AWARD 2015
AWARD 2015
Chief Editor Alida Bakema Boon Editorial team members Kulusum Hasakya Namubiru Resty Nambooza Flavia Mwalimu Musheshe Arinaitwe Olivia Photography Akugizibwe Victor Alida Bakema-Boon Ephrem Rutaboba Patrick Kyomuhendo Reint J Bakema URDT archives Design/layout Peter Mugeni Wanyama slickrep256@gmail.com Uganda Rural Development and Training Programme (URDT) Kagadi, Kibaale District, Uganda P. O. Box, 16253 Kampala Uganda Telephone: +256-414-256704 E-mail: info@urdt.net www.urdt.net @URDT March 2015
Contents FOREWORD.............................................. 1 INTRODUCTION........................................ 3 Profiles Silvana Veltkamp Franco........................... 5 Prossy Namata Nanziri.............................. 7 Jahari Nyampazi........................................ 9 Joyce Ssemakula.. ..................................... 11 Ntuuti Christine......................................... 13 Dr Teresa Tibulihwa Kakooza..................... 15 Gertrude Lukwago..................................... 17 Dr Sarah Ntiro .. ......................................... 19 Benigna Mukiibi......................................... 21 Martha P. Dolben....................................... 23 Joyce Mpanga........................................... 25 Alida Bakema Boon................................... 27 Grace Akello . . ........................................... 29 Monica Kiiza. . ............................................ 31 Janet Nyamahunge. . .................................. 33 Jacqueline Akello...................................... 35 Khadijah Anguria....................................... 37 Patricia B. Seybold.................................... 39 Dr Susan Warshauer.................................. 41 Martha Mulder........................................... 43 URDT Board. . .......................................... 44 URDT Council........................................ 44 URDT Partners...................................... 45
U
AWARD 2015
Foreword URDT has come a long way. It emerged from a strong conviction that young people, Ephrem, Constantine, Silvana and I were variously young, could create an organization to serve humanity based on integrity. The first experiment of the Uganda Food and Peace Project had failed. I was attacked for exposing corruption and almost lost my life. The following women stood on the right side of history and supported our cause: Prossy Namata, Silvana Veltkamp Franco, Martha Dolben and later Dr. Sarah Ntiro. We have to honour these brave women and others who were enrolled along the growth path of the organization. It is with much pleasure therefore, URDT to be launching a bi-annual award giving initiative to all the women who have significantly contributed to the growth and development of URDT. There are a number of reasons. URDT has won a number of local and international awards for its work in rural Transformation and Education. The latest was the Presidential award to me, the Golden Jubilee Medal for the establishment of African Rural University: a valued based All Women’s University for Technologies for Rural Transformation. This has been made possible due to the invaluable contributions of the women URDT wants to honour as part of the International Women’s day festivities in March 2015. I must add that the idea crystalized when one of the women we are honouring passed on. Her name was Martha Mulder, the daughter of the founder of KIO. This family foundation was the first to support the idea of the URDT Girls School. Some of our funders were sceptical while others were outright opposed to starting a school in spite of the evidence that we had to demonstrate what could actually work in the empowerment of women through a continuum of education: from home to school and back home in a cyclic form of learning and change. Martha understood its importance. She was our point person on the KIO Board and all respected her views about the school. When KIO raised the question of other donor support Martha Dolben from African Food and Peace Foundation (AFPF) put her neck on the block. Similar questions came from Wild Geese. The three awardee women viz. Martha Mulder, Alida Bakema-Boon
and Martha Dolben were there and stood for the ideal URDT espoused: The Girl Child Education. Among the awardees there are historical women who have worked with us since day one. It was not easy in terms of gender question. The area was not fully alert about the rights of women and therefore working with them many hours a day and many days a week needed a lot of courage and good leadership. The list is long from the community and staff. For this book, we chose the persons with long commitment and exceptional contributions. I salute all the women who were selected to be recognized by the URDT Board and Fraternity. You are a gift to all of us. A big thank you to the staff team, current and past, for transforming the love of these incredible women into the realities we see today. Of course the vision is large but I can say confidently that we are taking steps in the right direction. I would also like to thank all our partners. We are two sides of the same coin. Both are needed to enable change to take root. As a result, over a million rural farmers and their families have benefitted from the generosity of our friends and supporters since URDT’s inception. Lastly: let us renew our commitment to work hard, intelligently with commitment to contributing to a world that works for each of us.
Mwalimu Musheshe (Ashoka Fellow, Phd) Co-Founder URDT 1
Introduction
AWARD 2015
Rural development is first and foremost about empowering communities to take charge of their own lives, livelihood and leaders. For this to happen, the Uganda Rural Development and Training programme (URDT) designed and applied a new set of holistic interventions that combined consciousness raising, functional education, skills training and practical development activities, grounded in the principles of creative process and systems thinking. URDT was founded in 1987 by Mwalimu Musheshe, Silvana Franco Veltkamp and Ephrem Rutaboba to work with marginalized rural communities in the Bunyoro region in Uganda. Over the last 30 years URDT has successfully:
who, once enrolled in the URDT thinking, became amplifiers, collaborators, co-creators and subject matter specialists. They worked tirelessly with the Bunyoro community to support them in achieving their aspirations.
■■ founded formal innovative education institutions that train young people to become catalysts of change by using the URDT methodology. These are: the award winning URDT Girls School that uses the 2-generation approach to education; the award winning URDT Institute for Vocational Training and Youth Leadership and the African Rural University for women,
In the spirit of Isaac Newton who said, “If I have seen further, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants”, URDT wants to acknowledge the contribution of 20 remarkable women who have been working with URDT over the last 15-30 years. In their own unique way they contributed tremendously to URDT’s development.
■■ adopted primary and secondary community schools to introduce the 2-generation approach in a community school setting,
The lives of these women are so intertwined with URDT’s growth path, that their life stories contained in this document also tell much about URD itself.
■■ created a critical mass of rural entrepreneurs through training and extension activities,
This book is about 20 remarkable “URDT women”. But their actions were made possible by the contributions of many male counterparts. Their names and work also filters through the stories and pictures in this book.
■■ established a community radio station, KKCR - 91.7 FM, to shift mindsets and develop commitment to fundamental change in thinking and action, ■■ developed capacity of non-state actors and local government for greater impact. The value and impact of URDT’s methodology are widely recognised at local, national and international levels.
The successes of URDT have also been made possible because of the long term partnerships with AFPF, Elimu Foundation, Het Bosje, KIO, Mustard Seed, Triodos Foundation, Wild Geese, WTEF and may others. We thank all organisations, staff and volunteers for their financial, technical and morale support. We are looking forward to continued learning and collaboration with all our stakeholders.
