The internship report discusses an internship with Lwemodde Farmers' Cooperative Society in Uganda from June-August 2015. The report focuses on HIV/AIDS, disabilities, and poverty eradication efforts of the organization. Key activities of the cooperative discussed include providing treatment and support for people living with HIV/AIDS, fighting stigma, granting microloans through a SACCO program to reduce poverty, and supporting people with disabilities. The report also examines the community-based structure and operations of the cooperative, as well as projects to improve livelihoods such as cattle distribution, solar power initiatives, and planned beekeeping programs.

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MUTEESA 1 ROYAL UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF SOCIAL CULTURE AND DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
EPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WORK AND SOCIAL ADMINISTRATION
A REPORT ON AN INTERNSHIP AT LWEMODDE FARMERS COOPERATIVE
DEVELOPMENT SOCIETY LIMITED FROM 6th
june 2015 to 6th
august 2015
BY
LUKONGE ACHILEES
REGISTRATION NUMBER 14/U/BWASA/271/M/D
AN INTERNSHIP REPORT SUBMITED TO THE FACULTY OF SOCIAL CULTURE
AND DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE IN
SOCIAL WORKAND SOCIAL ADMINISTRATION OF MUTEESA 1
ROYAL UNIVERSITY KIRUMBA MASAKA CAMPUS
NAMEOF STUDENT…………………………………….LUKONGEACHILEES
SIGNATURE…………………………………………….. DATE
NAMEAND SIGNATUREOF FIELD SUPERVISOR.
NAME……………………………… SIGNATURE
DATE…………………………
STAMP

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DECLARATION:
I lukonge achilees afirst year student persuing inbachelor of social work and
social administrationunder registrationno 14/U/BSWASA/271/M/D.
declare that this report is my original work and it is nerver submittedto
any institutionof higher and learning na word of academic requirements,
therefore, for any mistake, I take full responsibility andstandto be
corrected.

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TABLEOF CONTENT
(i)DECLARATION
(ii)ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
(iii)ABSTRACT
(iv)LISTOFFIGERES
(v)LISTOFTABLES
(vi)LISTOFABREVIATION
CHAPTER ONE
1:1 INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 1-2
1:2 BACKGROUNDTO THE ORGANIZATION ANDTOTHE INTERNSHIP………………………………………2-3
1:3 OBJECTIVEOF THE INTERNSHIP……………………………………………………………………………………………3-4
1:4 STRUCTURE OF THE ORGANIZATION WITHFOCUSON THE DEPARTMENT ATTACHED TO……….4-6
1:5 MAJOR ACTIVITIESWITHEMPHASIS ON THE DEPARTMENT ATTACHED TO………………………………6-9
CHAPTER TWO
2:1 DUTIES ANDRESPONSIBILITYOFTHE INTERNEE………………………………………………………………………10-11
2:2 ROLE OF WORK PLACESUPERVISOR……… .……………………………………………………………………………12
2:3 CONTRIBUTION TO THE ORGANIZATION…………………………………………………………………………………14
2:4 NEW KNOWLEDGE ANDSKILLS GAINEDFROM INTERNSHIPPROGRAMME……………………………………17
2:5 DEGREE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT…………………………………………………………………….……………………………….19

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2:6 PREPARATION ANDFIELDWORK…………………………………………………………………………………………20
2:7 RELATIONSHIPWITH OTHER STAFF …………………………………………………………………………………21
2:8 WORK RELATED PROBLEMS AND THEIR DIRECT IMPACT ON THE ORGANIZATION……………24
2:9 CHALLENGES WHEN UNDERTAKINGINTERNSHIPANDREMEDIES…………………………………………………26
CHAPTER THREE
3:1 HIV/AIDSASCONTEMPORARYPROBLEMAFFECTINGTHE WORLD………………………………………………..29
3:2 ADDRESSINGTHE CAUSES,IMPACTS,ANDSOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM…………………………………………31
3:3 POVERTYAS A CONTEMPORARYPROBLEM……………………………………………………………………………..32
3:4 POVERTYERADICATION STRATEGY………………………………………………………………………………………..35
CONCLUSION
4:1 FUTURE PROSPECTS OF LFCOSL………………………………………………………………………………………………38
4:2 STRENGTH OF LFDCOSL…………………………………………………………………………………………………………39
4:3 WEAKNESS OF LFDCOSL…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..40
RECOMMENDATIONS/IMPROVE SERVICE DELIVERY/PERFORMANCE OF THE ORGANIZATION/WORK
PLACE
TO THE UNIVERSITY……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………41
TO THE ORGANISATION…………………………………………………………………………………………………..41
APPENDICES………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………44
4:5 REFERENCE…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….45

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ABSTRACT
Thisinternshipconsistsof backgroundtothe internshipandtothe organizationwhichislwemodde
farmersdevelopmentcooperative societylimited,objectivesof the internship,structure of the
organisaion,majoractivitieswithemphasisonthe departmentattachedtowhichall insectionone,
I furtherexplaineddeeply rolesanddutiesof the internee,rolce of workplace supervisor,contribution
to the organization,newskillsgainedfrominternshipprogramme,degree of accomplishement,
preparationandfieldwork,relationshipwithotherstaff members,workrelatedproblemandtheir
directimpactto the organization,andchallengeswhenundertakingfieldwork.whichisinchaptertwo.
I continuedtohighlightdeeplyinrelatingHIV/AIDS,asa probleminthe contemporallywordwhich
needsspecial attention,addressingthe causesandhow itcan be solved, still ondevastatingproblem,I
highlightedpovertyasacontemporallyproblem, andhow itcanbe eradicated,itisinchapterthree.
The lastlyinconclutionIexplainedthe future prospect,streangthandweaknessof lwemodde farmers
developmentsocietylimited.Followedbyrecommendationandreferences.

