Newsletter - June 2014 - Save The Children Uganda

June, 2014
The Monthly Pointer
From the Country Director
A
ll,
Thanks again to Sylvia for an informative
newsletter.
James and Fredrick — don’t
worry as chopsticks are difficult
when you are not used to them.
Just for the record, I did not
drop the pot from my head.
One of my most important
duties when I travel is to make
courtesy calls on local Government officials.
I would like to share with everyone how positive the feedback
has been from recent visits to
the West, Karamoja, and Gulu.
They know who you are and
what you are doing, and they
consistently mention how much
they appreciate the fact that
Save the Children works in the
hard-to-reach places where
limited government resources
just do not stretch.
Given the current atmosphere
of some distrust and a general
lack of understanding about the
role of NGOs, our transparency
and open communication is critical and please keep up the good
work in this area.
The area we still need to improve is our Burn Rate and we
will be meeting July 17 and 18 to
review second quarter statistics,
but first reports from Lutalo
indicate we are not on track.
Please take time to re-look at
your programs and step it up.
By now many of you have
heard that we our losing our
PDQ Director, Diane Francisco,
who will be heading back to the
States in mid-August. She will be
greatly missed and the recruit-
ment process has begun. We will
keep you posted.
June will find Tiyoy in Karamoja
the week of the 23rd and I will be
in Kasese and Bundibugyo.
Our Wonderful Drivers
everal visitors have recently
written thank you e-mails to
our drivers for a job well
done. We acknowledged them at
a recent Monday morning meeting and greatly appreciate those
visitors who took time to send us
feedback.
Our drivers are such an important and often overlooked part of
our operation. Please see below
for some of the feedback sent
about them in emails I have received.
S
Appreciation is motivating
Country Director Barbara Burroughs hands Safi Acikule (3rd from left) a framed copy of the email sent
by Gregory Hill, Emergency Operations Specialist, based in Washington DC. The other drivers have
also been appreciated on various occasions, and their good service was acknowledged along Safi’s.
...Please also say thank you
to Safi, and the other drivers. They are patient,
prompt and very helpful.
From Gregory A. Hill
...Also, I want to tell you how grateful I am for Safi, my dear driver. I felt
very safe with his driving and enjoyed his company. It is very important that his driving was extremely
good as I tend to be insecure with
other people’s driving but immediately I felt that would not be a problem with Safi and was completely
relaxed...You can be proud to have
such an employee on your team.
From Erna Reynisdottir, CEO
Save the Children Iceland
Page 2
The Monthly Pointer
Highlights from NORAD kick-off meeting
The NORAD Framework Agreement is a
long-term funding commitment by the
Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, NORAD. The next framework
agreement is a four-year commitment
running from 2015-2018. Being a fouryear framework agreement, the NORAD
framework agreement gives Save the
Children a secure commitment on funding
upon which to plan programmatic
interventions over a period of four years.
In May, Operations Director Lawrence
Tiyoy and Programme Development and
Quality (PDQ) Director Diane Francisco
attended the framework agreement kickoff meeting and in this interview,
Lawrence tells us about it.
When did the kick-off meeting
take place?
It took place from 5th to 8th May in
Oslo, Norway. May 9th was spent in
meetings with Save the Children
Norway (SCN) Technical Advisors as
well as meetings with NORAD,
Ministry of Foreign Affiars and Oil for
Development officials. I would like to
highlight a few key things I picked from
these meetings – the availability of
technical support for the country
office from SCN, the need to build a
strong connection/relationship and
trust with both NORAD and foreign
embassies as we could access
significant resources from embassies.
Tell
us
more
about
this
framework agreement
It will run from 2015 to 2018. In total
15 countries will benefit from it,
among them Uganda. Uganda is one of
the 10 core countries benefiting — by
being a core country, we will receive
funding for different thematic areas,
that is multi-projects and technical
support from SCN. The other five are
project countries.
So what next after the kick-off
meeting?
The next step is the development of a
detailed
proposal.