The successes were brought about by a large number of dedicated persons, 3
AWARD 2015
Silvana Veltkamp Franco Co-founder African Food and Peace Foundation Co- founder Uganda Rural Development and Training Programme (URDT)
S
Co-founder African Rural University Development Practitioner
Silvana Franco Veltkamp was born in North Africa, Tunis, and raised in Italy. In her teens, Silvana spent a year living and studying in Mogadishu, Somalia. This experience cemented her love and concern for Africa, thus giving rise to her lifelong commitment to its people. She worked for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Rome and Beirut. In 1981, with her husband, Johan, and Eustace Rutiba, Silvana co-founded the African Food and Peace Foundation (AFPF). Silvana served as Executive Director of AFPF from its inception in 1981 until 1997, when she left the U.S. to return to Italy. She struggled with the law to ensure the principles of AFPF that informed Uganda Food and Peace Project (UFPP) were preserved when their co-founder negated on their agreement. This later gave birth to Uganda Rural Development and Training Programme (URDT). Starting back in the 1980s, Silvana would hold fundraising dinners at her home once or twice a year for her Ugandan Project. Many of the participants were alumni of Robert Fritz’s course would go to those dinner meetings and get briefed on what was going on in Uganda. Most alumni would write a small cheque, and enjoy the
updates and dinner. This simple initiative grew bigger and bigger over the years. In 1987, Silvana co-founded the Uganda Rural Development and Training Programme with Mwalimu Musheshe and Ephrem Rutaboba. Amongst others, they had a vision to establish a rural university, but due to the local education levels of the Kibaale people, the idea was shelved until the year 2000. Silvana was the first Secretary to the Board of Directors of URDT. She is the co-author of the working documents of URDT. She was one of the fund raiser, originally the team leader in the States. She contributed greatly to capacity building in the States. She hosted all the URDT teams whenever they travelled to States. She contributed immensely to the development of the course: Principles of the Creative Process for the African Rural University (ARU) and the Illustrated Village Technologies for Creating being used by the Epicentre Managers. She remained a strong voice for URDT in the States. In 2007, she retired due to poor health. She returned to her motherland Italy. However, she continued to come to UGANDA to work with the team at URDT campus. However her sight deteriorated and she reduced on the frequency. 5
AWARD 2015
Prossy Namata Nanziri First Custodian of the AFPF and URDT source documents Host URDT Kampala
P
Chairman Kawempe Women’s Savings and Credit Society in Kawempe Co-founder Kampala NAADS Farmers Organization
Prossy is a dedicated and compassionate womens’ leader specializing in women’s development, and empowerment at a household and community level, a Nutritionist by profession, and a former employee of the Ministry of Health in Kampala. From volunteer work with women in development and politics through chairing several organizations including the Women’s Savings and Credit Society in Kawempe, to co-founding the Kampala NAADS Farmers Organization, hers has been a life dedicated to service. We honor her not just for the outstanding service she offers to her country, but for equally phenomenal service she has rendered in years to Uganda Rural Development and Training Programme (URDT). In 1984, Prossy gave up her job to follow her husband- Mwalimu Musheshe to Western Uganda where Mwalimu had been offered a position as an extension officer with the Uganda Food and Peace Project (UFPP), under African Food and Peace Foundation (AFPF). The UFPP was initiated to eradicate hunger in Uganda among other roles. In line with this goal, it received extensive funds from donors around the world. While the organization was started with noble causes, its effectiveness saw decline over time as evidence arose to the misappropriation of funds. Tensions flared, staff grew discontented, and the siphoning of funds away from projects frustrated any efforts at progress. In an effort to salvage the situation, a few staff (Mwalimu M. Rutaboba E. and Kwitegese C) mustered courage to air the organizations dirty laundry to key funders: Han & Silvana Veltkamp and Stuart Cohen. Their admonition fell initially, on deaf ears. It took corroboration of facts, at different meetings, from Prossy and the late Sam Wamala (a driver at the time), for a decision to be taken to dissolve the UFPP
and begin a new organization under new leadership. This began the birth of URDT. Having picked up his demise from the grapevine, the Chairman of UFPP stormed Prossys’ premises with intimidating accessories: police officers, local council members and soon-to-be former staff of UFPP. Threatened by the impending URDT, their aim had been to coerce Prossy with intimidation to hand over critical documents including those allocated to dissolve UFPP, and to register URDT by donors, or ransack her home if she failed to co-operate. Given his company, it would have been safer for Prossy to kowtow: but she did not. Instead, in calm defiance, she used her understanding of her rights as a counter attack: “I am not your custodian, Chairman. So if you ransack my home against my will, I will issue a statement that permanently incriminates you” The battle lines were drawn, literally, by Prossy’s bravery. What followed was cataclysmic: dismissals, evacuations, several arrests and violent attacks including the bombardments of Mwalimu and his premises with hand grenades. While she herself escaped unscathed, her energies were channelled to caring for the sick, burying the dead and safe-guarding URDT property. After the establishment of URDT and relocation to Kampala, Prossy continued to dedicate her time to URDT by hosting hallmark guests in her home at the time when finding accommodation was difficult.
“URDT was born in our home!” avers Prossy fondly. “If it stands shining today, it has not been in the absence of bravery, and a resolute vision for women empowerment and rural transformation” 7
AWARD 2015
Jahari Nyampazi Presenter Kagadi Kibaale Community Radio (KKCR 91.7 FM) Co-founder Kagadi Women Credit and Saving Scheme
J
Community Leader
Jahari Nyampazi comes from Kamaira a rural village in Kibaale District. She is a woman of integrity who loves development work. During her childhood in 1960s, Jahari was denied a chance to go to school because of her being a girl. She used to do most of the domestic work that would economically benefit her family like cultivating land for agriculture, weaving mats which were used as mattress and for other social events. During a church service in 1988, an announcement about URDT an organization established for human and rural development was made. Jahari was one of the members of the congregation that picked interest. Subsequently, she joined URDT during their interventions in Ruteete village. A group of 120 women including Jahari was formed: “Ruteete women’s group”. Jahari and the group practiced agriculture seriously; they grew maize, beans, millet in rows, cabbage, tomatoes, soya beans and eucalyptus trees. URDT provided them with farm in-puts like hoes, pangas, filters, spray pump, wheel barrows and herbicides. At that time, Jahari lived in a grass thatched house. Jahari like her group members developed a vision by 2018 for herself and her family which included a permanent house with permanent latrine, kitchen, bathroom, solar system installed and a good compound, educated children, good income, and sustainable projects.
which was to start a Functional Adult Literacy (FAL) class. Jahari like other members learnt how to read and write in Runyakitara. They started group saving each member contributing 500 Uganda shillings per month and later on they increased to 1500 Uganda shillings. Jahari was democratically elected as a chairperson of the group. During her leadership, the group opened a savings bank account with Uganda Commercial bank Kagadi branch. The group saved over one million shillings and the members were able to access loans and pay back. URDT linked Ruteete Women group with KULU a women’s support organization that strengthened their capacities in credit and savings. The group collaborated with other groups to form Kagadi Women Credit and Saving Scheme. It has since expanded in volume and scope to serve men and women and now called Kagadi Women financial Services with a complete management structure, stakeholders, and annual general meetings with loans, credit and saving facilities. Jahari initially worked as a Loans Officer Kagadi Women Credit and Saving Scheme. She is currently a presenter at KKCR where she educates the public about social-economic group formation and family affairs. All in all, Jahari is so grateful with URDT. Long live URDT.
