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• Grassroots organisation in Uganda seeks partnership with CYP

Grassroots organisation in Uganda seeks partnership with CYP

13 May 2008

Representative from Adyaka Rural Youth Development Initiative in Northern Uganda meets with Youth Programme officials

On Monday 12 May, the Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP) was approached by Adyaka Rural Youth Development Initiative, a community-based grassroots organisation in Northern Uganda about the possibility of a partnership. CYP’s Diane Mensah-Bonsu caught up with Robert Okodia, its programme manager to find out more about the organisation and how young people from across the Commonwealth can get involved in the their activities.

Diane: When was ARYODI founded? What are its aims and objectives?

Robert: For nearly twenty years, the insurgency of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels, led by Joseph Kony, has produced great suffering in Northern Uganda especially among rural youth and young people (teenagers), including some 1.6 million internally displaced persons (IDPs). Northern Uganda is counted among the poorest region in the Uganda with 60% of their population who are rural young people seriously hit by poverty.

Adyaka Rural Youth Development Initiative abbreviated as ARYODI, is a community based grassroot organisation that was formed in Aminocira Village, Adyaka parish, Amac Sub County in Erute South Lira District in Northern Part of Uganda with the main aim of addressing the plight of war affected young people.

ARYODI is a non-governmental, non-political, non-religious organisation which was founded in 2003 to address the plight of orphans and vulnerable children, young people, women and disadvantaged groups. We are registered with Lira district NGO forum and Lira district local government.

We have 25 members both males and females within the local area who were affected by the war in northern part of Uganda. We believe that if this age group is engaged within their communities today, we can produce the next generation of leaders.

ARYODI is dedicated to enhancing the well being of young people, children, women and families whose lives have been devastated by war, poverty and HIV/AIDS.

Our vision is to enable poor rural youth whose lives have been tragically impacted by the war, poverty and HIV/AIDS to become self-reliant and productive.

Diane: Which programme is ARYODI currently involved in?

Robert: ARYODI have come up with an entrepreneurial idea on bee keeping which is locally driven and has a great potential to contribute to sustainable development in our community and the country as well. We started bee keeping as a subsistence method to have honey for consumption within the community. Honey is sweet and medicinal and it also has wax and propolis which are both in high demand at local and international market and our members can earn a small income from the sell of honey, wax and propolis.

We have provided every member with a beehive and training to create a sustainable living, thereby improving income and livelihood.

In our plan for commercial bee farming, we are looking at lobbying funding to start a beekeeping project for commercial purpose and to set up a honey collecting and refinery centre where we can sell our honey direct to the world market.

In a bid to meet the European Union quality and market, we have started training our farmers on bee farming at a commercial basis, and what we are emphasizing most is the quality of honey we are going to produce not quantity and we have started this with training on how to harvest honey without any other residues that can affect the quality.

We are looking at setting up a bee training and demonstration site for tourist attraction, training centre in entomology and for doing researches.

We are also sponsoring five orphans who dropped out of primary leaving examination for a three year vocational skills training at Ave Maria Vocational Training and Youth Development Centre. These students could not continue with their studies, they are some child headed families and orphans but with potential to develop their community.

We did similar programmes in 2004 where we supported 10 students in vocational skills and 20 pupils in primary school with school fees, mattresses, blankets and scholastic materials.

Diane: How did you hear about the Commonwealth Youth Programme? What was your purpose for contacting us?

I first heard about the Commonwealth Youth Programme one morning late last year when I was surfing the net for organisations which might be willing to help organised youth groups like ourselves.

The purpose for contacting Commonwealth Youth Programme was;

• To support our group with 300 Kenya Top Bar (KTB) bee hives.
• To provide our group with training in commercial production of honey and its products.
• To help build a honey collection, refinery centre allowing locals the capacity to enter our local honey into the world market.
• To continue training ARYODI beekeepers in quality control.
• To help build a bee training site which would be used to generate additional income (tourist attraction or research facility) for the group.

Diane: How can young people from across the Commonwealth get involved in your programmes?

We want young people across the Commonwealth states to be our partners and to help us promote our idea to be a funded project. This partnership will enable rural, poor marginalised youth, women and children to create a sustainable income generating business and involve local families working together in many facets of the training and implementation.

We believe that beekeeping is a viable business and can create a sustainable living for young people who have been victims of war and poverty. It requires very little and allows our war affected youth, women and children, an opportunity to become self sufficient. Honey and beeswax are excellent cash crops with a ready local market and potential for world market. With the financial support we can provide more beehives and training needed to our local community composed of vulnerable young people, youth, women and children and allow them to take an active role in improving their plight.

Diane: Who can our readers contact for further information?

Young people across the globe can contact;

Mr. ROBERT OKODIA
The Programme Manager, ARYODI
Tel: Uganda +256-752-843446
+256 -775-126125
Email: rokodia@yahoo.com

ARYODI Profile