What
was
submitted earlier was a concept. PDQ
is driving the proposal development
process. The field teams will be
involved and consulted during the
process. The proposal development
process is being guided by the
following timelines:
 1st submission to SCN is on 2
3.
4.
Operations Director Lawrence Tiyoy




Results measuremement and verification
of results. How/when we are measuring
and how we will verify the results are
intrincately linked to results and reach.
NORAD and the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs (MFA) – Zero tolerance. We
have to report potential irregularities to
MFA or NORAD and when suspicions
arise, we should investigate and take
action to demonstrate zero tolerance.
Failure to report or to share information about irregularities and corresponding breaches of trust will be regarded as
a gross breach of agreement that may
result in a claim for repayment of the full
grant amount.
June and feedback by 23 June.
2nd submission to SCN is on 2 August and
feedback by 15 August.
Final submission to SCN will be on 25 August.
SCN will submit to NORAD on 26
September.
The answer/award letter is expected from
NORAD in mid-February 2015.
How does the NORAD framework proposal
fit into SCI?
This framework agreement comes at a time when
we are all integrated into Save the Children
International (SCI). So our proposals will be aligned
to the SCI strategy as well as the SCI global
indicators. SCN also has new strategic priorities
and so our proposals will take care of alignment
with the SCN strategy. Our own strategy will also
be pivotal in the NORAD framework proposal.
What are the key things we need to pay
attention to as we design the NORAD
framework proposal and during the
implementation of the programs?
I will share five expectations from NORAD and
SCN that I found outstanding throughout the kickoff meeting and during the meetings with NORAD
and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
1. Results, Results, Results! We have to
demonstrate that our programs are yielding
reults and positive impact in the lives of
children. The results will be reported country
by country and so a country without results
will not hide behind the results of other
countries. What does this imply for us? We
must have very clear baselines and tracking of
results.
2. Reach, Reach, Reach! We need to show our
total reach to children. Are we making a real
difference in their lives beyond the data we
provide on total reach?
5.
Added value. We should demonstrate
that we are adding value. Important
questions to answer include: Why
should NORAD entrust funds to Save
the Children and not deal directly with
national and grassroot civil
organisations? What is our strategic
added value over other organisations?
Value addition has to be linked to results
and impact, evidence of change and
partnering and strengthening civil society
as agents of change.
Where are the children in the NORAD
framework agreement?
Children are the reason Save the Children
exists! We do not expect children to be
passive recipients; instead child participation
should be a clear and inherent part of our
work. Child participation should be reflected
in planning and reporting. Child participation
has to be an explicit component in all
thematic areas and reflected in an aggregated
manner – indicating how children’s
participation contributes to the improvement
and fulfilment of their rights. And, of course,
children’s inputs must influence SC programs
in a real and practical way.
We have always been told that working
with partners is a must for SCN. What
is the position of NORAD and SCN on
Page 3
The Monthly Pointer
Highlights from NORAD meeting cont’d
partnering and civil society during this
agreement?
Yes, partnering and civil society remain
central in this framework agreement.
Achieving results and impact at scale dictate
that Save the Children, just like other actors,
has to collaborate with other NGOs,
organisations, civil society, stakeholders and
actors in the country.
This also means that as an organisation, we
need to look at partnering and working with
civil society through a different lens.
Fundamental to this is the answer to the
question: Who is a partner? Beyond CSOs
and NGOs we have agreements related to
working with and strengthening civil society
groups at grassroot level such as women’s
groups, child rights groups, civil society
networks, parents, the media and of course
the different organs of government. It calls for
creative ways of working with government
and building partners and civil society
organisations that reach children.
This, along with strengthening the
governance structures of our partners, their
internal controls and policies/procedures as
well as building their capacity to be able to
stand on their own – in short sustainability.
What do you see changing in
development over the years ahead?
As I envision the next four years when this
framework agreement will be operational, and
reflect on the past, too, I see contemporary
issues that we need to appraise ourselves of
and be uptodate on, which will certainly shape
the development focus and arena.