At a group level, they wanted a bank for women, a radio station and a university. The group set up various strategies to attain their vision. One of 9
AWARD 2015
Joyce Ssemakula Auxiliary lecturer in African Rural University Presenter Kagadi Kibaale Community Radio(KKCR 91.7 FM)
J
Traditional Birth Attendant Chairperson, Kyakabugahya Senior citizens Kagadi
Joyce is a traditional birth attendant who has helped young mothers and women in her communities to deliver safely after getting trained in maternal and infant health from URDT. In 1988 when URDT officials came to Kyakabugahya community for development work, Joyce quickly took up the chance to learn more and participated in the first workshops organised by the pioneer staff. Having been supported by URDT in Masulita Vocational Training Centre, Joyce gained knowledge and skills in weaving. She had the vigor to mobilize her fellow women and started a weaving group that they termed as ‘Senior Citizen’. They made pillows, towels and bed covers as a business. They sold these items and banked the money with Kagadi Women’s Financial Services, an initiative of URDT.
URDT’s community radio. Together with her colleagues: Christine Ntuuti, and Victor Turyamureba, they have over a decade produced and aired “Kitekerezokyamaka” program literally meaning Family Affairs. This program promotes traditional values, society cohesion and ethics. In 2006, Joyce became an Auxiliary lecturer in African Rural University bringing traditional wisdom and experience to the learners and lecturers. Joyce’s family hosted 2 ARU Pioneer Interns for one month field practicum. As part of their experiential learning, she trained the interns in craft and weaving skills which they exercised with women groups in Kyakabugahya community.
Since 2003, Joyce educates community members about various sexual and reproductive health concerns of men and women through 11
AWARD 2015
Christine Ntuuti Auxiliary lecturer in African Rural University
C
Radio presenter KagadiKibaale Community Radio (KKCR 91.7 FM) Co-founder Kyengaju Women’s Creative Restaurant
Christine Ntuuti is one of the pioneer participants of URDT. In 1989 when URDT officials: Mwalimu Musheshe, Anthony Ndora and Ephrem Rutaboba conducted a visioning workshop in Kagadi under the Freedom tree, Christine like other participants attended and got engaged in the creation of the Vision of the Kagadi they wanted. Christine learnt how to read and write from URDT Functional Adult Literacy class then. From the lessons learned in the workshops, Christine mobilized a group of 9 members and as the chairperson, the group embarked on handcraft projects: weaving table clothes. Nyamahunge Betty and David (URDT partner) were their trainers. With support of URDT, Christine’s group constructed a bakery where they baked bread and mandaazi that they sold around Kagadi. The money got was used to start a restaurant: services like serving morning tea, local foods and beverages were rendered. This gave birth to Kyengaju Women’s Creative Restaurant with her motto “We lead others follow”. Despite that Christine is a primary three drop out, that did not stop her to be ambitious and have a clear vision. When Christine’s group accumulated more money, they bought a plot of land in Kagadi where a restaurant building was constructed. Christine recognizes URDT for developing her
leadership potential and its support towards the development of her vision of running a business. URDT supported the group with 16 Million Uganda Shillings for the construction. They also went on a tour to Mubende where they learned how to cater for local and international visitors. They were advised to build grass thatched houses for that were convenient. The Kyengaju Women’s Creative Restaurant as an income generating initiative made monthly savings in the bank; meet the costs of deployed workers in the restaurant and also furthering construction. As a person who likes development work, Christine feels happy when she interacts with people who have formed self-help groups and are working tooth and nail to realize development. Christine is a now seasoned radio presenter. She operates KKCR studio equipment and computers as she presents in a radio program “Ekitekerezo Kyamaka” literally meaning Family Affairs. Since 2009, Christine is an Auxiliary lecturer in African Rural University who brings her traditional wisdom and experience to the learners and fellow lecturers.
13
AWARD 2015
Dr Teresa Tibulihwa Kakooza Task Force Member URDT Pioneer URDT Board Member
T
Leading Woman Academic and Scientist Educationist
Kibaale District is proud to boast of Dr. Teresa TibulihwaKakooza as one of her most famous daughters in the modern era. Tibulihwa attended the Catholic missionary school in Mugalike for her primary and junior school education. She was selected by the progressive-minded missionaries to pursue her secondary school education at Trinity College Nabbingo. Right from her early days then, Tibulihwa was a trailblazer for the educated girl child. Despite her humble peasant origins, and the fact that at NabbingoTibulihwa was at an obvious social disadvantage compared to the aristocratic girls from Buganda Kingdom, her outstanding academic performance gained her school wide recognition. By the time she sat her Cambridge Leaving Examination (equivalent to today’s Ordinary (‘O’ level), Tibulihwa had become Head Girl at Nabbingo. On the basis of her exceptional academic merit and supported by the missionaries, Tibulihwa was offered a scholarship in 1959 by the royal Buganda government at Mengo to study her Advanced level education in England at St. Bernard’s Convent School for Girls. Breaking all existing prejudices still held even today about girls’ ability to study sciences, Tibulihwa studied Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics at A level. She won the esteem of her English classmates and was elected senior prefect in her final year. Tibulihwa passed her ‘A’ level examinations with great success and was admitted to the University of Wales in 1961 to embark on the Bachelor of Science (Mathematics) programme. It was during her University studies that she met, Cornelius Kakooza, an alumnus of St. Mary’s College, Kisubi, who was studying Law at the same University. They got married in September 1963. Tibulihwa returned to Uganda in 1965 after
she and her husband had successfully completed their degree courses. He passed away in 1987 and is survived by his widow and their four children. On her return to Uganda, Tibulihwa sought to give back to the country that had so supported her as a girl child in her rise to the highest levels of education. She initially taught at Trinity College Nabbingo as Mathematics teacher/ Head of Mathematics Department and then joined the Centre for Continuing Education (now Institute of Adult and Continuing Education) at Makerere University in 1969. There she profiled herself as a leading woman academic and scientist, researcher, manager and consultant over an uninterrupted period of thirty-five years in Makerere University service till her retirement in 2004. She came to head the Institute of Adult and Continuing Education as first woman Director and was the first Ugandan woman to achieve a doctorate in adult education in 1998. Though working in Kampala, Tibulihwa remained passionate about promoting sustainable development and prosperity in her home district. It is in this context that she became one of the Task Force members of the Uganda Rural Development and Training Programme (URDT) in 1987 to establish a holistic rural development the programme. She was a member of the pioneer board of directors, lending her rich experience to designing and developing the programmes that provided the foundation for the work of URDT. She was a highly-sought after trainer/ facilitator at URDT. Tibulihwa is now living out her retirement quietly at her home in Mutundwe, Rubaga Division in Kampala, and is the happy grandmother of nine grandchildren and two great grandchildren. 15
AWARD 2015
Gertrude Lukwago Member URDT Board Founder member Kagadi Women Saving and Credit scheme
G
Loan Officer Kagadi Women Financial Services Progressive farmer
Gertrude Lukwago is a resident of Kagadi Town Council, Kibaale District. She started interacting with URDT in 1991 through Visioning and Agricultural workshops. The workshops were mainly about income generating projects: tomato growing, cabbages, egg plants, poultry rearing among others. Since then, Gertrude started putting the knowledge and skills into practice. In 1993, Gertrude attended a workshop on women and development. She gained more knowledge and skills for self-reliance. The workshop was about saving, borrowing, and lending of money amongst themselves as women to sustain their livelihood and households. Gertrude belonged to one of the 16 groups that held the vision to start up a bank they called “Kagadi Women Saving and Credit scheme”. The team emphasized team work and self-development, inaddition was the saving culture. The bank later changed to Kagadi Women Financial Services. Since then, Gertrude has actively involved herself in developing this initiative of URDT. The group started by saving 500/= and later increased to 1,500/= for two years to accumulate the money for lending. With the puzzle of the money being little for loaning out, URDT came in and linked the group to friends from “KULU” Women group that gave the group a grant. This increased the capital and thus lending progressed. URDT has continued to support the Bank with knowledge and skills that have helped the bank to grow to the level it is now.