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LIST OF FIGURES
i……………………………………………………………………………45…………………………………………….
ii………………………………………………………………………………46………………………………………..
iii…………………………………………………………………………………47……………………………………..

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LIST OF TABLES
i……………………………………………………………………………………37……………………………

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LIST OF ABBREVIATION:
LFCO Lwemodde farmers cooperative.
DEV’T Development
M.C/S Micro credit/ saccol
LFCOSL Lwemodde farmers cooperative society limited
ESP. Especially

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INTRODUCTION,
This internship report deals with my internship with Lwemodde Farmers’ Co-operative
Society, Ltd., in Kyesiiga sub-county, Masaka District, in June-August 2015.
Thematically, the discussion in this report revolves around HIV/AIDS, disabilities, and
poverty eradication as social and economic issues.
The report particularly deals with development efforts that try to mitigate the social and
economic effect of both for individuals living with HIV/AIDS, disabilities, and for society at large;
while also trying to reduce poverty-related vulnerability to HIV/AIDS in affected families.
The report also deals with providing support to impoverished people in Kyesiiga sub-
county through development program me intervention as well as treatment for people living
with HIV/AIDS and disabilities as a way to fight stigma against AIDS.
The report also revolves around micro-credit/SACCO of Lwemodde as a way to reduce
poverty through granting loans and saving and particularly ensure financial self-sufficiency for
poor people and people living with disabilities.
The report discusses methods to evaluate the impact of micro-credit/SACCO schemes
and benefits and challenges of trying to conduct participatory training as a way to improve the
loan takers’ skills in running small-scale business/discuss the challenges with engaging in
various capacity building efforts including discussing issues of sustainability and the dilemmas
of sending development experts from a foreign country to a local organization.

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Finally I also reflect upon the outcomes of the internship both for the cooperative and
their development objectives at large and personally for me.
In this context I also reflect upon how and to what extent the qualification/experience I
gained from my previous education at Muteesa I Royal University were useful in this internship.
Background of the organisation
Lwemodde Farmers’ Cooperative Society, Ltd. is the branch of the large organization
“Masaka Association of Disabled Persons Living with HIV/AIDS (MADIPHA), based in Lwemodde
Village, Kyesiiga sub-county, Masaka district.
Lwemodde Farmers’ Cooperative Society, Ltd. started in 2011 when it was called
“Lwemodde Youth Group” and it turned into a cooperative in 2014 due to maturity and
transformation of members.
Councilor Bbaale Mudashiru in 2011, in collaboration with other members like Lusiba
Mikidadi, Kayondo Betty, Ssemujju Galas, Ssekalaala Gerald, Lusiba Joseph, Bukenya Junior,
Katongole Peter and a number of volunteers in Kyesiiga community, started a cooperative to
eradicate poverty among people in Kyesiiga community.
The cooperative soon expanded its services to various social support services and later
sensitization efforts from 2014 Lwemodde Cooperative Society was able to offer people loans
through SCCO, HIV treatment, disability help and counseling, and is able to expand by
introducing various projects like solar power, lightning rod distribution, animal projects through

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distribution of exotic breeds of cattle, and SACCO project; in addition beekeeping project is also
soon going to be introduced.
In my internship I was associated with their SACCO department, and this SACCO has
existed since 2010. It provides small loans to clients and volunteers of Kyesiiga sub-county to
encourage income-generating activities.
Backgroundof internship
interniship programme is the requirements of faculty of social culture and development studies
for the award of any academic qualification, where student of social work and social
administration in their second year, are given there introduction letters and application letters
which are presented to the organizations of their own wish requesting for places of internship.
The student applied to the managing director, and I was admitted following an acceptance
letter to the student which is copied to social culture and development studies. And the
internship run for two month that is from 6th June to 6th August. 2015.
Objectives of internship:
Basically my internship was not bad, because I used to reflect what was on the paper,
The following are the objectives of internship,
To put in practice was taught in lecture room, since we are basically on theory, so in
coming to the internship we should reflect what studied in the lecture room in practice to help
the community to develop strategies on the important matters concerning with development.

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To identify the weakness and strength of community members. This comes with their
capacity to empower themselves and develop strategies of development. So it is my concern to
identify their capacity and weaknesses.
To examine problems affecting the people of kyesiiga. And to suggest possible solution
on how they can be controlled, this could state all the sectors like In terms of economy, health,
political, and social sectors.
To identify and examine , the degree in which Lwemodde cooperative helps their client
to solve some problems, and their capacity toward community developments, this could be
seen in its effort to put their strategies and projects on how the devastating problems hit the
community can be eliminated.
To identify and examine the future prospects of Lwemodde cooperative and find out
what potential is it delivering the service delivery to local communities. This could be seen in its
objectives and goals toward community development.
To find out the other sectors of the government and how far in delivering the social service to
the local communities. This could be seen, to its designs or channels in which social services are
passed to the people or beneficially in kyesiiga Sub County.
Structure of the organization
Lwemodde farmers cooperative society limited, was divided into four major
departments; that is to say; the executive board which control all the economic activity carried

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out in kyesiiga, this department was composed of senior supervisors in each community which
facilitate and mobilize whatever is carried out in that community.
as ADMINISTRATION
GOVERNING BOARD
Subcounty
Kyesiiga
governingboard
Kyesiiga
managingdirectors
Sub-countycounty
chief:
Sub-county
treasurer. ChairmanLc3
KyesiigaVillage
LC1
Lwemodde
farmers
cooperative
Chair
person
Vicechair
person
Secret-
ary
Treasurer Publicity Spokes
person
Manager

