CONTEXT

The Karamoja sub region, located in the north-eastern Uganda, consists of nine districts of Kaabong, Kotido, Abim, Karenga, Nabilatuk, Moroto, Napak, Amudat and Nakapiripirit. The region experiences the highest rate of multidimensional poverty (76%) which is over the national average.

The poverty level is higher in the region due to a multiplicity of factors including limited employment opportunities, poor agricultural yields and animal production caused by droughts and unpredictable weather due to climate change and limited access to education and insecurity. The majority of poor people in Karamoja are women and youth, mainly as a result of the disproportionate access to productive resources such as land, cattle and income generating opportunities.

The region is further engulfed in cultural practices of cattle rustling for restocking, wealth distribution and bride price, competition over scarce natural resources such as water and pasture. These results in loss of lives and heightened orphan burden, rise in female headed households/widows and human trafficking; changing livelihoods systems, environmental destruction and food insecurity (famine and malnutrition).

The Karamoja region has already established community-based structures including social accountability platforms, farmers groups, VSLAs, ELA groups, male action groups, women's groups, PWD, youth and school groups, disaster committees, and other community-based structures that were set up by different Non-Government Organizations (NGOs).

Despite the existence of these structures that support the protection of women, girls, men and boys and other vulnerable groups from all forms of violence, access to services remains a challenge due to insecurity, lack of information, and capacity deficiencies, among others. 

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Oxfam in Uganda, the Communication for Development Foundation Uganda and UN Women are implementing a 9-month program dubbed “Empowering Communities for Comprehensive Accountability in Karamoja” (ECCAK) with funding support from The Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) through UN Women.

The program, will strengthen Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) in the Karamoja region by leading an initiative to strengthen and link community-based mechanisms for a collective AAP approach and feedback mechanisms, leveraging existing systems and structures to strengthen established complaint and feedback mechanisms such as the existing hotlines and regional PSEA network.

Project Aim

Strengthen the capacity of community-based structures in the Karamoja sub-region to participate in and play an active role in humanitarian and nexus decision-making, accountability platforms, and feedback mechanisms.

Project activities

  1. Conduct an AAP self-assessment, identify and map existing feedback mechanisms, and existing community-based structures with whom the UN system and other humanitarian/nexus actors work - in particular groups which target women, youth and marginalized groups. 
  2. Conduct consultations with community structures including the Social Accountability Forums, women and youth groups, District Local Government, and others to collect community perceptions and needs, preferred communication strategies and mechanisms for reporting sensitive matters (e.g., SEA and GBV), and other on localized approaches to AAP
  3. Build capacity of identified communities-based structures and humanitarian and development actors on IASC AAP actions and principles, including on PSEA, responding to allegations of GBV and VAC, and gender & inclusion
  4. Strengthen the link between community structures and existing complaint and feedback mechanisms
  5. Develop key messages and IEC materials, adapted and translated in local language, and disseminated through community structures, community radios, among others
  6. Equip community based structures and humanitarian actors (coordinated through AAP working group to HCT light and UNAC) for the collection of community perceptions to identify, standardize, gather, analyse and visualize data from community-based structures, triangulated with data from other feedback mechanisms, for effective decision making, course correction 
  7. Streamline accessible and rapid channels of communication between decision making structures (HCT light and UNAC) with affected populations.

Expected Results 

  • A dedicated AAP Working Group, under the Uganda Humanitarian Country Team “Light” (HCT-L), collaborating with the Inter-Agency PSEA Network, and emphasizing strong engagement from diverse entities
  • Tailored cost effective and sustainable AAP strategy 
  • Best practices for establishing AAP structures in unconventional responses
  • Recommendations based on findings to HCT-lite and UNAC

Implementing Organizations

  • Communication for Development Foundation Uganda
  • UN Women
  • Oxfam in Uganda

Duration

  • 8 months

Total Budget

  • €181,130

Funded By

  • UN Women through the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) 

Geographical Coverage

  • Karamoja sub-region.