Gertrude is one of the three women that were supported by URDT on an exchange visit to Canada to learn about commercial farming. This enhanced her skills and knowledge in farming. Going to Canada changed Gertrude’s mindset greatly because she realized that they were doing most of their Agricultural things on a large scale unlike her group who did theirs on small scale. This trigged her inner effort and made a decision from that time to make her life better. When she came back, Gertrude also filled an application like other women in an organization, got cattle and poultry and dropped the cabbages, tomatoes and egg plants that they were cultivating before on a small scale. She also set up a plantation of banana resulting to sufficient income and food security at her household and group members who were active. Gertrude is a member of URDT Board as a community representative. She has diligently served in her position. She played her role and supported URDT and ARU programmes for Community Development. Gertrude appreciates URDT on behalf of Kagadi Women Financial Services and on her own behalf for all the support, knowledge and skills gained from URDT. She is working for progress of the bank and URDT in general. She said that ‘her genius is awakened’.
17
AWARD 2015
Dr Sarah Ntiro
S
Pioneer member of the ARU council Senior educationist/ Promoter of girl child education Patron DENIVA
In the age before “a woman’s place is in the kitchen”, officially transformed into “a woman educated is a nation trained”, imagine, a schoolgirl in Bunyoro-Kitara and at King’s College Budo, doing corrections in mathematics with her schoolmates in what then was a male-dominated field. The said school girl in this case is today Dr. Sarah Nyendwoha Ntiro. When she joined Makerere College, the luminary aspect of her attitude to life came through in an incident which must have significantly influenced her subsequent efforts at spearheading education for Ugandan girls in particular. Taking her place in the lecture room, the male mathematics lecturer advised her to ask for and go to where ‘female’ courses, like knitting and tailoring, were taught. Ntiro held her ground. The impasse ended with the lecturer walking out, issuing an ultimatum that he would not teach while she polluted his class with her presence. The revolution whose ignition she would cheer lead had just gained more kindling. Sarah studied at Oxford’s St. Anne’s College, and from then on, she solidified her reputation for being a woman of ground-breaking achievements of the type that affirm the resilience of the human spirit. In 1954, she returned to Uganda, triumphant as the first woman in East and Central Africa to graduate from Oxford. The rippleeffect of this accolade would span decades of awards designed to celebrate her effect on mainly education-related issues, as well as her direct and indirect influence as a role-model for Ugandan girls battling the odds to get a meaningful education. In 1965, Sarah started the Teaching Service Commission before it became the Education Service Commission. She taught at Gayaza High School, and was one of two women on the Uganda Legislative Council. In these positions she exerted her influence to standardise education practices, and passed on her faith in the validity of girl’s education to her students. Even exiled to Nairobi in 1978, she did not stop her advocacy for education, establishing an Education Consultancy of Higher Education for African Refugees.
While Sarah was Director of Aid Coordination in the Office of the Prime Minister in the early 1980s, she supported URDT’s crusade against corruption in UFPP. She was supportive to found the URDT as an example of indigenous efforts to support national development devoid of corruption. She introduced URDT to the Prime Minister, Dr. Samson Kiseka, who immediately became our friend. He donated the tile making machine that was appropriate for low cost housing. Sarah witnessed training of communities using the visionary approach. Her assistant, Mr. David Kalete, was sceptical. She gave URDT a benefit of doubt. She later organized a truck full of assorted materials including hoes, blankets, sauce pans, pangas, and bed sheets etc as gifts to the communities of Kagadi. That was a timely intervention. In 1988, Sarah helped the indigenous Civil Society Organization to get organized. This gave birth to the Development Network of Indigenous Voluntary Organizations, DENIVA. She became the Patron. URDT was a member of the Executive Committee and worked closely to promote the work of NGOs. She helped in the establishment of the NGOs capacity building arrangement in a tripartite arrangement between DENIVA, URDT and ACFODE. In 2000, when the URDT Girls’ School was just born, students were invited to participate in the first Dr. Sarah Ntiro Lecture and Award Event at Kampala International Conference Centre. The goal of the award was to use it as a plat form to celebrate achievements and highlight challenges of bringing education to more and more girls. In 2006, Sarah became one of the pioneer members of the ARU council. She also serves on the Appointment and Promotion Board. There is now a Sarah Ntiro Girl’s Vocational Secondary School in Hoima to instil in other girls some of the spirit of hard work and respect. 19
AWARD 2015
Benigna Mukiibi Agriculturist Pioneer Vice Chairman of the ARU council
B
Promoter Girl Child Education Former member Public Service Commission Former State Minister for Pensions Former member of the Bank of Uganda Board
In 1988, URDT started work in Kagadi Sub County that was part of Hoima district. Benigna was the District Agricultural Officer. She welcomed the organization in her area and we worked together in securing inputs for the women groups the sub county. When URDT expanded to Nalweyo and Nkooko to work with the newly settled people who had been evicted from Mpyokya National reserve, she extended similar support. As a woman member of parliament for Kibaale, she supported the URDT Girls School as her theme was support the girl child. In 2006, when she was minister of state for Public Service, URDT consulted with her on policy matters and she supported the founding of ARU. In the same period we worked with her on peace matters in the district as she was appointed by the president to enhance reconciliation between different ethnic groups. Since 2006, Benigna is a dedicated pioneer member of the ARU council. She serves on the Resources Mobilization Board. In 2014, she was elected the Vice Chairman of the Council. Benigna Mukiibi holds a Bachelors’ of Science Degree in Agriculture from Makerere University. She has worked in the Ministry of Agriculture for many years in various places in Uganda and her last position was the District Agricultural Officer Hoima/Kibaale District in 1992. Benigna joined Politics in 1992 as a
District Councilor representing Kakindo Sub County in the newly created Kibaale District. Soon after, she was elected Woman Member of NRC/Parliament representing Kibaale District. In 1994 to 1995, she represented Kibaale District in the Constituent Assembly for making the 1995 Constitution of Uganda. From 1996 to 2006, she was Woman MP for Kibaale District in Parliament, and also served as Minister of State Pensions in the Ministry of Public Service from 1999 to 2006. In 2006, Benigna retired from active politics and in 2007 was appointed by His Excellency the President of Uganda to serve on Board of Directors of Bank of Uganda for five years. In 2012, she was appointed by His Excellency the President to serve as a Member of Public Service Commission. Benigna is a strong advocate and promoter of Gender Equality and Women’s Rights. She is a founder member of an NGO Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE). She also has a passion for rural development and education for the Girl Child. She has sponsored a number of girls inTijhaar Community School Nkondo, a URDT educational Institution. Benigna has also served on various Boards including EMESCO Foundation, St Edwards Bukumi in Kibaale District and as a Board member of Uganda Tea Growers Association.