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As a community based
An important part of Lwemodde Farmers Cooperative Society’s development strategy is
the idea of being community-based. LFC is community based on a number of levels, firstly
because about 95 percent of volunteers running the cooperative are members of Kyesiiga. The
remaining volunteers live in nearby proximity.
Secondly, LFC has various community outreach and sensitization efforts aimed at raising
awareness about important aspects of cooperative like solar project sensitization, lightning
rods, beekeeping, cattle rearing, and preventing HIV/AIDS and fighting stigma. Volunteers set
up HIV/AIDS prevention activities through attending meetings, schools in Kyesiiga.
Kyesiiga sub-county is sub-divided into L1 communities, and some communities have
supervisors focused on mobilizing activities of the cooperative.
Major activities withemphasis ondepartment attached
Lwemodde Farmers’ Cooperative engages in many activities that best suit the
department attached to, and the following are some of the activities they carry out which best
suit my department. In this matter while conducting my field work, I found myself every day I
was assigned with different activity due to a number of activities. But on every Wednesday I
used to visit KAMULEGU HEALTH CENTRE 3 basically to the people living with HIV/AIDS. For
counseling and drug distribution. That’s why I suggest to lay my emphasis to conduct in depth
interviews to people living with HIV/AIDS.

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Beside that I also intervened in a number of activities as detailed below; in which
Lwemodde cooperative work upon them.
Providing support and treatment for the people living with HIV/AIDS through
introduction and provision of holistic health care: medical, social, emotional and spiritual
support.
Lwemodde also fights stigma (meant to contribute to increasing testing for HIV,
encouraging testing by promoting a view that being HIV positive does not equal impending
death or total hopelessness; see secondary encourage HIV positive not to infect others and be
open about being infected.
Thirdly, reduce poverty-related vulnerability to HIV/AIDS in affected families through
social support to people living with HIV/AIDS.
They grant loans and save money through SACCO/micro-credit as a way to improve
social welfare for poor people and those starting up small businesses.
The idea is consequently that poverty can be reduced if poor people have access to
credit with which to make investments in their livelihoods.
SACCO as development strategy falls well in line with development rationales on limiting
aid dependency, promoting empowerment in various ways. One critique that can be directed
toward such strategies is that they do not take into account various structural barriers that may

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limit poor people’s abilities to help themselves out of poverty, and that such strategies tend to
promote view hat poverty to some extent is a problem people have brought on themselves.
Therefore the aimof SACCO is defined with a rationality of providing poor people,
people living with HIV/AIDS and disabilities a second chance in life and in that sense to help a
group of people whose socioeconomic situation from the outset is very poor, and whose entire
situation is highly vulnerable.
LFC provides support to people living with disabilities; since Kyesiigasub-county is
composed of L1 communities, around 15 percent of the total population is disabled, with one
leg, deaf, blind, etc. Therefore, Lwemodde has stated a clear way to help these people through
counseling, coordinating with experts and agencies for help, and providing equipment.
LFC has various projects which aimat improving financial stability of community
members. These include:
 Exotic cattle project which has high quality breed: to the community members to earn
income from milk and other products.
 Solar project, currently extended to almost every community, which also aims at
improving financial sustainability.
 Lightning rod project: Provided by cooperative together with external organizations
from America which spearheaded this project to control disasters caused by lightning.
They brought experts to teach people their use and how to handle them; now they help
people at Kyesiiga since the area is surrounded by water.

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 Agricultural products, like encouraging people to adopt extensive farming to earn more
income from traditional modes of subsistence. Start growing pineapple, passion fruit,
coffee, vegetables on large scale.
 Beekeeping/apiculture project which is a current project spearheaded by American
intern Matt Boomer under FSD in cooperation with American investors to start up
apiculture project in Kyesiiga sub-county. This was seen as a supportive strategy on how
to reduce poverty.
Lwemodde Farmers Cooperative also provides business skills and knowledge on how people of
Kyesiiga can adopt ideas of starting up small-scale business and how they can run them
effectively. They do this through organizing business workshops and advertising through flyer
method; which changed people’s mind toward business in Kyesiiga
The government financial departments use Lwemodde Cooperative as a base to deliver
services to the community members of Kyesiiga and Lwemodde board uses these supervisors to
extend services in their areas.
For the issue of SACCO, Lwemodde uses these supervisors to locate clients, and visit
clients who have applied for loans or missed repayment.
The community based approach also ensures utilization of resources available in the
community and ensures success in the services provided by having on the ground access and
knowledge of the community that is served.

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CHAPTER TWO:
Duties andresponsibility of the internee.
After arriving to the cooperative I was given many tasks to perform together with my fellow
internee. And the following are the duties and responsibilities I had to perform;
To document and examine the effects of SACCO scheme, in the light of the goal of
improving social welfare as one component of holistic model of care for poor people, small
business owners and people with HIV and disabilities.
To improve the functioning of the SACCO program me including developing business
training for clients and these were to be achieved through three activities:
 Conducting research focusing on the extent to which LLFC reaches its goal of
increasing self-sufficiency among its clients. The research was to answer the
following questions: How and to what extent have the loans and business training
helped clients achieve self-sufficiency? What challenges are there?
 Participate in discussion on how to improve business training by suggesting and
discussing the new participatory approaches with Lwemodde cooperative staff and
by using research findings to identify key challenges.