The changing political context, increasing
unskilled youth population, urbanisation,
climate change and emerging disasters,
conflicts and their impact on children and
technology will shape the world and may
change the strategic role of NGOs, Save the
Children inclusive.
The world is changing fast. As a learning
organisation, we have to be open and
steadfast to learn and adapt to changing
contexts and embrace change.
The role of women in development in this
country is critical. Learning from Norway,
key to its development have been the
women who constitute a significant
workforce.
The education of the girl child cannot be
ignored if we are to get more women
shaping the development of our country.
Keep It Real equips teachers
with sexual education skills
By Robert Ocaya, Project Specialist, Keep It Real, Northern
Region
F
ollowing the recent approval of the GREAT+ CSE curriculum, the team in the North trained 100 teachers from 50
schools in Agago and Nwoya districts on the content of the
curriculum and the methodology to deliver it to the youth.
The training focused on equipping teachers with facilitation skills,
skills for answering tricky questions, knowledge of sexuality education, gender, gender-based violence, adolescent sexual reproductive
health as well as helping teachers reflect on their own values and
beliefs around these topics, which may affect their efficiency while
delivering the curriculum.
For the past one year, Save the Children, in partnership with the
Straight Talk Foundation in Northern region, has been implementing
a three-year youth-centered Comprehensive Sexuality Education
(CSE) project known as Keep It Real in Nwoya and Agago districts.
The project aims at increasing the proportion of very young adolescents (10-14) and youth (15-24) living in Northern Uganda and
Kampala who are better informed about their sexual and reproductive health and rights, and thus able to make healthy choices.
The project promotes youth-centered Comprehensive Sexuality
Education through the use of tested and scalable materials. Illustrative of working together and optimising resources, Keep It Real is
using a curriculum developed by the Gender Roles Equality and
Transformation Project (GREAT) project, and scaled up by Keep It
Real, called the GREAT+ CSE curriculum.
GREAT is a project supported by USAID and implemented by
Georgetown University’s Institute for Reproductive Health with
partners, including Save the Children.
The GREAT+ CSE curriculum is designed for primary and secondary school teachers to facilitate co-curricular sexuality education
lessons with learners, especially for upper primary school classes
and lower secondary school classes. The curriculum is designed to
Teachers discuss the CSE curriculum manual during the training
complement existing textbook content related to sexuality education,
especially the Primary School 6 science curriculum. It comprises six
themes that include Relationships, Gender, Human development, Sexual and
Reproductive Health (SRH), Safety and Future Planning.
hile closing the six-day training, the District Education
Officer (DEO) of Nwoya reminded the teachers that the
training might have come to an end but it actually marked
the beginning of implementation using the knowledge and skills acquired.
He cited the Government of Uganda Standing Orders Revised Copy
2012 which he said emphasizes staff capacity building as a means of enhancing efficiency among staff as well as providing the necessary motivation.
The Agago DEO, on his part, acknowledged that the best place for
delivering CSE is the school. He, however, reminded the teachers that
this does not relieve parents of performing their primary responsibility
of bringing up their children.
He therefore implored the teachers to always strive to involve parents during their school meetings. He pledged the district’s support to
the project, including monitoring its progress.
W
The Monthly Pointer
Page 4
Working in partnership we accomplish more
A cross-section of the participants at the forum
By Marie Gry Torup Ildvedsen, Partnership Advisor Uganda & Regional East &
West Africa
O
n May 6th and 7th, the Save the Children (SC) office in Western
Uganda organised a partnership
forum for the first time, bringing
together SC staff and government and civil society partners in the region to share experiences,
learn from each other and review and
strengthen their partnerships.
Since 2009, SC Uganda has pursued a partnership approach to programming, although with
varying degrees of success. The Country Strategic Plan 2013–2015 reiterates the commitment
to working in developmental partnerships characterised by shared objectives, mutual trust, participation, commitment, accountability and learning.