21
AWARD 2015
Martha P Dolben Pioneer member of ARU Council Board Chair of AFPF Promoter of women learning and leadership circles Poet Author of: On Behalf of Joy, Frontiers of Inner Freedom and Good Habits
M
Martha Dolben was introduced to Uganda Rural Development and Training Programme (URDT) by Silvana Veltkamp, a Co-founder of both URDT and the African Food and Peace Foundation (AFPF), which is the North American partner of URDT. Soon after AFPF was established in 1981, Martha served on its board of directors. When Silvana retired as the AFPF Executive Director in 1997, Martha succeeded her. Martha served as AFPF Executive Director and Board Chair from 1997-2013. Currently, she is AFPF’s Board Chair. Martha has had the privilege and joy of visiting URDT fourteen times. Her first visit in 1997 with her husband Don included a memorable celebration of International Women’s Day on the URDT campus. During that visit, Martha was supported by Dr. Mwalimu Musheshe and women leaders at URDT in her desire to convene a women’s circle. A small group of URDT women created a special time together listening to each other and encouraging each person in her life and creativity (women learning and leadership circles). Since then, Martha has facilitated women’s learning and leadership circles during each of her visits to URDT. Her passion is to demystify the purpose and value of these circles for people who do not understand them.
peace, prosperity, health, and happiness in their families and communities. For over 25 years, she has worked with women’s circles in America and Uganda, researching how to strengthen feminine gifts in society. This includes both women and men, because we all have what people sometimes call “feminine gifts.”Currently, she is working with Adrienne Miller, creating an introductory book and new curriculum to serve this effort. The people in Kibaale District, in the villages, and at URDT/ ARU, including many staff, faculty and students, have energized and inspired Martha in this work. When African Rural University (ARU) was established, Martha was delighted to serve on the ARU Council and to work with the ARU trail-blazer students. As president of AFPF, Martha has sustained and expanded the circle of friends supporting URDT work through its various Institutions; financial, technical and moral support. Martha graduated with Honors in Music from Middlebury College, Vermont, USA in 1972. In 2008, she received the Unity College Women’s Environmental Leadership award. Martha expresses her deep gratitude to the URDT and AFPF communities and to her husband Don for enriching her life in countless ways.
Martha loves to see women friends empowering each other to create more 23
AWARD 2015
Joyce Mpanga Chairman of ARU Council, Long term promoter of URDT Chairman Uganda Council of Women (1986-1988)
J
Women MP, Mubende District (1996-2001) Minister of State for Women and Development (1987), Minister of State for Primary Education (1989 to 1992) Former Chairman National NGO Board
Joyce’s life story is one of successfully upending assumptions around her that it was a pity to be born as a woman. She proofed wrong to the elders who said her gender could be a hindrance as she applied her intelligence. Joyce started her career as a teacher at Makerere College School. In 1960 she was nominated a member of the Legislative council by the Governor of Uganda to represent women which led her to join the Uganda council of women, a Woman’s NGO to learn about the women’s concerns. In 1962 she was appointed deputy Headmistress of Gayaza High School, the first woman in East Africa to take such a position. In 1964 she was appointed a lecturer in the Faculty of Education in Makerere University. The Uganda political crisis forced Joyce to resign and join her husband in London in 1967. While in exile she kept her passion for education and taught as a teacher in a primary school. On her return she was appointed Assistant Secretary in the East African Examination Council. After 7 years, she was appointed deputy Chairman of Public Service by His Excellency the President of Uganda then. 1n 1987 she was appointed as the First Minister of State for Women in Development in the President’s office. For two years, she held the Chair of the Uganda Council of Women (1986-1988), From 1989 to 1992 she was a Minister of Primary Education. During her tenure she secured the Universal Primary Education (UPE) deal for Uganda. In the same capacity she had gone on to represent Uganda and Africa in international circles, lobbying for educational reforms across the continent. From 1996-2001 Joyce was elected Women Representative in Parliament for Mubende
District. Thereafter, she was appointed the Chairman of the National NGO Board a post through which she met URDT during its search for registration. Joyce’s hands-on approach to effecting positive change: an increasingly rare thing, is one of the reasons why URDT is proud to be associated with her. She was introduced to URDT by Canon Dr. Sarah Ntiro when she served as the Director of Aid Coordination in the office of the Prime Minister, Dr. Samson Kiseka. As the Chair of the National NGO Board, Joyce supported URDT’s application for registration as an NGO. Some members on her committee were sceptical about the URDT methodology. However, Joyce decided to give URDT the benefit of doubt. She has been proven right. When she was going to the UN Conference on Education, she took the URDT documentary as evidence of the new innovations in Education and Development work in Uganda. She later visited URDT during the inception meeting of ARU. She was happy to see the progress made. Since the initiation of the African Rural University (ARU) Council in 2006, she was a Vice chairman. In 2013 she was appointed a Chairman of ARU Council. Her leadership experience and wise counsel is propelling the ARU to greater heights. During the commemoration of Uganda’s 50 years of Independence, Joyce Mpanga was honoured with a medal in recognition of her distinguished service to this country as a pioneer legislator. Joyce Mpanga holds a B.A. in History from the UK and a Master of Science in Education from Indiana University, Bloomington
25
AWARD 2015
Alida Bakema Boon
A
Associate Founder URDT Girl School, Secretary URDT Board Pioneer Member of ARU Council Development Practitioner
Alida moved from the Netherlands to Tanzania in 1986 to become one of the founders of a church based NGO. She experienced and researched into the underprivileged position of women during her six years in the rural areas. At the same time she observed women’s potential and perseverance to attain aspirations for their families. Inspired by her ever supportive mother, who experienced serious gender inequality herself, Alida decided to join development initiatives that supported women to get voice and expand their capabilities to pursue their goals. In 1993, her journey of a meaningful life brought Alida to Uganda where she worked for 9 years for a network of 400 local NGOs. DENIVA further opened her eyes to the civil society landscape and the struggle for justice and peace in Africa. Through DENIVA she met the Chairman of URDT, Dr. Mwalimu Musheshe. They discovered similar values and compassion for women. Firstly she supported URDT to maintain good donor relationships. In 1996, Musheshe requested her to facilitate an Organizational Self-Assessment with the entire URDT staff. This process intensified Alida’s respect for URDT. She made a definite inner click with the creative life orientation and developed her social entrepreneurial skills further. Alida got convinced that education, training and information sharing were key to Africa’s development. Hence in 1999 it was a natural progression to suggest to the URDT Chairman to start a model school that would equip girls to pass the exam of life that is rather different than the national exams. Musheshe thought this befitting and from than onwards there was no turning back. The establishment of the Girls’ school became a passion. Alida got involved in visioning workshops, teachers training, fundraising, and infrastructure development, invented the 2-generation approach and participated in other activities to transform the vision into reality. Thanks to the ‘creating and adjusting’ method, mutual learning and a great team spirit, its gradu-
ates are now pursuing their own visions. Some have joined URDT’s university (ARU) to take rural transformation as a career. The School won several awards and is now well established. The 2-generation approach is rolled out into two community schools and beyond. In 2002, the URDT Board bestowed Alida with the title of ‘associatefounder’ URDT Girls School. In the same year she joined the taskforce to establish the all-women’s African Rural University (ARU). She is one of its Directors and an active member of the Council. In 2003, she joined the URDT Board as the Secretary. She expanded her engagement with the other URDT departments as member of the Executive Committee. She made substantial contributions in capacity development of staff, the Epicentre strategy and prepared many winning funding proposals to finance URDT programmes and infrastructure. Alida feels honored and privileged to be part of the URDT family that contributed to her continued personal growth, amazing friendships and partnerships with AFPF and others. She aspires to continue contributing in an empowering role towards an education sector that is gender conscious and produces responsible, competent citizens and women leaders in Africa. Alida is a certified management and life coach. She holds a post-graduate diploma in Rural Policy and Programme Planning of the ISS, the Netherlands and an Msc in Organisational Behaviour of the University of London. She serves on various bodies of non-profit organisations. Alida is a freelance trainer and consultant who puts into practice her 25 years of experience in organisational development and design, leadership and change management, fundraising, planning, monitoring & evaluation of rural development programmes.