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 Initiate and participate in discussions on how to improve the Lwemodde cooperative
programme on the basis of research findings: I was able to suggest and work out a
more appropriate specification of the internship tasks with LFC staff.
To collect data and analyses and to document information about the growing challenges
and problems affecting people in Kyesiiga sub-county by examining health, economic, social
and political sector approaches.
Conduct research focusing on to what extent have Kyesiiga health department and
other departments reached its goal of helping people with disabilities get assistance and to
what extent have HIV/AIDS been controlled and eliminated.
The research was to answer the following: How and to what extent has the assistance
provided to clients helped them be relieved or in good situation? Which challenges in
achieving better life can be identified and what solutions/strategies can be implemented?
To provide support to the HIV/AIDS infected people through counseling, distribution of
drugs and participation in HIV/AIDS promotion. In doing so, I drafted time table that on
every Wednesday I had to visit Kamulegu to carry out data collection on affected clients,
distributing ARVs and ceptrine to clients and carrying counseling.
To develop an idea of promoting a developmental strategy to people living with
disabilities in Kyesiiga sub-county, and in doing so I was able to formulate some activities on
what I can do to help the disabled, like developing a strategy of constructing stands for lame
people to gain momentum of moving.

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Role of work place supervisor:
The collection of data for the research was conducted in June-July. The field work
consisted of a quantitative investigation and qualitative, based on 6 in-depth interviews with
clients especially those infected with HIV/AIDS.
The in-depth interviews were conducted every Wednesday of the week in order to
better know the kind of question I wanted to ask and to allow me to select respondents from
the quantitative investigation that would represent the various trends I had observed during
field work.
I collaborated closely with Lwemodde staff and community network in order to conduct
my field work. They helped me identify and locate clients in the various areas around Kyesiiga
sub-county for the interviews.
Sometimes I acted as interpreter to the American student Matt Boomer who was also
among the team we are working with, due to the ability to know both English and Luganda,
since some staff members were not hearing well the accent on the American intern.
Furthermore staff members and supervisor helped me and functioned as translators
when I needed both when filling my questionnaire and for the in-depth interviews.

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For the quantitative investigation the clients were interviewed in their homes, at their
business premises or at Lwemodde cooperative offices – wherever it was possible to locate
them.
The in-depth interviews primarily conducted in the homes of the respondents to allow
for confidentiality and no disturbances.
At this time I had already begun working on my thesis which deals with HIV/AIDS issues,
and felt well prepared in these aspects of the internship.
Contributiontothe organization:
The result of my effort to participate in improving and introducing development
projects where that new projects were added to Lwemodde cooperative; these projects
include; bee keeping project brought by American internee matt boomer
I was great influential in proving support to the cooperative in terms of coordination,
language interpretation, encouragement, and raising views.
Since the project designer matt boomer, is foreign, so he is not much aware of all
the language diversities existed here in Uganda so the only alternative is to use those
who can be able to communicate effectively, therefore was given the task to act as
interpreter.
Therefore by the time I leave Lwemodde cooperative, the bee-keeping project
was developed and even the membership increased.

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Secondary I performed greatly in project mobilization all over kyesiiga sub
county, in this I was able to reach in over 20 communities, trying to allocate, mobilize
projects like solar project, lightening rod project, livestock project ,etc.
Furthermore I was able to participate in various meetings concerning toward
development issues and health issues. By my time of stay, I was able to conduct and
participate in more than 7 meetings, include those in health concerning issues,
economic issues, social, political and others, whose aim is to modify and make changes
to the community basically in poverty eradication strategy and health improvement:
On the health sector, in which I laid my emphasis, I was able to collect data,
document and make analysis on the health status in kyesiiga sub county, this was
followed with intensive counseling, sensitization and drug distribution to the clients
infected both with HIV/AIDS and others with disabilities.
I and my internee from both kyambogo and America, we visited many areas in
trying to educate and sensitize people about the dangers of HIV/AIDS, its cause,
impacts, and can be controlled.
This was done in schools, like Builiro secondary school, katikamu primary, bright
star primary as well as health centers, kamulegu health centre 111.as well as conducting
meetings at kyesiiga sub county head quarters. to raise awareness to the people of
kyesiiga.

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To the issue of disability, I and my colleague, we managed to construct stands to
those people especially lame children, abbey and Brenda, for them to gain momentum
and strength to walk or move. That was a great success to my side because what we
have designed showed a great impact to bright future of such children.
On the economic issues, I was very determined to come into contact with
Lwemodde cooperative farmers especially those engaged in extensive farming.
commonly engaged in growing pineapples, passion fruits and coffee, to exchange ideas
about the modern and best farming methods and how can be adopted considering the
available resources and conditions
Therefore it was a great for me because I managed to develop great ideas and
adopted by farmers of LWEMODDE COOPERATIVE. In addition they learnt how to
calculate business, be in line to know the current cost, profits and record keeping,
current market, were to sell produce because most farmers used to sell off their
produce to the nearby markets at relatively low price .
Furthermore, in trying to eradicate poverty in kyesiiga. Lwemodde cooperative is
very influential in that sector. So I and my internee, we developed flyers to be supplied
to the community members in advertising the projects and other activities going on in
the cooperative.

