clay for brick making and other building purposes has left behind gaping holes which have affected the landscape scenery and also acts as breeding grounds for disease vectors such as mosquitoes that spread malaria and water snails which cause bilharzia and other related diseases. These holes must be filled with degradable materials or soils from construction sites to restore the landscape beauty and prevent the spread of disease from the water pools.

Vegetation:-
The vegetation quality in this swamp has been reduced as a result of human activities. These activities range from agriculture and brick making to harvesting of swamp vegetation for the making of crafts and grazing. However, the biggest threat in this wetland area is the clearance of vegetation for settlement.

In some sections of this wetland area, a naturally occurring succession of elephant grass is observed growing in the area. The continuing harvesting and clearing of the wetland vegetation has rendered the water purification function unviable. The stream therefore continues to transport contaminated and polluted water. A clear indicator of contamination is the brown/black colour of the water in some sections of the channels.

This project has to address the above threats in order to prevent the destruction of this vegetation. This swamp plays vital role in the purification of the water which would otherwise flow into lake Victoria and contribute to the overall pollution of the lake water. There is need to plant more elephant grass, encourage zero grazing and sensitisation of the community about sustainable harversting of swamp vegetation as well as the importance of wetland vegetation.

SOCIAL-POLITICAL CONDITIONS:-
The communities in the area consist mainly of rural-urban immigrants. These communities are governed by LCS. These immigrants have been and are still responsible for clearing sections of the wetland and setting up congested units. The congested units are responsible for blocking drainage and flooding during the rainy season. The residents dump both degradable and non-degradable material in the stream due to lack of proper dumping sites. Also connected with the above is the poor sanitary and hygienic conditions. As a result human waste and bathroom water are all released into the streams when it rains thus contaminating the water in the stream. This is the scenario that is responsible for water related diseases such as cholera, typhoid, dysentery and others. This reduces water quality, and is also responsible for affecting the quality of flora and fauna in this wetland ecological zone.

The system of land tenure prevailing in the project area i.e. lease hold and free hold makes conservation and maintenance of the environment difficult. There is need for thorough sensitization of all stake holders, draining of the blocked channels and provision of communal toilet facilities. Otherwise these conditions will further the contamination of the water resources in the area.

CULTURAL CONDITIONS:-
In this project area, a cultural mix prevails since the population mainly consists of Rural-urban immigrants with extremely diverse backgrounds. It is not easy therefore for this community to develop and attach a cultural importance to this wetland area. The project must therefore sensitize the community about the importance of the wetland. Failure to do this will mean the ignorance of the community will increase environmental degradation.

ECONOMIC CONDITIONS:-
The inhabitants of this area are mainly poor rural-urban immigrants. They are low income earners who thrive on subsistence urban agriculture, causal labor, market vending (Bwaise, Kasubi and Nakulabye markets) and some of these people also rear cattle.
dumping their kitchen waste in the stream in order for it to be transported to any destination by the running water. This has resulted in blocking drainage and destruction of culvets constructed over the channel. A part from the above, many of these low cost housing units lack proper toilet facilities and because of this, they either release the effluent in their toilets into the channel or they use polythene bags which they later throw into the channel. When it rains, the flood water gets in contact with the contaminated stream water leading to a high prevalence of water borne diseases in this area. This contaminated water also affects the flora and fauna in this area and so many other areas down stream including lake Victoria.
There is therefore an urgent need for community sensitization about proper waste management, use of toilets, advocating for the supply of garbage skips by K.C.C and teaching the people about small scale entrepreneurship in order to reduce urban poverty. Failure to implement these suggestions will imply that the already bad situation will precipitate into a catastrophic environmental concern.


C. OBJECTIVES
(i) To create environmental awareness among the community.
This aims at promoting environmentally sound practices among the people and enhancing conservation and management of the resources at their disposal in this project area.
(ii) To improve on the health and sanitary conditions of the community.
There is need to promote the health and social welfare of the community to foster productivity and minimise mortality from diseases related to sanitation.
(iii) To work with government in implementing its objectives of environmental conservation, improvement of health and poverty alleviation


D. ACTIVITIES
The project aims at addressing the threats identified in the area through a number of activities which include:-Sensitization, Provision of communal services, construction and maintenance of drainage channels as well as small scale entrepreneurship training.
The project shall attempt to attain Sensitization through:-