27
AWARD 2015
Grace Akello Office Manager, URDT/ARU contact office
G
Grace Akello has worked with URDT since 1994. She started as an office attendant. She kept the Kampala contact office clean and prepared tea for the staff. Within a short time, Grace learnt to operate IT equipment like the fax machine, photocopies and graduated to Office Manager. Grace had an interest to learn more, so after two years she ably dealt with our partners, donors and government people. Her roles expanded and she became the mail person, managing all kinds of correspondences: posting and receiving and since then, she manages the URDT post office box. Grace proved to be very reliable and honest. Hence she was requested to deposit and withdraw money as the bank agent of the organisation. Gradually she learned procurement and that made life of the departments in Kagadi easy. She would get orders to buy and send goods to URDT’s main office. Grace became very creative in finding way to send goods to Kagadi. Because she was dependable, she received and conveyed messages for staff and made sure their welfare was taken care of. This was a done well and above official duties. Grace also trained herself in book keeping and started handling petty cash for which she accounted in time. With
time she was trusted enough with bigger volumes of money as transactions through banks were a nightmare. In the 1990s transport to Kagadi was difficult yet she would carry salaries in hard currency and ensure that it all arrived safely. Today Grace is an agent of all URDT Kampala bank accounts. She collects bank statements, prepares reports and makes sure all URDT institutions are well served. She is always available to support the Board of Directors, staff, partners, donors, friends and government personnel with her trade mark smile. Grace joined URDT when she was young. She had energy and took all tasks with enthusiasm and eagerness to learn. She is now in advanced age and yet maintains same agility she had when she joined over 20 years back. Grace is a single mother with two children whom she has seen through education. Her daughter is a graduate and the son is in senior six now. She made a choice to look after these kids well. They share same values: they are very polite, understanding and focused. Grace has been a gem in URDT!
29
AWARD 2015
Monica Kiiza Administrative Secretary URDT Girls School Contact person for ARU internship programme Mambugu Ward
M
Community Leader Treasurer Mambugu Primary School SACCO
Monica Kiizawas born to the late BitamaraYona, a peasant farmer in Nyabuhike village, and to Namatovu Prisca all of Kyanaisoke Sub-county, Buyaga East. She is the oldest daughter in the family. In 1965 Monica completed her primary seven at Naigana Primary School with an East African leaving certificate at that time. She served as captain games while in primary.Monica had her Secondary School Education at Naigana S.S where she obtained an Ordinary level certificate. In 1977, Monica obtained a Certificate in Elementary Typing from Mubende International College. She worked as a Copy typist in Bugangaizi – Kakumiro headquarters under Hoima district, Later she was transferred to Buyaga the great. Monica joined URDT in 1996 as a Copy typist. She provided secretarial services to staff and outside clients of URDT. In the same year she received on the job training in a computer programme “Word Perfect” by David Gamey for two weeks. Hence her output increased greatly. With more and more staff getting to know computer, her work as copy typist reduced and yet she still had the energy to work. Therefore, in 2005 Monica was promoted to the URDT Girls School as an Administrative Secretary. She has been of great help to maintain and update students’ files, prepare workshop reports, typing exam papers and other administrative work. The Girls School also has built her capacity through workshops which are conducted every end of term. In 2005, Monica also attended a five day course in Leadership and Management Dynamics for Individuals and Organizations
- at Kasunga Conference centre and obtained a Certificate of achievement. The training developed her capacity in management and leadership to effectively carry out her day-today activities at work and in her community. Monica worked as a Treasurer in the URDT Savings and Credit Society for 2 years; where she is still a member. Monica worked as a contact person and supported the URDT Epicentre Manager (Ms. Lunyoro Rebecca ) on her Internship as ARU student in Mambugu Ward, Kagadi Town Council. As a result, Rebecca initiated Mambugu Primary School SACCO where Monica was elected a Treasurer to date. Through the knowledge and skills she got from URDT, Monica has managed to pass this information to the communities especially women in Mambugu village to form groups and learn how to save, educate their children, counsel children especially the girl child to remain in school. Monica has also trained some URDT staff in computer skills. Monica is grateful to URDT; through the support given to her, she has maintained her health, looked after her family and educated her children and dependents. She has seen URDT grow from a humble Organisation to its current state. She served it diligently up to date. “I continue to serve and learn new things while at URDT”.