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New knowledge and skills gained from internship:
Many skills and knowledge I gained in this internship, as conducted below;
Leadership skill,. This is shown basically during my time of survey as I used to
lead the group I was working with it. Furthermore since the staff directors are typical
politicians, their fore I learned a lot from them.
Interpreting skills. In my time of internship I used to interpret to the America
internee matt boomer about what was going on in the cooperative, at the same time I
used to explain what matt boomer trying to say in regard to ease the communication
between matt and the staff.
Interviewing skill, in that sense, while conducting my internship,
especially at Kamulegu health centre 3 and other places in collecting data about
people living with disability, I used to interview, clients about their life status, I
did this thru in depth interviews.
Ethnographic method of observation skill, this is the use of your naked
eyes to see objects and make analysis on them in a given phenomena. Therefore
while conducting a field work, I used to observe the situation in kyesiiga as well
as what is taking place in all aspects; that is to say health, political, economic,
religious, and cultural aspects, and analyze its impact and causes.
Counseling and sensitization skills. While conducting my field work, I was
able to visit many areas ,where I used to counsel clients especially in client’s

25. xxv
home place, health centers, schools, at Lwemodde office, at kyesiiga
headquarters and in the way, this gave me confidence and determination to put
theory into practice.
Coordinating skill, I used my knowledge I studied in my lecture room to
practicum since it’s my first time to conduct the internship at a profession level
their fore, I coordinated with the staff members and individual people in
kyesiiga. That’s why such coordination helped me in collecting data since those
people helped me in allocating clients and in filling questionnaire.
Follow up and monitoring skill, this is where you used to monitor and
follow up the tasks you did, to see its performances or failures, and where there
is a need to change,. In this matter I used to follow up to the client to see their
status, in order to acquire relationship or rapport building, this was a great
achievement to my side since what I constructed worked.
Sensitization and mobilization skill, during my time of stay I was required
to mobilize and sensitize people about the growing challenges affecting the
people of kyesiiga, so in that matter I conducted some meeting with the aimof
teaching people about HIV/AIDS, its impact and how to control that disease,.
Budgeting and accountability skill, this basically helps in showing simple
plan and calculation of business sector to know the losses and profits gained.
Therefore since I was one of internee in the business sector, I was able to learn
business calculation and business planning.

26. xxvi
Project planning and designing skill, I moved together which project
designer matt boomer. And I learned a lot how to design a project and best suit
with the situation, or environment, this comes together with my little skill on
entrepreneurship. This gave an upper hand to learn easily after scanning the
environment.
Computer skill, this comes together with my skills in computing,
therefore this acted as an additional tools to what I knew, after the staff
members understood my experience in computing, they decided to give me the
right to document the cooperative documents and to teach some members
about computing . Therefore in that process I was in line to master computer.
Degree of accomplishment
After completing the field work, I began analyzing the research data and writing
a report on the findings. I chose to write a report including all tasks/activities carried out
on people living with HIV/AIDS in Kyesiiga. I and Lwemodde staff members and other
professionals from Kampala, Masaka and community volunteers, organized a meeting
on 16/06/2015 held at Kyesiiga sub-county headquarters.

27. xxvii
The aim of the meeting:
 Initiate and participate in discussion on how to improve service delivery to
people with HIV/AIDS and disabilities.
 Participate in discussion on what challenges there are in trying to improve social
service delivery and whether there is need to change.
 Point out the causes of HIV/AIDS in Kyesiiga and why it still exists and affects
many families in this sub-county.
 Initiate and participate in ways of eliminating and controlling HIV/AIDS.
Many isues are raised and we have send a clear message to the people in charge,
Among the ideas include:, distribution of ARVS, and ceptrine as the way of fighting AIDS,
distribution of condoms in health centres and sensitizing people about the dangers of HIV/AID
and suggest solution which can be done through extensive counseling.
Other activities inwhichI was successful include:
 Sensitizing people about HIV/AIDS and its dangers
 Conducting meeting and participating to discuss isues affecting cmty.
 Counseling and distributing drugs to HIV/AIDS infected families
 Mobilizing people toward empowerment through starting small scale business
 Project boosting and development through mobilization for increasing membership
 Collecting data and making analysises on the collected data.
 Constructing stands to people living with disability especially lame people.

28. xxviii
Preparationand fieldwork
Before arriving in Kyesiiga, I prepared myself for the internship by reading both
MADIPHA and Lwemodde cooperative documents, manual and various reports.
When I arrived in Kyesiiga, I spent the first couple of days getting acquainted with
Lwemodde as a cooperative and what tasks we were undertaking.
This included: Three days orientation in all different departments. Following, I took
about 1.5 months to prepare for data collection for the research. During that time I developed
the research topics, the HIV/AIDS prevention strategy, conducted focus group discussions to
gain greater insight into the context, and developed a questionnaire including testing and
combination of HIV/AIDS patients in Kyesiiga sub-county.
I started my field work in the second week of my internship, where Lwemodde cooperative
staff and community member help me in allocating clients where they are, I used to conduct my
field work following the drafted duties I was assigned to perform.
In this matter I arranged my time table, and prepared all the requirements which I could use
in my field and data collection.

29. xxix
Relationship with other staff
One of the great factor which enabling me to achieve success in my internship is the great
love, care and hospitality of community members, whereby I did not found any difficulty during
data collection because I was working closely with everyone in the community.
Furthermore, many times while conducting field work in far distant communities from the
cooperative that is to say, while traveling to kamulegu health centre, ddimo landing site
lwaggulwe, buliro, gayaaza and many others I was helped by community members I terms of
transport, sometimes I used to go to those places with their vehicles.
In addition I worked closely with Lwemodde staff and other members to direct me where to
go as it was recommended on my time table, they sometimes provides me with food and drinks
since some places are impassible and raggedly terrain, and when their condition is not
favorable, so I was given drinks and food which boosted the smooth running of my internship in
kyesiiga.
Work related problems and their direct impact to the cooperative:
From the beginning of this cooperative, it has been quit challenge us since the staff
members who started up this cooperative are limited in number, so it provoked more problems
to sustain all the activities.

