Internatonal Day of the Youth is observed with a call to Change our World

On August 12th the world collectively celebrated the International Youth Day. This year’s international theme, “Change Our World” calls to young people to bring their energy, ideas and courage to the complex challenges facing them and the world.  In Uganda, such words of wisdom could not be more appropriate. With the world’s youngest population, Uganda, unfortunately also registers the world’s highest youth unemployment. 53% of the young people between 15-24 years are unemployed.  In a recent address to a students’ conference for 33 higher institutions of learning, President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda said that Uganda needs to create six million jobs over the next four years in order to absorb the youth coming into the labor market. With such a dire situation it is crucial that we heed the words of world leaders such as Banki Moon, United Nations Secretary-General who in his International Youth Day message 2011 called on nations to invest in young people, “Failing to invest in our youth is a false economy,”  “Investments in young people will pay great dividends in a better future for all.”

iCON Peace Building and Social Transformational Leadership Fellowship for Northern Uganda

Dear Leaders,

some of the fellows during Day 1 of the Seminar

Today marked day 1 of the first Leadership Enhancement Seminar for the iCON Peace Building and Social Transformational Leadership Fellowship for Northern Uganda.

This 5 day seminar will build the capacities of 30 young women from across the Acholi sub region in aspects of peace building and social transformation as well as entrepreneurship.

Fellows refecting during Day 1 of the seminar

These young women will each be given an opportunity to reflect on their individual leadership potential and their roles as peace building and social transformation champions, they will envision the possibilities of their own contribution to peace and achieving social transformation within their communities, they will also explore ways of addressing possible barriers to the realization of their leadership potential as peace building and social transformation champions in Acholi,  they will identify the nature of their individual and collective leadership commitment to innovative solutions for peace building and social transformation in Acholi.

Please join us on this amazing journey by following our daily updates on our blog and facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/iCON/225648787467943

compiled by: Sheila Kinaheirwe, Program Assistant Communication and Advocacy Program (CAP)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

July 2011 issue of the Academy-i Newsletter

World Population Day 2011 kicks off the 7 Billion Actions Campaign  

A poster calling for the need to emphasis reproductive health issues as the population hits 7 Million

The United Nations’ (UN) World Population Day was instituted in 1989 as a result of the Day of Five Billion which was marked on July 11, 1987. Since then, it has been annually observed on July 11 to reaffirm the human right to plan for a family. It encourages activities, events and information to help make this right a reality throughout the world.

 This year, as the world population is expected to surpass 7 billion, United Nation’s Population Fund (UNFPA) and partners are launching a campaign called 7 Billion Actions which aims to engage people, encourage commitment and spark actions related to the opportunities and challenges presented by a world of 7 billion people.

Currently in Uganda, the population stands at 33 million people with a growth rate of 3.2% per annum. It is because of this rapid population growth rate that Uganda commemorated the World Population Day under the theme “Uganda at 33 million: Time to act.” This theme calls on both the government of Uganda and its citizens to take steps to control the rapidly growing population.

The United Nations’ (UN) World Population Day was instituted in 1989 as a result of the Day of Five Billion which was marked on July 11, 1987. Since then, it has been annually observed on July 11 to reaffirm the human right to plan for a family. It encourages activities, events and information to help make this right a reality throughout the world.

 This year, as the world population is expected to surpass 7 billion, United Nation’s Population Fund (UNFPA) and partners are launching a campaign called 7 Billion Actions which aims to engage people, encourage commitment and spark actions related to the opportunities and challenges presented by a world of 7 billion people.

Currently in Uganda, the population stands at 33 million people with a growth rate of 3.2% per annum. It is because of this rapid population growth rate that Uganda commemorated the World Population Day under the theme “Uganda at 33 million: Time to act.” This theme calls on both the government of Uganda and its citizens to take steps to control the rapidly growing population.

With Uganda’s high population growth rate and the fact that over 50% of the population consists of young people, the majority of people have attributed the low levels of development to the high population.

A one-on-one with participants of the 2011 East Africa Women and Water Training Program

Participants in the 2011 East Africa Women and Water Training Program share their hopes and aspirations to be leadership icons in addressing water and sanitation challenges in their communities

Global Women’s Water Initiative’s Trainers

Elizabeth Akinyi Obiero,Kisumu, Kenya

Elizabeth Akinyi Obiero

Elizabeth is a GWWI Technology Trainer and a 2008 Grassroots Training Graduate. She is a professional nurse and counselor who has participated in a wide variety of community health workshops. In 2005, Elizabeth traveled to Zambia to receive basic WASH Training. In 2006, she attended an advanced training in United States of America. Now a certified WASH Trainer, Elizabeth works for Lifewater International as a WASH Facilitator and Trainer in Ethiopia, Mozambique, Rwanda and Kenya. When she isnt traveling with Lifewater International, Elizabeth is busy training women’s groups, churches and youth groups on proper water and sanitation techniques. Elizabeth is a graduate of GWWI’s 2008 Women and Water Training in Nairobi. During the training she learned different RWH techniques and has since become a stronger trainer and full time consultatn in WASH education in rural communities. These are her excerpts:

Question: What have you learnt from the training so far?