31
AWARD 2015
Janet Nyamahunge Pioneer Teacher URDT Girls School Head Teacher, URDT Girls a School (secondary section)
J
Promoter Girl Child Education
Janet was born in Masindi District. She went to Kabalega Primary School, Masindi Secondary School for Ordinary Level Education and Masindi High School for Advanced Level Education. Janet joined URDT Girls School in 2001 and is one of the pioneer teachers at the URDT Girls School. She has worked as a teacher at both primary and secondary levels (2001 – 2003) and Head teacher at the URDT Girls Secondary School. Since Janet joined the school, she has provide leadership in the implementation of the National Curriculum as well as the development and implementation of the School’s unique co-curriculum that focuses on developing leadership capacities of students at personal, home and community levels through the 2- generations approach to education. Janet has spent all her professional life at URDT and URDT Girls School. She has managed to influence change through providing talented and disadvantaged girls from less privileged backgrounds with transformational and value-based education. As a result, the school shaped the students character and personality and created peace, health, prosperity, freedom and happiness at their homes and communities. Janet is passionate about Girl child education and women empowerment. She is an active member of the Girls Education Movement (GEM) and the Ashoka change maker youth programme. Given the commendable work and excellent results registered by the team, the school has received the following Awards and recognitions:
■■ 2014. Kibaale District Civil Society Organizations Network: Recognition for the outstanding participation and performance in Interschool Peace Debate and Essay Writing Competitions in commemoration of the international Day of Peace 2014 ■■ 2012. Teach a Man to Fish Award: for demonstrating that education pays for itself through its 2-generation approach to education. ■■ 2006. Best Practice Award by European Union Uganda Commission Civil Society capacity building programme. ■■ 2006. Uganda Debt Network: winners in the National Essay Competition on Corruption and Good Governance. ■■ 2003. National Book Trust of Uganda Award: winners in the national essay writing competitions ■■ 2003.District Inspector of Schools declares the URDTGS a model school of Kibaale District. ■■ 2002. Agathe Award: Certificate of Recognition for innovative approaches to Girl Child Education by the Forum for African Women Educationalists, Uganda chapter, (FAWEU). She is currently working as a Head Teacher at the URDT Girls School and proud to be part of URDT and URDT Girls School. Janet holds a Diploma in Education (Secondary) and a Bachelor’s Degree in public Administration and Management. She has been in the teaching profession and Education Administration for 13years.
33
AWARD 2015
J
Jacqueline Akello Previous Communications Officer and Director Programmes URDT Pioneer University Secretary ARU Researcher and development practitioner
Jacqueline joined URDT in 2003 as a Communications Officer to work with the Task Force in conceptual development and establishment of African Rural University. In the same year, she also supported the URDT Girls School with a baseline study in collaboration with a student intern from University of Twente.
closely with the then Vice Chancellor Dr. Susan Warshauer. ARU got the provisional license on 21stMarch 2011. Jacqueline also contributed to the Epicentre Strategy conceptual development and refinement. In 2013 Jacqueline was promoted to University Secretary: a position she holds till now.
In 2004, Jacqueline was promoted to Director Programmes. Amongst others she co-designed the Education for Rural Transformation programme to train future educators and trainers in ARU. She also codesigned the Gender and HIV/AIDS programme. She re-engineered the Artisan Support Programme to build capacity of practicing artisans in soft and hard skills. She contributed to the establishment of the refurbishing centre to a self-sustaining entity and to mainstream artisan training in URDT Institute for already practicing artisans.
Previously, Jacqueline worked as a Research Supervisor for K2Research, part of the K2 Consult consortium in charge of Northern Region - Uganda in 2001-2. As a bachelor’s student and fresh graduate she volunteered in the women empowerment struggles with ISISWICCE and Action for Development (ACFODE) 1998-2003.
In 2006, URDT won the UNICEF bid and Jacqueline became one of the trainers in technical and political leadership in Human Rights Based Programming targeting seven districts in Uganda. She supported the expansion of the Institute’s outreach to support practitioners by training trainers from various vocational institutions and practicing solar technicians. In 2008, Jacqueline designed the programme for in-and out of school youth dialogue on gender and HIV/AIDS, taking a partnership approach. From 2009 till 2014, she designed and participated in a programme to mainstream Women’s Aspirations on Land and Land Rights Action Research Programme: Children in lower secondary schools of Uganda shall benefit from the outcomes in the reformed curriculum that integrates land rights and livelihood to be taught in schools starting 2018. In 2006, the African Rural University (ARU) was officially launched in partnership with community members from Kibaale District and other critical stakeholders. From that time Jacqueline added a function of acting University Secretary. Jacqueline worked
Jacqueline is a seasoned action researcher contributing to systemic and systems changing strategies for the rural poor.Jacqueline was named a Harvard University International Bridge Builder in 2009. She was one of 10 social entrepreneurs to receive this distinction that year. Jacqueline has a Master’s of Science in Development Management from Open University, UK; is a graduate of Political Science & Social Administration Program and holds a postgraduate diploma in Computer Science from Makerere University. Jacqueline is currently the Vice Chairperson of Education Local Expertise Center Uganda a non-profit organization focused on advancing basic education in Uganda, supporting trainers of primary and vocational educators in total quality basic education. She was the pioneer Chairperson of Bunyoro Albertine Petroleum Network Coalition, that bringing together twenty three Non Profit organisations in Mid-Western Uganda for collective action and advocacy for responsible development of petroleum industry in Uganda. She continues to follow her undergraduate passion for a pan-African development agenda through education, training and research. 35
AWARD 2015
Khadijah Anguria Head of Catering section URDT, Counselor
K
Khadijah joined URDT as a volunteer for 3 weeks. She showed commitment, hence she got appointed on 3rd Nov 1998. She has served in different positions. She was first appointed as a cleaner, then to office messenger, to a cook and now she is the head of catering. She has multiple roles. Firstly she ensures with her team of 5 persons that there is daily food for over 200 persons: the URDT/ARU staff, ARU and Institute students. She tirelessly organizes proper accommodation and food for the numerous guests URDT receives throughout the year. She also prepares meals for the participants of workshops held at URDT campus. Khadijah performs at her very best when she is in charge of feeding 500+ people on big events like the bi-annual marathon for peace, the annual commemoration of the community radio and youth training exhibitions. At URDT Khadijah got the opportunity to develop and awaken her sleeping genius. Khadija asserts that URDT has built her leadership through giving her opportunities to explore and develop her capacities and thepromotions into various leadership positions. She has attended workshops at URDT in biogas usage and food processing. Khadijah is a true example of a woman who knows that she is key to her own development. She used the freedom and trust she got at URDT to train herself. She used the facilities at no personal cost to grow into the capable person she is today. She especially trained herself to become head of the catering section. She made research in the library about different types of food and
she applied it in her work so to enhance her personal growth. Khadijah perceives URDT as her school of catering: she never went to any school to learn what she is doing. She appreciated that people gave her feedback as another way of learning. Khadijah is passionate about development of women. She is especially supportive to the girl child at campus. Under her watchful eye they grow up in a supportive and secure environment Khadijah likes counseling and does it with courage and love. She counsels students, fellow staff, couples and other community members. Khadija likes to see happy families and students who are focused; She is like a mother to many and feels happy by bringing people together. Khadijah believes that there are no boundaries in the job. Apart from the functional jobs, she has also volunteered in other departments. For example; she acted as a matron at URDT Girls School when it started in 2000 for two weeks. When the radio opened she managed the canteen at is beginning. She also moved URDT from providing catering services towards offering accommodation and other hotel services at campus. She enjoys if all departments prosper especially in welfare. Khadijah is very grateful to URDT: I am happy that I am a better person. I am healthy much as I used to be sickly. I have maintained my health, educated my relatives and take care of my father. I feel like working with URDT “pakalast�; up to when she grows very old.