30. xxx
The following are some of major problem which greatly affect the smooth growing and
expansion of the cooperative
Limited working space.
The total land covered by Lwemodde cooperative is small about 1.5 acre compared to
the departments they have and actually they found it difficult for them to work properly since
they have number of activities which requires space
Limited membership.
This was a great challenge for this cooperative to pursue its objectives and strategies, in
loan department people in the community are still un aware to know the importance of saving,
and granting loans from the cooperative Sacco.
Inadequate capital.
Since most of the activities requires money, that’s to say; solar projects, animal and
agricultural project, bee keeping projects and among others, requires money to buy the in puts
and requirements to boost its development, in this matter since it is a non government
cooperative most of funds are came from donors which in most cases not enough to sustain all
the activities carried out by this projects.
Poor geographical location.
Lwemodde cooperative is located 47 kilometers from the main road Masaka kyotera
road, it has two main routes where you can pass to Lwemodde cooperative offices, the first
route is from kaliisizo to ddimo road and another is from Masaka to ddimo. Which are mar am

31. xxxi
road. Therefore this retards its development in terms of transport costs and limited access to
social services like roads, hospitals’ schools and electricity.
Inadequate staff members or workers.
For any sector to develop it requires a well stocked working staff. This in turn a major
problem in Lwemodde cooperative since the governing board is not enough and those in other
department. Therefore there is need of more workers to facilitate and boost the development
of Lwemodde cooperative.
Challenges experiencedduring internshipandremedies:
The process of conducting a research was in sense successful, I was particularly bit
surprised that I managed to keep all the deadlines I had set for myself.
However the research might actually have suffered a bit from my need to keep the
deadlines, the following are the challenges I experienced mostly during my internship,
Language barrier, I found it difficult to collect data from the clients especially whose
language contradicts from what I know, since I am barked with mostly luganda and English,
therefore it was quit challenge us to get data from northerners and south eastern languages.
But I was able to back it using my friend for interpretation.

32. xxxii
Transport problem, sometimes we managed to walk by foot while conducting field work
and data collection, so it was difficult for me to walk long distances collecting data. Where at
times weather is not favorable. But later we are provided with a car
Poor working environment in terms of over working. This sometimes casted me a lot since
sometimes I used to work and exceed the time I had to finish, this is most especially when I
conducted data survey in deep villages and made me difficult to finish in time. But later, we are
given time to rest.
UN favorable climatic condition. Since the internship is conducted in summer period of
June- august, it was very difficult for me to conduct in depth survey since there was too much
sunshine. And sometimes I failed to work due to hotness. But we managed to cope up through
provision of cold drinks.
Expensiveness of basic needs. In this I found it difficult to reach my needs due to
expensiveness of basic needs, like, food, water and other basic individual requirements,
therefore hunger and thirsty hit me a lot which deducts the speed in collecting data from the
clients. This is solved where by some times we are given free food
Scarcity in Water, and health facilities, so far it was quite difficult to me to run things
appropriately, one of the most problem in kyesiiga is water and health facilities to be scarce, in
this, they depend on well and pond water, which also located in deep villages ,but we managed
fetch water to nearby well showed by members.

33. xxxiii
CHAPTER THREE:
In my internship, conducted in kyesiiga’ Lwemodde village, in my experience and what I was
taught in lecture room, I preferred to put much emphasis to the people living with HIV/AIDS
and disabilities and how they can be controlled, therefore I reflect my knowledge and skills
toward research work which I conducted through intensive investigation, and in depth
interviews, this came since Lwemodde cooperative engaged in a number of activities, which we
conducted.
Therefore I used to prepare myself in collecting data, making research, and analysis’s on the
collected data, and in this matter, I developed my questionnaire and interview questions which
I used to ask client especially when I visited health centers and their home premises,
The theories I picked are; HIV/AIDS as contemporary problem affecting the global world, and
the uniformity of social problems affecting the whole world.
Therefore through my research I was able to assess the causes of HIV/AIDS in kyesiiga, its
impacts to the people and suggestion of basic remedies to overcome them.
Addressing the causes of Hiv/Aids
The debate over what has caused the HIV/AIDS epidemic, especially in sub-Saharan
Africa, has been heated at times, some scholars argue that the spread has for too long been
understood as a result of peculiar “African sexuality” and exotic cultural practices and as a
result prevention efforts have had a far too great emphasis on individual behavior change (Still

34. xxxiv
wagon 2006, Shoept 2004, Appong and Kalipeni 2004, Campbell 2003). Such scholars have
argued for an understanding of the spread as caused by a complex combination of various
structural factors, including historical, social, political, economic, medial, biological, gender.
In mainstream developing policy and strategies, particularly poverty, gender inequality,
war and conflict, the large presence of untreated STDs have for long been understood as
important underlying factor to the spread of HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS 2001, 2004, USAID 2006,
DANIDA 2005).
Although HIV/AIDS is thus understood as a multifaceted problem in mainstream
development policy, it is most often addressed quite narrowly from other development issues,
as a question of behavior change and condom distribution and preventing mother to child
transmission (Still wagon 2006).
Lwemodde cooperative’s approach to preventing and addressing HIV/AIDS can be seen
to be a bit broader than narrow behavior change interventions since not only is prevention
combined with treatment, it is combined with holistic care that also has socioeconomic and
community aspects.
I find the effort to reduce poverty especially crucial especially when you consider all the
different ways poverty can increase the spread of HIV/AIDS.