To promote this, a separate project — ‘the
Partnership Capacity Strengthening Project’ was
designed for 2014–2015 with SC Denmark funding. The project focuses on implementing the
partnership approach, with its overall objective
being to strengthen institutional and technical
capacities in our partnerships to effectively and
sustainably work for the fulfilment of children’s
rights. It is against this background that the partnership forum in the West was planned.
The forum was a success and managed to
achieve its targets to a great extent. At the same
time it responded to a need among partners as
well as SC staff to openly discuss issues, confront visions, create a common understanding
on partnership and share ideas on the way forward.
The participants included programme coordinators, project officers, regional partnership
focal points and advisors from SC as well as
representatives from partner organizations. On the
government side there was representation from the
districts of Kabarole, Kasese, Bundibugyo and
Ntoroko. From civil society BAWILHA, Ride–
Africa, FURA, Bughumba Butyoka, ANPPCAN and
KADIMA were present. National level stakeholders
including the Uganda Debt Network and the National Council for Children also participated, with
the total number of participants coming to 53.
At the end of the workshop the participants filled
in an evaluation form that also required them to
state their commitments for contributions to a future forum. These commitments indicate that the
forum is something both SC and the partners would
like to prioritise in the future.
A big thank you to the Western region staff who
have played a big role in making this happen – special thanks to Samuel Mukirane, Timothy Balikenga
and Lydia Kateeba who were the lead organisers on
the ground! Well done! :)
A lot of serious and interesting discussions were
held during the forum, but we also had time for
fun energizers like the “break into the circle”.
Some quotes from the
evaluations
 “I am determined to work
towards improving partnership with other organisations.”
 “I am optimistic that the
discussion will shape the
future of partnership engagements. The discussions
were fruitful and positive.”
 “The entire meeting went
well: Content was relevant,
participants took an active
part, facilitators were engaging and interesting.”

“I liked the group activities
and sharing, the content
and meeting new people,
the method of presentation
was participatory, the
learning atmosphere was
non-threatening, and the
technical expertise of the
facilitators (was impressive).”
 “There was no
representation of the top
district leadership, both the
political and technical
wings. It would have been
strategic for them to take
part.”
 “The hotel were we slept
was not good and the
meals were not good. Pork
was served on the public
table.”
Page 5
The Monthly Pointer
Caught in the Act!!!
Wow, nothing beats riding
a boda boda! Suhyeon Cho,
the daughter of Mr.
Seongkoun Cho, a famous
film actor from South Korea, gets a feel of the motorcycle from Eric Lomongin, Project Officer
Education-SAGE, in
Moroto. Suhyeon and her
dad were in Karamoja on a
fundraising drive for Save
the Children.
This emergency response team must be
the best to ever have
in a workshop. All five
attentive at the same
time.
Eating using chopsticks is not
for the faint-hearted. Kudos James
(left) and Frederick for trying, at
least. James and Frederick facilitated the Korea media team in
Karamoja, and experimented with
chopsticks.
And the little children
came to Aunt Harriet
and Uncle Lawrence
(HR Director Harriet
Magomu and Operations Director Lawrence Tiyoy interact
with children in Rwamwanja refugee resettlement camp)
You see? I can also
balance a pot on
my head. I’m now
going to remove
my hands and this
beautiful pot will
not come crashing
down. Don’t laugh
yet — Country
Director Barbara
balances a pot
given to her by
Rwot Miyo youth
group in Nwoya
district, Northern
Uganda.
Necessity
is the mother
of invention.
When the flip
chart stand
develops a
fault, we improvise.
Michael Sengooba (Temporary Project Officer,
Education - Emergency response, standing
directly opposite Bobi Wine), please share the
secret. How did you get Everyone campaign
ambassador Bobi Wine to sing just for you?
This was in Nyumanzi refugee resettlement,
Adjumani district
After a long week carrying out their internal
review, Saving Newborn Lives staff members
Sam Ongom and Margaret Nabakooza take
to the floor to unwind and de-stress
Keep It Real’s Berina Kamahoro (extreme
right) strikes a ka-pose with researchers
that brings back fond memories of secondary school. If we could only turn back
the hands of time….
