FOWODE held a two-day workshop to train 30 women political aspirants from various districts in skills for effective campaigning for the 2016 Ugandan elections. The training covered topics like transformational leadership, women and political parties, gender in politics, the electoral commission roadmap, feminist leadership, running a successful campaign, and developing a winning manifesto. Experienced facilitators advised the women not to fear contesting leadership seats against men. The capacity building aimed to equip women leaders with knowledge and skills to successfully engage in the upcoming elections and increase women's representation in leadership positions.

1. OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2014, ISSUE 17
EmpoweredWomen :Transformed Societies
Fowode
Awarded for
Excellence in
Instituitional
Governance
Fowode
Trains Napak
Women
Farmers in
Mushroom
Growing
Improving
Agricultural
processing
for female
farmers
in Amuru,
Amuria and
Napak
Preparing
Women
Leaders
for 2016
Women With
Whistles:
Challenging
Status Quo
Governments
Must Re-
Dedicate to
Women’s &
Girls’ Rights
Commitments
Taking
Stock of
Women
Caucuses
at the
District
Advocating for
Inclusion
of clause 8 (5)
and
55(4) in the
Public
Finance Bill
2012
Pg 2 Pg 3 Pg 4 Pg 6 Pg 10 Pg12Pg 5 Pg 13 Pg 14
Poverty
is a Violation
of Human
Rights

2. The first ever Gender Summit in Uganda was
organized by Diakonia with support from the Swedish
International Development Association (SIDA). The
Summit brought together partners of Diakonia who
were part of a programme that is deepening gender
programming in Uganda. The award is given to an
organization for demonstrated excellence in gender
mainstreaming through effective implementation of
Institutional Gender Action Plans.
The Gender Action Plans were developed by FOWODE
and other partners following a capacity building
programme aimed at strengthening partners gender
work and practices.
This year’s Gender Summit was focused on advancing
excellence and effectiveness of organizations in
gender mainstreaming at all levels (the levels included,
Institutional Governance (Main category), Project
specific, Communication and Education, Leadership
and Workplace).
Winners were chosen on the basis of engaging on-site,
interactive learning experiences to create common
ground on gender issues and champions for new
approaches, motivating and energizing delegates to
become advocates/champions of gender accountability
and equality, demonstrating good practices and
showcasing the excellent work happening in the area
of gender.
The award is given to an
organization for demonstrated
excellence in gender
mainstreaming through effective
implementation of Institutional
Gender Action Plans.
FOWODE
AWARDED FOR
EXCELLENCE IN
INSTITUITIONAL
GOVERNANCE
FOWODE received an award
for excellence in Institutional
Governance at the 2014 Diakonia
Gender Summit that took place on
26th to 29th October.

3. The various sessions stirred the participants to do
introspection on how they can change their generation
and the communities in which they operate.
From this training, the participants realized that poverty
is a human rights violation. This notion was disputed until
the trainer explained that poverty is a result of unequal
power relations because those who are in power have not
helped the poor to come out of their poverty. Therefore
those that are living in power-the duty bearers have an
obligation to ensure that they take care of those that are
living in poverty.
This doesn’t mean that those rights holders will do
nothing about it- they have a responsibility of holding
those in power accountable therefore, it is the role of civil
society to empower these people to demand for what
belongs to them rather than fold their hands and wait for
things to happen.
Sadly, in many instances, the political leaders have gone
ahead to even own the people, they call them “My people”
so when they are campaigning to enter into political
office, they make the construction of the roads, medical
centers, and access to education sound like a favor.
ForumforWomeninDemocracywashonoredtobepartoftheHuman
Rights Based approach training organized by Action Aid Uganda. The
training was a foundational course to introduce the importance of
using the human rights lens during advocacy. Prudence Nyamishana
(Communications officer), Sarah Nakintu (Field Officer Mityana)
and Annet Namwaya (Field officer Busia) represented FOWODE.
POVERTYIS A VIOLATION OF
HUMAN RIGHTS
... the trainer explained
that poverty is a result of
unequal power relations
because those who are in
power have not helped the
poor to come out of their
poverty.
There are four categories of people in power relations
that every human rights organization needs to know
when implementing programmes as illustrated by
Arthur Larok, the Executive Director Action Aid Uganda;
the powerful comfortable, comfortable powerless,
powerless uncomfortable, and the powerful comfortable-
Knowledge of these power relations helps to know who
to engage.
During the experience sharing session, FOWODE was
granted an opportunity to share the Village Budget
Club (VBC) model. The fact that this model empowers
the rights holders to demand for accountability hence
better services, amazed the participants that pledged to
duplicate this model in their various organisations.
This training awakened the participants to realities that
stirred them to draw action plans. Although FOWODE
has been implementing activities that have the human
rights component, the need to emphasize human rights
was key. Consequently, FOWODE intends to integrate
the HRBA in all her programmes as she seeks to promote
gender equality in all areas of decision-making through
advocacy, training, research and publications.