.The development/acquisition of Information, Education and communication (IEC) materials for use in creating awareness and dissemination of information. A number of strategies shall be adopted to realize this goal, these include;-
-Diagrams and pictures:- These shall act as a visual aid in simple and comprehensive form that could help on passing on information easily. The charts and diagrams shall be distributed from door to door, pinning up charts in strategic places like markets, churches, schools etc.
-Brochures in local languages:- These will be distributed to those who can easily read.
-Brochures in simple English language: These will be distributed to those who can easily comprehend the English used.
-Video shows:- These will be held in public places like markets, churches, schools etc.
All these strategies shall be on-going as the project is implemented.
The strategies are targeted towards the local community of the area and these include:-
House wives who generate kitchen waste, people who cultivate and harvest in the swamp, market vendors who also generate waste, school children to address the intergeneration gap as well as creating a deep rooted culture of environmental awareness for sustainable development.

Mobilization of communities shall be carried out through village meetings, here participatory rural appraisal (PRA) or rapid rural appraisal (RRA) will be used to interact with the locals to identify indigenous knowledge and exchange of ideas.
The village meetings shall be carried out on a regular basis to create a sense of the locals’ belonging or being part of the project.

Focused group discussions (FGD) shall be adopted for specific groups of individuals (e.g. Women, Youth, Farmers, Market vendors etc) to identify particular issues pressing them as an individual strata of society.
The project coordinator and his/her field assistants shall work hand in hand with the LC1 chairman of respective village(s) with the help of the secretaries for production and environment.
Still through mobilization, field assistants shall carry out door to door sensitization campaigns on a regular basis with the aid of the respective village LC1 secretary for production and environment. The overall aim for this shall be improving sanitation and good environmental management practices at house hold level.

.Seminars for local leaders shall be adopted for capacity building. This will be achieved through dissemination of training skills for local leaders to handle and participate in environment management these include members of parliament, local council chairmen and
those for production and environment, opinion leaders and religious leaders. This shall be spearheaded by the director in charge with officials from National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), Kampala City Council (K.C.C), and professionals from the academia. This will be an ongoing process of instilling accountability, equity, and supervisory responsibility in the local leaders.

The project also aims at providing communal facilities for demonstration purposes from which a pilot study shall be carried out and modifications and replications shall thereafter take place.

.Demonstration toilets suitable for the shallow soils shall be constructed in the area at identified points (schools, churches, markets etc.). The respective communities shall be sensitized on the handling of these facilities, especially the emptying of the facilities on a self help basis.

.Provision of communal stand pipes to provide clean water to the communities. With the help of National Water and Sewerage Co-operation (NWSC), the project aims at connecting standpipes in various points in the villages.
The local councils shall identify the central or neutral points for location.
The overall aim of this mission is the provision of safe clean water since the area thrives on human waste contaminated water which is a potential for disease outbreaks (Cholera,Typhoid, Dysentry e.t.c).
However, sensitization about cost-sharing for servicing the stand pipes shall be vital for the success of this venture.

The project also attempts to construct and maintain drainage channels to prevent soil erosion and siltation. Major emphasis shall be stressed on small channels draining into the stream/bigger channel which forms part of Nakivubo channel. The blocked drainage is the main cause of floods in the area. Malaria is prevalent in the area due to stagnant water impeded by accumulated silt and polythene/plastic materials in the channel.

.Slashing of the mosquito breeding grounds shall complement on the construction and maintenance of the drainage channels. This shall be the responsibility of individual households supervised by local councils.

.Hiring of causal laborers to de-silt blocked channels is another option the project seeks to utilize and maintain the natural flow of streams.
Polythene bags (buvera) and plastic containers (mineral water bottles) are a major menace impeding the flow of nutrients.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, POVERTY
ALLEVIATION & IMPROVED HEALTH


PROJECT PROPOSAL FOR BEHAVIOR CHANGE
AMONG THE YOUTH AND ADOLESCENTS
IN URBAN SLUMS OF KAMPALA.

PROJECT AREA: NAKULABYE PARISH

COST: 60,984,880/=
II: PROBLEM ANALYSIS

A. Background
The government of Uganda has for a number of decades been addressing the issue of fighting against the spread of HIV/AIDS among its citizens. A lot of information has been given to stem the tide, but it has either been counter productive, or has not fully equipped the youth with life skills to specifically address areas of vulnerability that put them at risk.

