The Impact of Gender and Youths in Transformation of Communities through ESD in RCEs Oyege Ivan, RCE Greater Uganda 8th African RCE Meeting 8-10 August, 2018, Zomba, Malawi

1. THE IMPACT OF GENDER AND YOUTHS IN TRANSFORMATION
OF COMMUNITIES THROUGH ESD IN RCEs.
THE CASE OF GREATER EASTERN UGANDA RCE.
8th
African RCE Conference; 8th
– 10th
Aug 2018: Zomba, Malawi.
THEME: “Upscaling the Impact of African RCE’s in Actualising SDGs”
By: Oyege Ivan
RCE youth coordinator. oyegeivan@gmail.com
08 – 10 Aug 2018 1BUSITEMA UNIVERSITY - UGANDA

2. Presentation outline
• About Greater Eastern Uganda RCE.
• Our focus of GEURCE
• Our approach
• Challenges
• Recommendation
08 – 10 Aug 2018 2BUSITEMA UNIVERSITY - UGANDA

3. GREATER EASTERN UGANDA REGIONAL CENTER
OF EXPERTISE.
Acknowledged in
December 2012.
Officially Lunched ON MONDAY
22ND
JULY 2013
AT Busitema University
By The State Minister for Higher
Education Honorable Dr. John
Chrysostom Muyingo
08 – 10 Aug 2018 3BUSITEMA UNIVERSITY - UGANDA

4. GEURCE – Busitema University
• SD is incorporated in the University
MISSION.
“To provide high standard training, engage in
quality research and outreach for Socio-
economic Transformation and Sustainable
Development”
• Cross-cutting course on ESD was developed
for Diploma, bachelors, Masters in the
Faculty of Science and Education.
• ESD run as student association and
championed by students, guided by RCE
coordinator and patron.
• The association provides internship.08 – 10 Aug 2018 4BUSITEMA UNIVERSITY - UGANDA

5. Our focus: Youths and Gender.
• Our communities are majorly youths.
• They are very energetic, very flexible, open minded, can adjust to all
conditions, very innovative, willing to learn, have less responsibilities,
require less facilitation compared to adults, willing to cause change in
communities and can be molded to what is desired.
• They are able to cause change among teenagers, youths and elderly
because;
o They know exactly the challenges their peers have and know exactly how to
help them out.
o They have willingness to help find solutions to communities.
08 – 10 Aug 2018 5BUSITEMA UNIVERSITY - UGANDA

6. Gender Equality.
• The GEURCE and ESD association recognises the important roles that
girls/ boys and women/men can play in achieving the SDGs and works
to harness the contribution of all people to sustainable development.
• Females are invaluable in achieving SDGs.
• Females have been incorporated in association leadership and
participation in implementing ESD activities. At least 50%.
• Role model in encouraging girl child education, encourage staying in
school for girls and promote science education.
• Involved in career guidance, counseling, sensitisation on sanitation
and hygiene and HIV/AIDs regarding girls.
08 – 10 Aug 2018 6BUSITEMA UNIVERSITY - UGANDA

7. Characteristics of youths the RCE is targeting -
Males
• Poor, jobless, idle, uneducated or
school dropouts
• Many motorcycle riders, engage in
charcoal burning.
• Involve in gambling activities.
• Engage in unprotected sexual relations
impregnating young girls and at high
risk of HIV/ AIDs and STDs
• Engage in lawlessness and criminal
activities such as theft, looting, rape,
defilement, stealing, robery, etc.
• Over 50% of inmates in the nearby
prisons are males from age 14 to 30.08 – 10 Aug 2018 7BUSITEMA UNIVERSITY - UGANDA

8. Characteristics of youths the RCE is targeting -
Females
• Poor academic performance and high
dropout rates due to several factors
including poverty.
• Lack sanitary wear for handling menstrual
cycles leading to absenteeism from school
• Several cases of unwanted pregnancies
• They involve in early marriages
• Enticed into sexual relations using money
and other material resources
• More prone HIV/ AIDS and STDs
• Provide labour for the family but also as
domestic workers (house helps)08 – 10 Aug 2018 8BUSITEMA UNIVERSITY - UGANDA

9. Our Approach: Steps to achieve the best from
youths.
Identify the youths.
Qualities – capability
(persona vs task)
Objectives of the program, their role in the
implementation, your role, your expectations,
nature of the problem, where it is and how it
will be handled.
Equip them through training,
facilitation, and equipments
Chose team leaders
among them
through merit
Supervise their
supervisors using
good mechanisms.
Task them to find the
problems in community
and solve them08 – 10 Aug 2018 9BUSITEMA UNIVERSITY - UGANDA

10. Our Approach.
• In campus activities
 Awareness creating, Sensitization; posters, reading materials, presentations,
Mobilization of students to participate in ESD activities, ESD activities like
general cleaning, protecting of lawns, Greening the campus-tree planting.
• Outreach activities – major approach.
Schools; primary and secondary.
Communities; town councils and villages.
Eco tourism trips to game and forest reserves.
• ESD – a cross cutting course in FSE approved by NCHE.
All diplomas
All undergraduate
All masters.
08 – 10 Aug 2018 10BUSITEMA UNIVERSITY - UGANDA

11. Outreach activities – Schools (primary and
secondary)
• Teaching
• Sensitisation on benefits of
education, sanitation and
hygiene, HIV/AIDS
• Promoting science education.
• Supporting Girl child education
• Career guidance
• General guidance and counseling
• Academic mentorship
• Conservation of nature and
environment
08 – 10 Aug 2018 11BUSITEMA UNIVERSITY - UGANDA

12. Outreach activities - Community
• Partnership with and mobilisation of other
stake holders (town council leadership, sub-
county leadership, police, community members,
students guild and University staff) in general
cleaning of the nearby town.
• Sensitization and awareness raising about;
benefits of education, Girl child education,
Sanitation and hygiene, HIV/AIDs
• Conservation of nature: Planting trees,
Training communities in energy
conservation methods and alternative
sources of fuel to charcoal and fire wood.
08 – 10 Aug 2018 12BUSITEMA UNIVERSITY - UGANDA

13. Challenges
• Periodic activities during semester only. Some projects like tree
planting suffer because of lack of care.
• Funding of activities (Most activities funded by the faculty thus
limited)
• Attitude problems among communities make it difficult to sustain
initiated projects. There is no continuity once the university
community leaves the activity.
• Very engaging academic programmes leave little time for students to
be engaged fully in ESD activities
08 – 10 Aug 2018 13BUSITEMA UNIVERSITY - UGANDA

14. Recommendations
• Adopt best practices of youth involvement in ESD to ensure
sustainability of projects initiated.
• Seek other sources of financing activities.
• Scale up activities and follow up
• Change attitudes so that ESD can be embedded in individual courses
and not run as a cross cutting course.
• Build up human resource for the activities
08 – 10 Aug 2018 14BUSITEMA UNIVERSITY - UGANDA

15. Acknowledgement.
• Global RCE network.
• UNU for the funding.
• Busitema University esp. FSE
• Dr. Edward Andama RCE coordinator and Dean FSE.
• Mrs. Marageret Stella Ujeyo Suubi – patron ESD association
08 – 10 Aug 2018 15BUSITEMA UNIVERSITY - UGANDA

16. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING.
08 – 10 Aug 2018 16BUSITEMA UNIVERSITY - UGANDA
oyegeivan@gmail.com
www.busitema.ac.ug