4. The women were advised to not only use the knowledge
to feed their families and consequently eliminate
hunger, disease and malnutrition, but to also increase
their household incomes.
When the training was done the farmers were grateful to
FOWODE for the rare opportunity
Mama Sagal Paulina chairperson of one of the groups
was thankful to Fowode and JB international for the
knowledge she received
” In karamoja, we are used to wild mushrooms that come
out alone without planting but now I have learnt all the
stages of growing mushroom which is nutritious and can
earn me 30,000shs per Kilogram from investing only ten
thousands on seeds. This is new thing in our area and am
going to surrender one of my house to plant mushrooms.
Maruk Veronica from Lokopo, “I didn’t know that
mushrooms can also fetch one money as business, now
that I have attained this knowledge, I am going to start
up my gardens immediately after this training so that I
can sell and get money to improve my standard of living”.
Celebration marked
the air as 50 women
farmers from Napak
graduated following
the mushroom
training. At the
beginning of this year,
the press reported
famine that claimed
more that 48 lives
in Karamoja region.
Forum for Women
in Democracy in
partnership with
Diakonia embarked on
a holistic food security
project to enable the
women be food secure.
FOWODE Trains
Napak Women
Farmers in
Mushroom
growing
Lokwii Alice from Lopeei was so excited about mushroom
growing, she said this is new project to me, i thought
mushrooms just come from the wild, now i have actually
learnt that one can invest in mushroom growing and
become rich, I am going to share this knowledge with
other farmers so that they can also take up this project
for us to produce the required tones for JB staff to come
and buy our mushroom”
Lobong Veronica from Lopeei said, “I have liked this
project and now I’m going to construct one house
purposely for mushroom growing so that I can sell
some to the local market and also eat some since its
nutritious.”
Namoron Santina from Lokopo, said “this project of
mushroom growing is so interesting, the materials
for growing are locally available, no need to buy, it’s
affordable project, for this reason therefore I am going to
embrace this project, accept it, own it and love it since it
needs commitment.”
FOWODE strongly believes that for women to have a
voice they must be economically empowered.

5. Civil Society Organizations discussed the progress
made in the field of women’s and girls’ rights 20 years
since the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action
(BDPfA) was adopted.
Participants said that most of the gains made in
Women’s and Girls’ rights since the holding of the
International Conference on Women in Beijing in
1995 have come under various threats and are facing
persistent challenges,
notably from widening
inequalities between
the rich and poor and
between men and women
due to prioritization of
macroeconomic policies
that are driven by growth
without equitable
development and respect
for human rights.
“HIV, maternal mortality and morbidity continue to
be amongst leading causes of death for women; the
rising radical and extremist groups pose threats to
the safety, security and advancement of women and
girls as indicated by on-going abductions of girls
shrinking space and; resources for civil society; and
macroeconomic policies that perpetuate inequalities,”
as noted in the NGO Forum Declaration (available
online on www.femnet.co).
The rights, priorities and needs of African women and
girls must intentionally be highlighted in the ongoing
regionalandglobaldiscussionssuchasthe59thSession
of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW
59) scheduled for in March 2015, where governments
will be reviewing and appraising implementation of the
BDPfA. In addition, CSOs are keen to strengthen gender
equality and the empowerment of women in the Post-
2015 development agenda through the integration of
a rights-based and gender
perspective.
BPfA is a landmark visionary
roadmap for achieving
gender equality and women’s
empowerment as set out
by governments during the
Fourth World Conference on
Women held in Beijing 1995.
To date, no country in the
world has achieved gender
equality. According to UN Women, “though much has
been achieved, progress has been unacceptably slow,
particularly for the most marginalized women and
girls”.
Over 150 African women and girls from 34 countries
attended the conference.
Governments Must Re-Dedicate to
Women’s & Girls’ Rights
Commitments
According to UN Women,
“though much has been achieved,
progress has been unacceptably
slow, particularly for the most
marginalized women and girls”.
Forum for Women in Democracy represented by her Executive Director Patricia Munabi,
was one of the women’s rights organizations that met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 14-
16 November to call on African governments to re-dedicate themselves to upholding
national, regional and international laws and policies that advance women’s rights and
gender equality to adhere to universal human rights standards already agreed upon and
protect them from social, moral and cultural arguments and positions.