35. xxxv
However Lwemodde cooperative’s approach still remains lmited to the development each
individual is helped to achieve in his or her own life. The focus is on helping the individual and
not to great extent addressing larger societal structures, and furthermore the efforts to reduce
poverty mostly focused on those families.
Furthermore, Lwemodde as a cooperative is limited to a specific area of Kyesiiga. This is
a deliberate choice in Lwemodde because it is defined as community based.
But it also means that in development context Lwemodde cooperative itself has very
limited impact in terms of addressing HIV in even Kyesiiga as whole. Lwemodde undertakes
some advocacy work though, particularly through a stream of visitors from a variety of
organizations from outside and here in Uganda, has succeeded in setting some agendas and
standards in HIV/AIDS care. However, it remains questionable how much impact Lwemodde can
have outside of Kyesiiga and especially on broader development issues such as the complex
political, social, economic and biological factors that contribute to the spread of HIV/AIDS as a
non government cooperative, largely depending on outside funding, the long term
sustainability of such HIV/AIDS work is also a critical issue.
Poverty is particularly recognized as a contributor to the spread of HIV/AIDS. However
when discussing why poverty contributes to HIV/AIDS the focus tends to be solely on the sexual
risk-taking poverty may encourage people to take, and other ways poverty contributes to the
spread are largely ignored, for example, the malnutrition and parasitical infections that fuel the
spread.

36. xxxvi
Overall does lack of access to good health care and poor sanitation contribute to general
weaker health not to mention that poor health systems may contribute to some part of the
transmission through unsafe blood supplies, domestic violence, poor drug accessibility, fear to
be open, poor sanitation, lack of counseling, alcoholism.
Hiv/Aids prevention strategies
Because of the great challenges HIV/AIDS poses in developing countries, and
because no cure or vaccine exists at the moment, a key emphasis is and has been on
preventing HIV/AIDS. The objective of Lwemodde has revolved around prevention,
Lwemodde has first of all a separate prevention department that conducts sensitization on
HIV/AIDS in schools around Kyesiiga. Some were interns, some volunteers conducting this
education and awareness raising on HIV/AIDS are clients themselves. However the holistic
care for people living with HIV/AIDS in Kyesiiga can also be seen as a kind of prevention
strategy, in terms of:
 Fighting stigma
 Encouraging testing for HIV
 Encouraging the HIV positive not to infect others and be open about being infected
 Reducing poverty-related vulnerability to HIV/AIDS in affected families.
 Distributing condoms to every community in Kyesiiga to ease the access of clients.
 Introduction of ARV, ceptrines and other drugs to every health center in Kyesiiga to
provide access in the community.

37. xxxvii
 Advocating in policy HIV/AIDS law change, to punish those intentionally spreading HIV.
 Strengthening and advocating for better service delivery to the local communities to
fight the disease.
Statistical table showIng client’s healthstatus basedonthe researchi conducted
at kamuleguhealthcentre 3
DAYS CHILDREN YOUTH ADULTS %
CHANGE
INFECTED NOT INFECTED NOT INFECTED NOT NO OF
infected
32
NO OF
not
infected
207
Total
239
11th
/06/15 day
one
02 09 05 15 03 06
17th
/06/15 day
two
02 15 03 09 01 07
24th
/06/15 day
three
02 27 02 10 03 14
1st
/07/2015day
four
00 16 04 15 00 07
8th
/07/15 day
five
00 15 05 15 00 07
TOTAL 06 82 19 64 07 61 27.71

38. xxxviii
Poverty as the contemporary problemaffecting the world, this is the major problem
affecting people of Lwemodde, so as the cooperative has put some strategies to eradicate
poverty from a number of projects and most especially through introduction of SACCO or micro
credit.
The micro-credit programme/saccoas apoverty eradicationstrategy.
The micro-credit/SACCO program me. in Lwemodde Farmers’ Cooperative Society, Ltd.
is viewed as part of holistic care to poor people and those who develop small-scale businesses.
The objectives of the LFC SACCO are:
To improve he social welfare of clients by providing loans to start new or expand
existing income generating activities.
The economic support provided by LFC SACCO is one component of the holistic
approach LFC follows in supporting people who need to expand their business and people with
diseases.
The goal of improving social welfare is more precisely defined as helping the clients
achieve financial self-sufficiency so that they are able to provide for themselves and their family
and not be reliant on charity or help from relatives.
The micro-credit scheme/SACCO offers relatively low-cost loans (5% flat interest, no
collateral needed). The loans granted are of minimum 100000 UGX and maximum 300000 UGX.
The loans are to be repaid in 1-6 month installments.

39. xxxix
When the loan has been successfully repaid the client can apply for a new loan; loan
seekers have to be clients in Lwemodde, Kyesiiga and outside for at least six months of
residence and recommended by Kyesiiga officials.
In order to be granted a loan, the clients have to create a business plan together with
the community network and Lwemodde manager and board of governance.
Members who would receive loans must have five shares, each share costs 5000 UGX.
The first borrower from this SACCO must have a guarantor and a reference.
There is a one-day training on business marketing principles, understanding costs, prices and
profits, and simple accounting methods.
The strategy of income-generating activities as part of the holistic care revolves around
the rationale of first improving the socioeconomic situation in poor families and affected
families; since being infected with HIV creates a social decline for many.
As I have mentioned a rationale is that living with HIV/AIDS may cause loss of income
and social support structures, while having to deal with increasing costs for medication, etc.
Improving the socioeconomic situation for restoring hope for the future for those infected and
preventing poverty-related vulnerability, for people living with disabilities.
Therefore based on the above approaches Lwemodde became a light to kyesiiga sub county in
terms of eradicating poverty, as well as helping people with disabilities and those infected with
HIV/AIDS.

