Meeting Minutes: Dutch LEARN Platform & EKN Date: 27 May 2011 Venue: ZOA office, Pader Participants: Ms. Ans de Jager Ms. Rachel Newbery Mr. Alfred Lakony Mr. Wilbert Ikilai Mr. Drazu Charles Ms. Joyce Adoch Ms. Namusubo Justine Ms. Ann Kihiu Ms. Maria Maas Ms. Liesbeth-Marije Hoogland
War Child Holland War Child Holland Fair Pen Edukans-LEC EKN Save the Children in Uganda (SCiUG) Terre des Hommes (Netherlands) Terre de Hommes (Netherlands) Oxfam-Novib (chair) ZOA Uganda (minutes)
Absent with apologies: SNV, IICD, Red een Kind and Woord en Daad. Discussions/Highlights/Actions 1. Communications from Chair Issues to be discussed when going through the minutes of the last meeting of 25th of January. 2. Communications from the EKN Policy change directed from the Dutch government: focus on water, agriculture, peace and security Consequences for Uganda: Continued focus on JLOS (as part of peace and security) Focus on food security Cross cutting themes: sexual reproductive health (from a JLOS perspective) and support to private sector/economic development (vocational training part of that) Phase out from primary education in 2-3 years. Although, EKN will phase out, EKN will continue partnering with LEARN platform as both complement each other. EKN is working on the new multi year strategic plan (2012-2015) context analysis and stakeholder consultations ongoing. Plan will be finalized in September and disseminated. Dates for important meetings: 1 June 2011: Round Table on governance with MFO’s and Ugandan civil society organizations 7 June 2011, 12 pm, EKN: agri-profocus roundtable discussion Other announcements: Charles Drazu will be in charge of food security: sharing of lessons learned, best practices and documents on this topic with the EKN would be appreciated EU, EKN and Scandinavian Embassies have started the Democratic Governance Fund (5 years, 17 million euros). This programme will be implemented a.o. with local NGOs and other civil society
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organizations. Main focus areas: human rights and peace, accountability and democracy. Evaluation of education sector and evaluation of the role of civil society in democratization in Uganda (72 different documents) to be sent around by EKN
3. Minutes of the meeting on 25th of January: The members went through the minutes and gave updates on the status of the issues discussed in the last meeting. MFS2 updates: Edukans: Not many changes after the update of January. Programme will be implemented in Lango and Teso. Planning ongoing. Save the Children (SCiUG): Consortium coordinator + M&E coordinator recruited. Operational planning workshop between SCiUG and ZOA 30/5-1/6/2011. Implementation areas: Amudat: SCiUG focus on animal livelihoods and mobile ABEK. Pader: new born child health, Nwoya/Amuru: education and livelihoods. ZOA Uganda: Consortium partner SCiUg; ZOA and SCiUg complement each other in the selected Districts. Nwoya: agricultural livelihoods, Amudat: civic education, Pader/Agago: primary education. ZOA’s entry into Nwoya has been confirmed. War Child Holland: Focus on education, psycho-social support and child protection. Use of ICT and media. Main geographical areas: Lango, Abim and to a lesser extent: Pader/Agago. Most funding for Abim. Education: main focus remains on quality of education (learning for life). Tailor made support to schools. In June WCH will have a big meeting with all consortium partners in the Netherlands to further operationalise the 5 year programme. Fair Pen: Fair Pen is seeking partnerships with War child, SCiUg and Edukans (Impulsis). So far the talks with SCiUg have been ongoing and early next year SCiUg will decide about the partnership with FP for the literacy boost programme. Terre des Hommes (Netherlands): TDH got MFS2 funding eventually, but proposed budget was cut dramatically. Consortium has chosen to implement programme in East-Africa. In Uganda TdH will work in Kampala, Masaka, Iganga and Jinja. Phase out from Gulu. Main sectors: socio-economic development, education health and child exploitation. Uganda programme will be implemented with consortium partner Liliane Foundation. TDH is looking for office space in Uganda and requests if one of the LEARN partners could sub-rent a room in their offices to TdH. Please contact Justine if any member has office space available. Oxfam Novib: No big changes since last January. Budget cuts no impact on the Uganda programme. ON will remain active through partners in: education, governance and food security/livelihoods. Cross cutting themes: gender and HIV/AIDS. Oxfam Novib and Oxfam GB will merge mid 2012 based on a joint strategy for Uganda.
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Mapping exercise: Mapping needs to be redone considering the MFS2 changes. Plan for digital forum is still not out (deadline was 1 May). New dead-line for digital forum information sharing and further decision making 15/6/2011. (send plan to Maria Maas) Edukans to send around the mapping exercise document (table) that had been sent before and then the members can update it. Document to be updated in sequence (same as MoU). Table should be updated by 1 July. MoU
The MoU has been signed by all members except for SNV, Red een Kind, War Child, Woord en Daad and ZOA. Dead-line for signing: 20/6/2011
Status strategic plan / action plan This is finalized and all members should read and understand it. Field visits Field visit Pader has been finalized successfully. Members that attended the field visit should send their feedback and learning points to ZOA by 3/6/2011. ZOA to write field visit report. Next field visit to be organised by Terre des Hommes in the last week of September (26-30/9/2011) TdH to send around ToR + theme of visit and contact a LEARN member for jointly organizing the visit. Lead agency Oxfam-Novib will remain the lead agency. Membership Dutch LEARN Platform ICCO and ICS dropped out of the platform after the changed circumstances (MFS2) The members that were present in the meeting expressed their concern about members that do not attend the meetings and are inactive. Members that do not have a representation in Uganda are asked to update the other members on their plans/commitment to the LEARN platform. The LEARN Platform plans and announces its meetings and field visits well ahead and the member organisations are advised to plan their own activities in Uganda around the dates for Platform meetings and visits. All member organisations are asked to either send the same person to each LEARN meeting or each organisation should update and share minutes with the person that is send to the meeting. Please all come prepared! Minutes taking: Mainly ZOA and War child/Edukans/SNV have been taking minutes of the meetings several times now. For the coming meetings, other organisations should take up this role. Documentation of best practices Oxfam Novib is in contact with the University of Utrecht about interns. LEARN hopes to get an intern for the documentation of best practices. Oxfam Novib is willing to recruit and coach an intern in cooperation with the University. ON has reserved some money for compensation of the intern’s costs. War Child is willing to host the intern in Kampala.
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When intern is going to the field for data collection the receiving organisations should pay for transport and accommodation ToR for intern will be developed by Oxfam Novib, War child and ZOA. Feedback from members and EKN will be asked. LEARN members responsible for quality of document and checking the quality of the data collected by the intern. LEARN members who want to be featured in the best practices document should commit 200/300 euros for printing and dissemination costs.
Summary action points Action point Send feedback/learning points field visit Pader to ZOA Send around mapping exercise table Send around Plan for digital forum Signing MoU Update mapping exercise table by members Write ToR for intern documentation of best practices Members that do not have a representation in Uganda are asked to update the other members on their plans/commitment to the LEARN Platform (participation in field visit last week of September, documentation of best practices) Organise field visit (26-30 September 2011)
Responsible All members
Deadline 3/6/2011
Edukans
10/6/2011
IICD, Fair Pen and Edukans
15/6/2011
All members
20/6/2011 1/7/2011
Oxfam Novib lead
1/7/2011
Woord en Daad Red een Kind IICD
1/7/2011
TdH
Before September 2011
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