6. To ensure this FOWODE with
support from Diakonia and
the Funding for Leadership
Opportunities for Women (FLOW)
under the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of the Netherlands, gave
the female farmers maize milling
machines.
In order to improve on household
food security especially in female
headed households, 3 maize
milling machines were handed over
to the model female farmers in
Amuru, Amuria and Napak districts
in the presence of the District
Production officers, Sub county
Chiefs, Councilors and rights
holders that gathered in Kuju,
Amuru and Lopeei sub counties.
The grain milling machines were
highly praised because of their
high engine power and durability,
and the ability to process a variety
of crops including; sorghum,
cow peas, millet, cassava and
maize which will enable farmers
add value to their agricultural
produce and get other products
like maize and cassava flour
for posho, millet bread, soya
porridge, among other products.
The machines will contribute
to the improved standard of the
agricultural produce for the women
who will now be able to also sell
their processed products in the
market at favorable prices for
increased household incomes.
This will in turn lead to women’s
active participation in economic
development. The dry season has
been a difficult one for women
who go hungry not because they
don’t have the millet or sorghum,
but because they could barely
meet the milling costs and the
long distances to far off centers
to process this into millet flour for
food.
Improving
Agricultural
processing for
female farmers
in Amuru, Amuria
and Napak
Forum for Women
in Democracy has
recognized that the
food value chain is
critical in enhancing
food security. In the
past the female farmers
only participated at
the lower levels of
agricultural value chain
as a result, were ripped
off by middlemen and
in the long dry spells
they suffered hunger
because their produce
would was not stored
properly.
A food secure community is
an empowered community.

7. Additionally, they would instead
make local brew that would keep
men at the liquor centers all day
neither providing basic needs at
home nor supporting the women in
gardening but only grabbing money
from them to go for drinking. This
would also increase the rate of
domestic violence in their homes,
subjecting women to torture,
poverty and living miserable lives.
The women now say that with the
processing machines near, they
will not use the grains for making
local brew but rather to make food
and feed their families and also sell
some to cater for other family basic
needs.
“Here in Karamoja, we women
are so despised! Nobody has ever
thought of us like you have done,
FOWODE, from all the knowledge
you have given us, now you have
crowned it up with a milling
machine, now in Karamoja we can
see God has started remembering
us, we shall no longer have to walk
as far as Matany for 12kms but
mill from just next to our doors”
Nangiro Mary Napak district
“When I could not afford the 1,500
to mill my maize, I simply sold some
of it and some would be eaten by
the hens, yet my children were
going hungry, but now I will make
flour and sell to get some income,”
Said Aujo Goretti from Amuria.
“The machine we had in the centre
could mill only maize, but this one,
I have seen for myself it can process
a variety of crops and is of high
quality. I must say, we the leaders
are grateful. “ NAADs coordinator,
Amuria District.
FOWODE and Diakonia have set
the pace and indeed this is what
we would like other partners to do.
Not only to provide software but to
supplement with some hard ware
that will live on transforming the
entire community.
FOWODE and Diakonia have set the pace done is indeed what we would like other
partners to do. Not only to provide software but to supplement with some hard
ware that will live on transforming the entire community.
This improves on the standard of the
agricultural produce for the women who
will now be able to also sell their processed
products in the market at favorable prices
for increased household incomes.

8. 21
5 1. Women in Napak after the mushroom training 2. Women in Napak praciticing one of the steps taken during Musroom
growing 3. Patricia Munabi during the Beijing +20 Meeting in Addis Ababa 4. Press conference to call upon members
of parliament to include Clause 8(5) and 55(4) to the Public Finance Bill 5. Hellen Okiring a FYLAA ( FOWODE Young
Leader’s Alumni) poses with Dr. Sarah Ntiro in a visit to her home in Hoima during the women’s week. 6. Penny Sanyu Of
Uhuru Instituite Blowing a whistle after the “The women with whistles parallel session at the 2nd Uganda Women’s Week”
7. Hon Victoria Sekitoleko and Patricia Munabi during “The Women with Whistles” Parrallel Session

9. 3
6
4
7

10. PREPARING
WOMEN
LEADERS
FOR 2016
As 2016 draws close, Forum for Women in Democracy has embarked
on training women leaders. in the last week of October alone, 30
women political aspirants from the districts of, Kampala, Nakasongola,
Apac, Bukwo, Buikwe, Kamuli, Kalungu, Masaka, Mityana, Butaleja,
Wakiso, Kyenjojo, Kibuku and Luweero were equipped with skills and
knowledge to run effective campaigns.