Life skills offered have not been effectively taught, the youth and adolescents have not identified with them fully and found them practical and sustainable. Some have been counter productive in that the youth themselves do not consider them safe practices, for instance they still find it difficult to use condoms persistently, yet some programs offer them as the only solution. Hence they need to be taught that the immoral life prevalent among them is risky and that the potential to live morally upright, reduce the risk and enjoy the wholesome fulfilling relationships they crave for. The inadequacy in human capacity to manage, understand and give appropriate advise on the infection is still prevalent among many youth.

There are afew cadres knowledgeable in the efficient management of HIV/AIDS, but they also need to be facilitated to share their experiences with others. The youth therefore need to be reassured that behavior change is not an option but a necessity.

B. Analysis.
Between 4th Oct - 28th Sept 2002, AFH, conducted a qualitative and quantitative research study to explore and describe the HIV/AIDS prevention and intervention; targeting behavior change among the urban slum youth in Kampala District.

The study was carried out in all the parishes of Kampala District. The respondents included local leaders, religious leaders, opinion leaders, and the youth in games and sports, cyclists, school and video clubs among others.

The objectives of the Study were:
i). To describe the source of Information, Education and Communication (IEC) on HIV/AIDS prevention as well as explore preferred sources and methods of IEC for the youth in the slums of Kampala.
ii). To assess the level of accessibility to HIV/AIDS preventive health services in the slums and explore preferred service outlets.
iii) To establish and document best practices in HIV/AIDS prevention interventions for the youth in urban slums of Kampala.

This proposal therefore seeks to raise more materials and financial support for the branch to enable it continue to this community to curb the spread.

THE PROFILE OF TARGET AREA (NAKULABYE PARISH)

Nakulabye Parish is located in the North West of Kampala City, 2.5 miles from the central business area along Kampala - Hoima Road in Rubanga Division - North.

It covers a land area of approximately 4.5 sq. km with about 42,000 inhabitants according to the 2000 projected demographic figures. Nakulabye is a community with a number of tribes, religious denominations and lifestyles. The area has two broad types of youths; the youth in schools and the youth out of the schools. The youth out of schools are involved in a number of activities including: brick making, wheelbarrow pushing, working at construction sites, carpentry, commercial sex, commercial cycling and food vending - While there are youth in schools who are also involved in the above activities.

The community is faced with numerous social problems such as drunkenness, drug addiction, unemployment, idleness, poverty, sexual exploitation and abuse, wide spread of Sexually Transmitted Infections especially in girls, early marriages and unwanted pregnancies among others.

A number of bars, slum lodges, video and disco halls have sprung up exposing the youth to risky life styles. The findings also reflected lack of information, ignorance and high stigmatization among people living with HIV/AIDS which justifies the reason why behavior change is necessary.

Why should this project be carried out in Nakulabye Parish:
a). To build capacity of the youth through training of peer educators and counselors to enhance behavior change.
b). To reduce STIs/HIV/AIDS transmission through condom distribution and education on efficient and proper use.
c). To distribute IEC materials.
d). To ensure steady supply of safe blood through recruitment of voluntary regular blood donors (To be done in conjunction with Uganda Red Cross Society).
e). To encourage community initiatives against HIV/AIDS through voluntary blood tests and counseling.
f). To monitor continuity, efficiency and viability of the project.
g). To replicate the successes of this project in the other urban slums of Kampala District.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

A. Implementation Plan
The first step will be to mobilize local resources for the execution of the project.
This will evolve mobilization of volunteers and community members for identification of potential participants, peer educators / counselors and ensure that the personnel is in place. To ensure that activities go on schedule, AFH volunteers shall be deployed in the area early after being orientated and up-dated with community based operational procedures.
This will be followed by mobilization of Financial resources.

B. Context - Specific Programming
From the research study carried out, it was observed that all youth both out and in schools are vulnerable. It was also observed that vulnerability starts at 11 years for girls and 13 for boys up
to 30 years. Hence, albeit of the previous target age group of 15 - 24 years, we have find it imperative to target the age groups of 10-30 years especially in health education. The trained researchers shall continue carrying out needs assesment with assistance from the local leaders and beneficiaries themselves.

C. Co-ordination Efforts
The project shall function on the basis of the already existing Health Program Structures and capacities of UFH.
Since our inception, we have worked on several projects focusing on community participation. The communities have actively been involved in problem identification, suggesting solutions to the problem and identifying means of sustaining the successes that may be achieved.