37
AWARD 2015
Patricia B. Seybold Member ARU council Long term resource mobiliser URDT
P
Author Co-inventor Customer Scenario® Mapping
Patricia (“Patty”) B. Seybold has been a supporter of URDT for over two decades. She has been a member of the ARU Council since 2006, when the African Rural University was moving from vision to reality. Patty has travelled to the URDT and ARU campus a dozen times in the last decade. Each time she visits the campus, Patty undertakes a research project—hoping to learn and to understand more about all the ways in which the community members, students, faculty, and staff of URDT, ARU, and its sister institutions are innovating. She documents her research in articles that she publishes in her Customers.com Strategies research service. Patty’s articles are received weekly by more than 5,000 customer-centric executives from organizations all around the world. She is also the author of three best-selling business books: Customers.com (1998), The Customer Revolution (2001), and Outside Innovation (2006). In 2010, with the help and support of Alida Bakema-Boon, Dr.Mwalimu Musheshe, and KulusumHasakya, and of the leadership and staff of the URDT Girls School, Patty and Alida solicited essays and drawings about the students’ back home projects and turned these into a published book: It Takes a Child to Raise a Village. Patty Seybold is also a consultant who specializes in helping businesses and non-profit organizations co-design products and services with their customers. She is the co-inventor of a customer co-design methodology known as Customer Scenario® Mapping, which enables customers to articulate a shared vision of the experience and results they would like to have, to develop a set of prioritized actions they can take to achieve their vision, and to create a customer scorecard they can use to judge their results. Patty has taught her customer co-design techniques
to ARU faculty, ARU students, and Girls School faculty on a few of her visits to the URDT campus. After over a decade of studying the URDT and ARU model, Patty coined the term “customer ecosystem” to describe organizations that are designed in ways that emulate URDT. A customer ecosystem is a group of organizations that are all aligned around a common goal: to help customers achieve the results they want; in other words, their visions. She is currently working on her next book (about customer ecosystems), in which she hopes to include a case study about the creation of the African Rural University and the work of many of its graduates as Epicentre Managers in rural communities. In addition to her involvement as an active ARU Council member, Patty Seybold is the co-founder and president of the Boothbay Region Health and Wellness Foundation, a non-profit whose mission is to improve the well-being of the residents and visitors to the Boothbay, Maine region, where she lives. She is also the CEO of her own company, The Patricia Seybold Group, Inc., which publishes articles for, and provides consulting services to customer-centric executives, strategic planners, and innovation teams in hundreds of companies around the world. Patty Seybold feels privileged to be working with the URDT, students, faculty, staff, and Council members of ARU. She is delighted to have the opportunity to chronicle the great work and the innovative approaches that URDT’s organizations design, pilot, and evolve in partnership with the community members they serve and whose visions they support.
39
AWARD 2015
Dr Susan Warshauer Member ARU council First Vice Chancellor ARU
S
Vice Chair AFPF Board Social Psychologist
Susan Warshauer, as a Social Psychologist, has dedicated her career to helping profit and not-for-profit organizations in developing their leadership. As the head of Learning and Development in a number of firms, Susan helped create strategies and environments where people could leverage their strengths and fill gaps in their leadership capabilities. Susan had the privilege of working at excellent companies across higher education, high tech, management consulting, and financial services, mostly in global roles. While working in adult education, she has a special interest in helping women develop their full leadership potential. Susan was Vice Chancellor of African Rural University (ARU) an all-women’s university, from 2009-2011. When it was proposed to Susan to come live in Uganda and work on the development of ARU for women she realized what a wonderful opportunity it was to apply her skills and knowledge in a very different environment. The mission of creating sustainability for an institution educating women, equipping them to be valuable professionals in the rural communities, and helping them
develop their leadership skills, continues to inspire her. The experience of being Vice Chancellor, living on campus, and working with the National Council of Higher Education in Uganda to obtain ARU provisional license, was only surpassed by the wonderful friendships developed and the amount she learned during the process. Susan Warshauer is honored to be a recipient of this recognition, and feels continuously honored by being part of the experiences shared. Currently Susan is a member of the African Rural University Council and on Council committees. To that end, she comes back to Uganda at least twice a year. Susan is also the Vice Chair, Board member, and Chair of the development committee of African Food and Peace Foundation (AFPF), a United States foundation that supports URDT and ARU. She has been on the Board of the AFPF, in several roles, since 2009.
41
Martha Mulder
AWARD 2015
Pioneer funder URDT Girls School Former Secretary, Board, KIO, the Netherlands Educationist
M
Martha always had a passion for children; hence it was not a surprise that she chose a career as teacher. Where ever she had to follow her husband Kor for another work assignment, she would look for employment in a local primary school. When later they got settled in Vries, she worked in a hospital school at first and later in an education centre for needed children. Her life was not only a bed of roses. At a young age she experienced the Second World War that made the family to flee their home. While happily married with Kor, they lost their only child at the age of 28 due to an illness. However Martha persevered and continued to work as a teacher and followed her passion to educate needed children. In 1990, Martha got an opportunity to upscale her ambitions thanks to her wealthy father. After a successful business career her dad, Sjoerd van der Veen, decided to put his surplus in a charitable foundation so to give back to the society. Thanks to Martha the foundation, KIO, focused solely to support vulnerable children in over 10 less developed countries. The work did not always appear to be easy. In 1998 suspicion grew against on partner organisation in Uganda. On recommendation of ICCO, KIO approached a local OD consultant, Alida Bakema-Boon, to carry out a participatory evaluation. This was a learning experience for both organisations. KIO was pleased with the process used and mutual respect developed. It was therefore not a surprise when a year later KIO received a request to sponsor 60 girls through URDT. In that way, KIO became the first funder of URDT Girls’ School.
Martha understood the importance of schooling and treasured the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual education of the disadvantaged girl child. She recognized that the URDTGS offered such holistic education. Her KIO, appreciated that the school’s co-curriculum was structured around the masteries of the creative life orientation, systems thinking and sustainable development. Martha and her fellow Board members ensured through KIO that each student received a balance diet while pursuing her education at URDT. Martha always spoke up for continued support to this unique school as an exemplar institution of girl child empowerment in Africa. She also supported the school’s policy to offer arts as a compulsory subject at O-level as it shapes students character and instils important life skills. The visit of Martha and her husband Kor in 2005 strengthened the relationship with URDT further and a more intimate friendship developed. Four years later, on 18 August 2009, Martha suffered a fatal stroke. She left a big gap in her family, KIO and at URDT. URDT dedicated to prepare a memorial place called “Martha Mulder Memorial Art Gallery” as a remembrance to her support and to celebrate the shared values and determination of KIO and URDT. Both organisations not only to speak up for injustice but also act towards a world where there is opportunity for all women to awaken and use their talents to the full.
43
GOVERNORS
URDT Board
African Rural University Council
44
PARTNERS
African Food & Peace Foundation (AFPF) AFPF was established to support the human and financial capital of URDT since its inception. Thanks to this unique partnership, URDT’s concepts and practices have always been at the cutting edge of rural development.
45
PARTNERS
Elimu Foundation
Het Bosje Foundation
KIO
Mustard Seed
46
PARTNERS
Mvule Trust
Triodos Foundation
SNV
Wild Geese
Social Initiative
Wim Tijhaar Education Fund
Uganda Rural Development and Training Programme (URDT) Kagadi, Kibaale District, Uganda P. O. Box, 16253 Kampala Uganda Telephone: +256-414-256704 E-mail: info@urdt.net www.urdt.net