40. xl
Conclusion:
In conclusion Lwemodde was influential in developing plans and strategies with the aim of
instructing Lwemodde and kyesiiga as whole; it did this through Sacco project which has over
350 members, solar project with over 100 beneficiaries, agricultural project with over 100
members, lightening rod project with over 50 beneficiaries, bee keeping project with over 50
members as well as other strategies aiming at promoting rural citizen in kyesiiga sub county.
Future prospects of Lwemodde is seeninits development strategies, GOALS and
plans.
Increase organizational capacity.
LFC’ s transition from youth group to Sacco is a large undertaking. Mainly volunteers
whom take the responsibilities in addition to their primary income source currently run the
organization. In order for the organization to succeed in this transition the capacity of the
organization needs to increase with the growth.
This could be achieved through the following
 Increase in the number of full time staff members- currently the organization has one
full time staff whose responsibilities include manager and cashier
 To increase the number of members from 157 to 5000. This will help generate addition
savings and the capital for the organization.

41. xli
 Transition from rent to ownership in the infrastructures that the organization currently
occupies.
 Create efficiency and streamline systems.
Second goal, create more efficient and cost effective aggregation systems.
LFC members have been satisfied with the transparency in the aggregation systems that was
created since the origination inceptions. Yet the potential to make the system more efficient is
possible within the organization.
This could be done through.
 Increase member participation in the aggregation process
 Purchase a vehicle that will reduce cost for the organization in a long term
 Create aggregation hot spots that increase the potential of participation and providing a
longer shelf life of produce.
Goal three: start a small scale industry for processing juice from passion fruit and
pineapples
LFC has realized the hardship for community members to receive a fair and
transparence price for their products. The aggregation initiative taken in the beginning
years of the organization was a step in the right direction for receiving a higher price for
each members produce. In order to increase the potential profits of community
members, we are introduce a value additional initiative. The initiative is to bring
processing to the community.

42. xlii
This could be done through
 Locating and identify community members that grow the produce within the
community
 Locating and identify allocation that either exist, or can host, a building that the
production of juice can be processed
 Organize a team, system and processing market strategy for the juice production
 Look into possible initiatives to expand products.
Therefore upon those future plans Lwemodde has managed to look first the
poverty related places with an aim of instructing such a place through setting up
development strategies. Toward development of the whole community
The following are the strength of Lwemodde cooperative
Has provided holistic care – medical, social, emotional and spiritual support to people living
with HIV/AIDS in Kyesiiga sub-county and to prevent further spread in the community.
Has offered a unique model of care to people with HIV/AIDS and disabilities, a model
that takes care of a whole person. The needs of the body are addressed through medical care,
consisting of ARV treatment, treatment of opportunist infections, and prevention of mother-to-
child transmission.
Has targeted the socioeconomic problems contributing to the spread of HIV/AIDS, but
primarily to combine medical care and help people with disabilities:

43. xliii
This is due to most people with such problems they have experienced loss of income
due to illness and high healthcare costs, they also experience social isolation due to stigma, and
finally may experience a loss in purpose if they lose hope for their future.
Has helped in provision and expansion by granting loans to the start-up farmers in
Lwemodde and Kyesiiga as a whole: this is through micro-credit/SACCO which provides people
loans to eradicate poverty.
Has provided the community members with agricultural tools and requirements like
improved seeds and farm equipment like tractors given by Prime Minister Hon.-Edward
Kiwanuka Ssekandi; hoes and fertilizers as well as providing people with knowledge of modern
farming.
Has provided clear information based on skills and knowledge to teach people the
importance of saving as a way of eradicating poverty.
Has set up developmental projects aimed at increasing people’s economic base and
solving further challenges.
Has empowered people to develop in capacities of self sustainabity through engaging in
developing program and increase in spirit to work.

44. xliv
Weakness of Lwemodde farmer’s cooperative,
Still there is limited advertisement since in some places around kyesiiga are not aware
of Lwemodde cooperative.
Still there is limited skilled labor, since some current workers lack skills and knowledge
of complying with the tasks given
Still they lack technological kills and computing knowledge since most of work is done
on paper rather than computer.
Recommendations.
To the university:
The university should increase on the knowledge of training the student about
report writing because report writing is the one of the essential skills needed
during and after internship.
The university should also extent the internship period from two to atleast three
month to allow the internees improve on their knowledge and practice to make
them more ready for field to avoid producing half backed students
To lwemodde cooperative development society limitted:
There is aneed to recruit more workers to lwemodde cooperativein all projects
and department both skilled and semi skilled labours to boost its development.
There is also a need to improve technology. Which is abig challenge affecting them.

45. xlv
APPENDIXES

46. xlvi

47. xlvii

48. xlviii
References,
Improve social service delivery / performance of organization. (Campbell, Catherine (2003)
letting them die-HIV prevention program me fail. The international African institute, double
storey books, welton)
(Chambers Robert (2002)participatory workshops, a source book OF 21 set of ideas and
activities. Earth scan publication ltd)
(Counts, Alex (1996), give us accredit. Times book/ random house)
(Danida (2005,) strategy for Denmark’s stottetil/ bekmpelse of HIV/AID)
(Gifford, Julie,( 2004) utilizing, accumulating and protecting livelihood assets. The role of urban
informal financial services in Kampala Uganda in lont, hotze and hospes:)
Lwemodde documents,
(Lwemodde quarterly report April- June (2010)
(Lwemodde micro credit Sacco. Department (2010)
(Lwemodde strategic plans (2010)
Website http:// www lweccop. Com.