Month: September 2014

Can the Media Help Save the Peace Recovery and Development Project?

Posted on by

By Emily Mullins

In early July, the Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) met with members of the Northern Uganda Media Club (NUMEC) to discuss the Peace Recovery and Development Project (PRDP). First launched in October 2007, the PRDP sought to improve livelihoods in post-conflict Northern Uganda. Its stated objectives were to consolidate state authority, rebuild and empower communities, revitalise the economy, and to promote peace and reconciliation.

Individual projects to achieve these objectives included enhancing the rule of law, providing equipment and logistics to strengthen law enforcement, build and staff health centres, schools, and building roads, bridges, and market facilities. The plan also claimed that in the process, it would prioritise according to the concerns of the communities within which it was working.

Continue Reading →

Rural Monitors of Butiiti Sub County Advocate for Better Services

Posted on by

ToroDev has been highly involved in mentoring and supporting the initiation and strengthening the newly formed advocacy forums to champion the demanding of improved service delivery and democratic engagements through the use of ICT4D tools in the Rwenzori Region districts. ‘

Better Youths Life Forum’ in Butiiti Sub County, Kyenjojo District is one of the advocacy forums that have been formed by the 120 rural monitors who were trained by ToroDev in online advocacy, monitoring service delivery using online social media tools like Ushahidi plat form for online documentation, visualization and mapping.

Continue Reading →

Rwenzori Journalist Forum (RJF) Holds a Press Conference in Bundibugyo District

Posted on by

Rwenzori Journalist Forum (RJF) in partnership with Bundibugyo Media Practitioners’ Forum has held the 2nd monthly press conference on 9th September 2014, at Vanilla Hotel located in Bundibugyo Town. The 1st press conference was held in Fort Portal and was organized by Tooro Media Practitioners (TOMPA) in partnership with RJF. The monthly press conference which is supported by ToroDev is aimed at improving service delivery through timely engagements between local citizens and both local and central government leaders.

Continue Reading →

Rural Monitors Continue Advocating for Public Accountability and Better Services

Posted on by

In the month of August 2014, ToroDev evaluation team encouraged advocacy forums to work hand in hand with the local citizens and actively engage their leaders in physical meetings on FM radio stations. “Advocacy forums have been encouraged to have internal meetings to determine their activities and priorities independently without necessarily relying on ToroDev. Thirteen forums held meetings, and they will continue to hold monthly meetings with facilitation given to them from ToroDev to help them in carrying out mobilization”, said Amanya Shilla, ToroDev’s Monitoring and Evaluation Officer.

Continue Reading →

ICT and Governance in East Africa : Preliminary Fieldwork Findings (Part 2)- Apac and Lira

Posted on by

By Albert Otieno,

This is a brief summary of our preliminary findings from interviews and focus group discussions on thoughts of ICTs in governance from the CSOs, NGOs and the citizens in general in Apac and Lira, two towns in northern Uganda. One of the research questions sought to understand the challenges facing the society and how ICT tools can be used to address them.

Among the CSOs we interviewed were Citizen Action Platform (by The Apac Anti-Corruption Coalition), Kubere Information Centre, Concerned Children and Youth Association, Transcultural Psychosocial Organization, Corruption Brakes Crusade and Lira NGO Forum

For preliminary findings in the other Uganda study site, click here.

Continue Reading →

ICT and Governance in East Africa : Preliminary Fieldwork Findings (Part 1) Kampala and Fort Portal (Uganda)

Posted on by

The ICT and Governance in East Africa study explores the various ways in which ICT tools can/have successfully facilitated or hindered two way interaction between government and citizens towards effective public service delivery, curbing corruption and increasing transparency and accountability. Further we are looking into the innovative ICT initiatives that have facilitated the interaction between citizen and government as well as the (de)motivations for utilizing ICT tools among the various stakeholders (citizens, governments, civil society).

READ MORE ON THE PROJECT HERE.

Continue Reading →

My Work As A Leader Is To Improve Service Delivery, Alex Ruhunda

Posted on by

On 6th September 2014, the Member of Parliament of Fort Portal Municipality Hon Alex Ruhunda indicated his role as a leader. “My work as a leader is to deliver better services to my citizens. I did not come into office just to enjoy the opportunities, but to lobby for better services for the people of Fort Portal Municipality. People of Fort Portal need to work hard to see that our vision of having a city is realized”. Hon Alex was discussing on ToroDev’s live radio discussion called ‘Orukurato Program’, a 2hr weekly radio program that discusses issues of accountability every Saturday (08:00 – 10:00) pm.

Continue Reading →

ToroDev Trains Rural Monitors in Online Advocacy for Improved Service Delivery

Posted on by

ToroDev trained rural monitors from seven advocacy forums in the Rwenzori Region in using online tools to monitor service delivery. The maiden residential 2 days training involving seven leaders of advocacy forums, the coordinator of Rwenzori Journalist Forum and ToroDev staffs was held on 2nd – 3rd September 2012 at ToroDev resource center in Fort Portal Town. The training which is supported by ToroDev in partnership with CIDA was facilitated by Moses Owiny from WOUGNET. The training was intended to improve the skills of on line documentation and using online plat forms like Ushahidi, twitter, face book, u tube, blogging, and Skype.

Continue Reading →

ICT4Democracy in East Africa: Promoting Democracy and Human Rights Through ICTs

Posted on by

Established in 2011, ICT4Democracy in East Africa is a network of organisations working to promote democracy and human rights through Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Across the three countries, partners are leveraging on mobile short message service (SMS), toll free call centre, FM radio, social media, crowd sourcing platforms and direct community engagement to implement projects that tackle issues such as corruption, service delivery, respect for human rights, freedom of expression and access to information.

The projects are driven by the shared vision of the immense potential that ICTs have in increasing citizens’ participation in decision-making processes and strengthening democratization.

Continue Reading →

Kabarole Leaders Give Accountability Concerning The Health Sector

Posted on by

On 30th August 2014, leaders of Kabarole District appeared on HITS FM to give accountability concerning the Health Sector. “We have tried to deliver what the local citizens requested us when we were aspiring for our offices. We have built a maternity ward at Rwengaju Health Center III, and also planning to equip it with facilities like beds. We have also built a maternity ward at Nyabuswa Health Center in Mugusu Sub County, and planning to equip it with furniture”, said Hon Rwabuhinga Richard, the LCV Chairperson of Kabarole District, during ToroDev’s live radio discussion called ‘Orukurato Program’, a 2hr weekly radio program that discusses issues of accountability every Saturday (08:00 – 10:00) pm.

Continue Reading →