11. The two-day workshop, brought together women
political aspirants from various political parties to
acquireknowledgeandskillsineffectivecampaigning
procedures to enable them successfully engage in
the upcoming general elections in 2016. The women
political aspirants some of whom were engaging in
political leadership for the very first time are vying for
different leadership positions ranging from members
of Parliament to district and local council councilors.
The comprehensive training covered various sub
themes including; Transformational leadership in
Uganda’s Context, Women and Political Parties,
Gender in Politics, Electoral Commission Roadmap
to 2016, Feminist Leadership, Running a successful
Campaign as well as Developing a winning manifesto.
The participants that were in positions of leadership,
both direct and affirmative action seats, heard from
experienced facilitators such as former Member of
Parliament and Member of the Constituent Assembly,
Hon. Tezira Jamwa who advised the women leaders
not to fear contesting for leadership seats with men.
The capacity building was indeed a defining moment
for the women’s future engagement in the campaigns.
An aspirant from Kamuli district said,
‘I am going against a very strong candidate, in fact it
is as if I am going to stand against the entire political
party because of the position that person holds in this
country, but am very sure that I will win in all this.
This training has opened my eyes to the importance
of studying an opponent and win the elections.-” a
Member of Parliament aspirant - Kamuli district said.
The women were encouraged to face any obstacles
that women face in the campaign race and utilize
the knowledge on feminist leadership even after they
have assumed office. This was emphasized by Patricia
Munabi Babiiha, the Executive Director FOWODE who
in her opening remarks urged the leaders to front
women issues in all their legislative spaces. She
asked the women to avoid being used to advance
political party agendas instead of prioritizing the
Women’s Agenda.
FOWODE is relentless in empowering women
leaders, and under the Leadership Advisory Desk will
continue to enhance women’s abilities to effectively
participate in political and governance processes.
FOWODE envisions that empowering aspiring women
leaders will enable them take up key decision making
positions for more gender responsive legislation,
programming and development.
FOWODE is relentless in
empowering women leaders, and
under the Leadership Advisory Desk
will continue to enhance women’s
abilities to effectively participate in
political and governance processes.

12. The women with whistles parallel
session at the 2nd Uganda Women’s
Week was one to reckon as it attracted
women and men of substance among
them; political leaders, members of
the civil society, local government
officials, national and political party
representatives, Women’s NGOs and
young women leaders; women in the
media and academia. This Session
was organized by Forum for Women in
Democracy (FOWODE) and Women’s
Democracy Network (WDN).
Themed ‘Women with whistles,
galvanizing voices for Good
Governance’, the session sought
to enhance awareness of critical
governance issues in the political
and economic arenas and mobilize
citizens to challenge status quo;
current governance concerns in Uganda
today and their impact on the nation,
the effects of bad governance on the
women of Uganda.
WOMEN WITH WHISTLES:
CHALLENGING
STATUS QUO
Dr. Busingye Kabumba, the key note speaker said that
the women’s demand for power has not been an easy
struggle but one that has grown over the years indicating
that Uganda as a state has excluded people in general in
the governance arena. He added that the struggle had
excluded women in the struggle for example no women in
the legislative council. He urged the women to take on the
mantle from the women that succeeded in this field.
Aisha Kabanda, the Kampala Resident City Commissioner
(RCC), who was also a main speaker, asserted that the
women’s problem is not President Museveni but rather
Male Chauvinism saying that the men are always ready to
dominate the governance spaces. She called upon women
to galvanize their voices and unite in the struggle.
“If you think Museveni is your problem, then you are
fighting the wrong person” Aisha said
IngridTurinawe,theChairpersonFDCwomen’sLeaguegave
insight into the critical role of women in the political and
economic change in Uganda. She said that regardless the
fact that many women have earned the political position in
Uganda, they have remained powerless.
In order to build this power, Ingrid urged participants to
build their self-esteem as women to enable them lead the
societies that they come from.
When the session ended, the women were challenged
to take responsibility and as a result many participants
expressed interest to take the Women with whistles
campaign to their regions.