Page 6
The Monthly Pointer
Meeting Point: *** Kevin Mubuuke ***
Tell us about yourself
My name is Kevin Mubuuke and I’m a Child
Protection (CP) Officer with the Adjumani
Emergency Response.
man, and a man who is not tiny. When I
appear, they get surprised. I don’t regard it
as disrespect. The good thing is that when I
talk to any category of people they begin to
understand why I am who I am and forget
the deceptive petite body. Size ceases to be
an issue when you do what you do right
and it hasn’t limited me in doing my job.
What does your work entail?
Receiving, coordinating and acting upon any
reported child protection concerns and referrals; ensuring all our volunteers are familiar
with and understand their roles; attending
appropriate working group meetings and
interventions and ensuring that all relevant
information around child protection is communicated to partners and providing updates
to my supervisors about the response while
coordinating the team.
What is the best day in your week?
Thursday; by then I have achieved most of
my plans, interacted with sector heads and
clearly understand the situation in the different settlements within the camp.
How long have you been with Save the
Children?
Since April 2013.
How many emergency response locations have you been in since you joined
Save the Children?
Three; I started in Rwamwanja refugee settlement in Kamwenge district, moved to Bubukwanga transit camp in Bundibugyo and now I
am in Nyumanzi refugee resettlement in Adjumani.
Is the experience different with each
location, or are things the same wherever you go?
It’s always different in certain ways; there is
Our Vision
Is a world in which
every child attains the
right to survival, protection, development
and participation.
Our Mission
Is to inspire breakthroughs in the way
the world treats children, and to achieve
immediate and lasting
change in their lives.
Our Values:
Accountability,
Collaboration,
Integrity, Ambition
and Creativity
something unique to learn about each population. Their culture, behavior and expectations are different. The nature of the settlements also differs; some are large while others are small.
I feel like a giant when I stand next to
you. Have you ever experienced challenges regarding staff not respecting
you, or not taking you seriously, because of your petite size?
Not challenges as such but wherever I go
people read my name and expect to see a
… to new
staff
We welcome the following staff
who joined Save the Children
between February and April
2014.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Gadafi Mohamed, Senior Officer, Logistics & Safety & Security
Focal Person, Gulu
Johnson Godwin, Driver, Kotido
Joseph Okullo, Driver, Amudat
Farouq Kasirye, Senior Officer, Logistics & Safety & Security Focal
Person, Moroto
Tom Ocen, Senior Officer, YIELD, Gulu
Hilda Tumusime, Data Management, Kasese
Sarah Naikoba, Advisor, Health, Kampala
Jude Asiimwe, Temporary Driver, Arua
Richardson Arinaitwe, Temporary Driver, Adjumani
What day don’t you look forward to
in the week?
Sunday. Not much activity goes on in refugee camps and the thought of another busy
week coming up does not allow me to
enjoy Sunday.
What do you do during your leisure
time?
I go to fun places with my friends and these
I discover everywhere I go.
How do you deal with challenges?
I do not rush to handle challenging situations without a plan. I always relax and
think about how and who can support me
in overcoming the challenge and how I will
approach them. With a clear strategy I am
able to face challenges in unbelievable ways.
10. Grace Bangirana, Temporary Transport Officer, Kampala
11. Samuel Oringa, Temporary Driver,
Amuru
12. Ronald Igulo, Temporary Project
Officer — Emergency, Child Protection
13. Scovia Biira, Senior Officer, Central
14. Elizabeth Nassuuna, Project Officer,
Central
15. Godfrey Ayena, Consortium Manager, DCR
16. Solome N. Byakika, Field Finance
Manager, Gulu
17. Moses Aisu Okuru, Program Specialist, DCR
18. Christopher N. Kooba, Senior Officer, Water & Sanitation, Adjumani
19. Samuel Komakech, Senior Officer,
CRG
20. Jacob Masanso, Manager, Education,
Gulu

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