Elizabeth: We have learnt leadership skills and tips, about water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) technologies.

Question: What have you been doing in your community with regards to water and sanitation?

Elizabeth: In my community am a WASH Trainer and I have been training communities, schools and pupils. Pupils are mostly trained when schools are closed like in April, August and December. The reason why we do them during the holidays is to keep the pupils busy. We involve the teachers so that they can train and we initiate health clubs within the schools so these health club members ensure that WASH programs are running well. We also train the community members for continuity and even if the trained teachers are transferred we still have that continuity since the community members are also trained.

Question: What’s the whole idea behind WASH in your community?

Elizabeth: It is to make sure that the girl child attends school. In lower classes, the ratio of boys to girls attending school is 1:1. But as you move to upper classes, the number of girl children in school drops drastically because girls stay home to do household chores like fetching water, cleaning etc. So the aim is to improve girl child education, prolong their health, improve the lives of those living positively by providing clean water, good sanitation and hygiene.

Question: Going forward, how do you think this is going to impact on your work? What are you going to do differently?

Elizabeth: I am going to make sure communities know the different options of water treatment for example solar disinfection, use of chemicals, boiling etc. It will depend on what one can afford. When it comes to latrines, there is simple latrines, Ventilated Improved Pit latrines (VIP) and so on and this training has helped us appreciate the fact that everyone can have a latrine depending on the type they can afford.

“Am a serious wash trainer and a change maker”

REMINDER: Call for Fellowship Applications 2011! (iCON Northern Uganda Entrepreneurial and Transformation Leadership Fellowship) DEADLINE EXTENDED TO 19TH AUGUST 2011

iCON Northern Uganda Entrepreneurial and Transformation Leadership Fellowship

Icon Women and Young People’s Leadership Academy (iCON) under its Northern Uganda Entrepreneurial and Transformation Leadership Fellowship Programme invites applications from women aged 25 years above for 2011 fellowship.

Applicants should be persons working in any field of life in Acholi Sub-region (formal and informal sector) with a demonstrated interest and experience and commitment to mentor others in peace building and social transformation.

Application forms may be picked from iCON Gulu office on Onono Road, Tel. 0701375130, 0782926719, iCON Kampala office at Nakasenda House, Kasanga, Tel. 0701361190, 0314261190.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: 19TH AUGUST 2011

Please see flyer and Application form attached for more details.

Call for applications flyer – Women Leadership

Northern Uganda women leadership enhancement-Application form

Sheila Kinaheirwe
Program Assistant
Communication and Advocacy Program
Icon Women & Young People’s Leadership Academy

No 3 Nakasenda House, Plot 337,

 Block 254 Kansanga Nabutiti Zone

PO Box 5388, Kampala, Uganda.
Tel: +256-3120261190/414348780 (Office)
Mobile: +256 79 2 73 76 25
Email:sheila@iconwypla.org
www.iconwypla.org
Northern Uganda Office: Plot No 7 Onona Road
Gulu Town, Gulu District
Tel: +256 (0)372-275130

Celebrating Leadership in Education Gloryland Christian College continues to grow to great heights

This quarter  iCON profiles champions in the struggle to promote the right to education for all. Samson Gulooba, an iCON Faculty Member is the Director/ Co-founder of  Gloryland Christian College a High School located in Mpumudde, one of the slums in Timaka Division, Jinja Municipality, Eastern Uganda. He shared the inspiration leadership journey that he taken to transform his dream of having an affordable but quality school in one of the most impoverished communities in Uganda. Here are the excerpts:

Samson Gulooba

Question: What inspired you to start this school?

Gulooba: “Mpumudde is a community of very low income earners and is connected to Masese and Walukuba, a place where the Karamajong immigrant settlers live. We decided to start the school in 2002 after we had come to the realization that children in the area were not continuing with their secondary school education because the schools in the area were very expensive and far from the slum communities they called home. After consultation with two friends who shared the same concerns, we approached a community church in the area which was able to donate land on which we started the school. For 3-5 years, we mobilized personal funds to keep the school running. Today I am glad to say that we remain the only school in the area that charges less than Uganda Shillings 100,000 per term. We have also been able to partner with government in provision of Universal Secondary Education.”

Urgent Action in favour of Street Children

This year the day of the African child was celebrated under the theme , “All Together for Urgent Action in favour of Street Children.” A number of activities were organised to celebrate the African child in Uganda. The Tumaini Awards were held to honor those individuals, Corporations, business persons and organizations that have gone an extra mile in the protection and promotion of the rights of children.
iCON celebrated the Day of the African child in Northern Uganda and visited Gulu Police School and Alliance High School where students were sensitized on the relevance of  this day. Students then participated in an art competition organized by iCON. In this competition they were encouraged to reflect on this year’s National theme of the Day of the African Child and solutions to the ever going problem of street children. The students would then express what they felt were the solutions through art work.