13. Forum for Women in Democracy held two mentoring and support supervision
workshops in Tororo and Kiboga concurrently in the first week of October 2014.
These workshops aimed at enabling women to have functional caucuses that
will ably influence council decisions for gender sensitive laws.
37% of the budget has been
channeled to maternal health.
They also lobbied PACE, an NGO
in the district to encourage
women to report Gender Based
Violence cases.
Mukono District
TAKING STOCK OF WOMEN
CAUCUSES AT THE
DISTRICT
The majority of the women Councillors reported having
been able to influence their respective councils. For
example, in Wakiso, the council agreed that if any toilet
stances are to be constructed in a school, half of them
must be for girls.
The women of Wakiso have also mastered the art of
lobbying, advocacy and networking which has enabled
them reach out to several relevant resource persons like
the CAO, District Statistician among others, who have
learnt to consult with the women’s caucus before making
critical council decisions.
In Mukono district, the women influenced the budget
which resulted into 37% of the budget being channeled
to maternal health. They also lobbied PACE, an NGO in
the district to encourage women to report Gender Based
Violence cases. This organization gave them a toll free line
for reporting the cases to police and to the organization.
They also lobbied the District Health Officer to recruit more
female staff in Nama Health Centre after discovering that
many women did not want to go for antenatal care since
there were more male staff who they were uncomfortable
with.
Public health was a critical issue that came out strongly
and it was agreed that there is need for more networking
within neighboring districts so as to have a big hospital
constructed in the area to save the health centers from over
congestion and the effects that come as a result of that.
At the workshops, the women were introduced to the
Women With Whistles Campaign. Women with Whistles
movement is aiming at collective voice and action of
women in rebuilding Uganda.
The declining management of public affairs and the
seemingly loud silence of citizens are disturbing this group
of women as Uganda slides into a failed state.

14. Advocating for Inclusion
of clause 8 (5) and
55(4) in the Public
Finance Bill 2012
Forum for Women in Democracy held
a press conference on 13th November
to call upon on Members of parliament
to include clause 8 (5) and 55(4) in the
Public Finance Bill 2012

15. On 5th November 2014, the debate on the Public
Finance Bill, 2012 returned to the floor of Parliament
and was deferred until 13th November 2014.
FOWODE acknowledges that Women shape the
development agenda throughout the developing
world yet still remain disadvantaged and excluded in
budgeting, decision and policy formulation processes.
They continue to be sidelined within the household
because they have less access to and control over
resources and limited influence over household
decisions. According to UDHS 2011, only 16% of
Ugandan Women own land. 39% of women aged
between15-49 cannot read and write compared to
16% of men and in 2011 according to the report of
the Coalition to stop maternal mortality in Uganda, 16
women died every day due to preventive death in child
birth. Therefore efforts to reduce gender inequality in
Uganda are required on multiple fronts.
The Public Finance Bill, 2012 was considered an
important proposed legislation for effective, fair and
equitablemanagementofpublicfinancesforthebenefit
of citizens in Uganda. Civil society advanced a number
of proposals, which were adopted by the Committees of
Parliament charged with scrutinizing the bill.
FOWODE supported the Committees recommendation
under Clause 8 of the Budget Framework Paper to
insert a new clause 8(5) that provides for a “Certificate
of Gender Equity (CGE) that should be issued by
the Attorney General (AG) certifying Ministries,
Departments and Agencies’ compliance to gender and
equity issues.
However FOWODE recommends that Parliament should
consider replacing “Attorney General” under Clause 8
(5) with Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC).
With the Certificate on Gender Equity in the Public
Finance Bill 2012; Ministries, Departments and
Agencies (MDAs) are obliged to address gender and
equity constraints in their plans and budgets if the CGE
was used as an enforcement mechanism. The Certificate
will help legislators use gender mainstreaming as a
performance indicator when reviewing the performance
of sectors and their adherence to the Budget Call
Circular’s (BCC) call on gender and equity budgeting
even before approving the National Budget. The CGE
will also be used as a demand mechanism by Legislators
to the Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic
Development to treat lack of compliance to the BCC’s
directive as a disciplinary issue. This bill is expected to
enhance public finance management and accountability
in Uganda. It covers a wide range of aspects including
debt management, budget preparation, approval and
management, macroeconomic and fiscal policies as
well as oil and gas management among others.
In the end it was a victory when our recommendation
to have the Equal Opportunities Commission issue the
Gender and Equity Certificate that will oblige MDAs to
comply with gender budgeting principles as directed in
the Budget call Circular. In addition, Parliament inserted
a new Clause 55(4) for adoption, where “3% of the
petroleum revenue should be ear marked for developing
social services, and agriculture, culture. Developing
social services will not only benefit women but also
the other marginalized groups who are concentrated in
these sectors.
According to UDHS 2011
16%
39%
16%
of Ugandan Women own land
of women aged
between 15-49
cannot read and
write compared to
of men

16. P.O.BOX 7176. Kampala, Uganda PHONE NUMBER: +256-41-4286063. WEBSITE: www.fowode. org.
@FOWODE_UGANDA ForumForWomeninDemocracy FOWODE UGANDA