ACHOLI CAP NEWSLETTER

Vol.3: Issued on 1st June 2013

PILOT PROJECTS: Acholi CAP project has 3 components. These are to Strengthen (1) Capacity in Development Planning, (2) Capacity in Implementation of community development plan and (3) Systems & Guidelines of development planning. In order to support Local Governments in relation to the component (2), “Pilot Projects” started in January 2013 and are being carried out in four targeted districts (Amuru, Nwoya, Kitgum and Pader) at this moment. The projects selected for 2012/13 are 34 boreholes in 34 villages spreading to 17 sub-counties, lightning arrestors for 50 schools and 1 culvert construction. These projects, especially borehole drilling, came out from the bottom-up planning process of Local Governments started from villages. This volume focuses on the Pilot Projects.

PROCUREMENT AND SUPERVISION In April 2013, Acholi The District Local Governments of Amuru, Nwoya, CAP brought a Kitgum and Pader, under support of Acholi CAP, Japanese Expert procure Service Providers for the implementation of named Mr. MINAMI the selected Pilot Projects following PPDA (Public Teruaki to support the Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets) district officials, especially District Regulations and Guidelines. The four districts started Engineers, Water procurement of contractors in January 2013 by Materials Inspection at officers and their advertising the projects in the newspapers. The Borehole Drilling site Inspectors through procurement took about 2 months in the four in Ora Okwee, Kitgum on-the-job training at districts which is much faster than what the districts their offices as well as in the field. usually spend. Contracts were signed between the The progress of these pilot projects at this moment; district as the employer and contractors by the end i) Boreholes: of March 2013. - Siting work (Hydro-geological Investigations) The delayed is already completed in all the four districts. - Drilling work is completed in , procurement is one on-going in and it is of the causes for the beginning in Amuru and Nwoya districts. unspent budget in - Test Pumping, Casting and Installation of districts that needs to Hand Pumps will follow drilling. return to the Central ii) Supply and Installation of Lightning Arrestors Government. This is a in 50 Primary Schools; 25 in Amuru and 25 in Borehole Siting in Lwala in critical area that Pader districts; installations are on-going. iii) Mobilization for the installation of culvert Pader Town Council districts need to along Atanga Mission to Wipolo road in Laguti improve since their Sub-county in Pader district is on-going. budget is limited. Also, bid documents and contract Full completion of these implementations is documents are the areas which were supported by expected by August 2013. the Project to improve through technical support.

After the contract awards, Contract Management Installation of and Supervision by the districts then started in April Lightning 2013. Acholi CAP on the other hand is monitoring Arrestors in the implementation, advising the district officials Primary Schools and providing supervision support to the districts. in Pader District

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MOBILISATION AND FORMATION OF WATER USER So far 3 study tours have been conducted, i.e. for COMMITTEE Amuru, Nwoya and Pader districts. Participants were representatives from each Water User Committee, 1 Borehole drilling is a staff from District Community based Service technical matter, Development and either Community Development and therefore the Officers or Health Assistants from sub-counties Project supports where sites are located. District Water Office During the study tour, Hosting Communities in supervision of the explained to participants their bad historical life construction. Also, before getting trained on the “improved sanitation the Project supports both Local Governments and and other communities development projects”. The communities for the sustainability of boreholes. The study tour encouraged the visiting participants to ownership of boreholes belongs to communities and think positively towards development activities in thus boreholes need to be operated and maintained their communities. by communities through Water Users Committee (WUC). At present, the Project is supporting sub- Some of the good practices shared by the hosting county Community Development Officers/Health communities are: Assistants to conduct meetings with community  “Open Defecation Free” which meant that people to form the Water Users Committee at each nobody defecates in a bush because every community. household has a latrine.  Accountability and they have now banking STUDY TOUR culture which will help them in future The Project has also organized a one-day study tours planning. in district for each of 4 districts of Amuru, Both hosting and Nwoya, Kitgum and Pader in order to provide visiting participants opportunities for members of newly-formed Water at the study tour Users Committees and district/sub-county officials promised to to expose them to the existing Water User develop their Committees as good practices. This is to help village to be a communities not only operate and maintain the “model village” boreholes well but whereby also possibly communities from within and without can engage in various go and learn the importance of bottom-up community approaches planning. Besides that, the two activities such as communities agreed on self-reliance in the next few improvement of years through their income generating activities like sanitation and VSLA. Through this study tours, participants learnt hygiene, saving other social aspects on how to set communities’ groups (Voluntary Saving and Lending Association: rules and regulations which govern not only WUCs VSLA) which is commonly known in Luo language as but also bring unity to people within and outside the “Bol Cup” and collective farming to generate income village that is mainly on handling domestic violence. for both the committee and community people. This also aims at encouraging Local Governments to Also local government officials were impressed with conduct this kind of study tour for members of the how their colleagues in were active on committees, and the interaction between the mobilization and monitoring of community projects. government officers and community people. Page 2

TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP MEETING present. This meeting was chaired by the Permanent The 4th Technical working Group (TWG) Meeting was Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government. held on the 25th April 2013 in Pader District at the Following presentations made by the project team, a Production Board Room. TWG meeting is a routine session of open discussion, reactions and responses meeting which is held after every six months. This is were made. Basing on several challenges for a moment when the progress report of activities is maintenance or lack of institutional resources shared and the plan for the next term is discussed. mentioned by district representatives, the This meeting was well represented by Permanent Secretary representatives from the Ministry of Local guided them to think in Government (MoLG), Office of the Prime Minister their planning process (OPM), Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs), District on how to address these Planners and Community Development Officers of issues through their all the seven districts in Acholi sub region. This Technical Planning meeting was also attended by representatives from Committee. Also he JICA Uganda Office, JICA Gulu Office. advised them, based on the scope of work by the project, to come up with districts’ own sustainability The meeting was chaired by CAO Pader District who plan on how things will be right in future. Some is one of the Project Managers of this project and suggestions to a mid-term review which is planned meeting was opened by to run this year were also made. LC5 Chairperson of INTRODUCTION OF PROJECT STAFF Pader District Local Name: Government. NAKAJIMA Kosuke The project team (Chief What is your area Advisor and Project of specialty? Coordinator) made presentations on the progress of Local Governance project activities and plan for the next six months. especially for Discussion kicked off smoothly with contributions Community Development and suggestions such as to prepare “Operation &

Maintenance” manuals, utilize lesson learnt from What was your assignment before coming to this project into timely-managed procurement to Uganda? avoid un-spent fund and positive opinions about 8 years working in 2 projects in Indonesia future livelihood support by the Project. o 2004-2007: Human Resource Development for Local Governance Indonesia-Jakarta. JOINT COORDINATING COMMITTEE MEETING o 2007-2012 Capacity Development in Planning and Implementation of Community The 2nd Joint Coordinating Committee (JCC) meeting th Development in Sulawesi region was held on the 9 May 2013 at Fairway Hotel following the TWG meeting. This meeting What was your First impression of Uganda? was to review activities progress for the last one People are polite and friendly ! year, present activities plan for the next Japanese Financial Year, discuss issues at policy level and Do you have anything to share with our readers? approve the annual plan. I am a curious person and I would like to know many things not only work related things but also Representatives from the MoLG, OPM, CAOs of all about the way of living, culture, music in Acholi sub the seven districts in Acholi sub-region, JICA Uganda region. Office, JICA Gulu Office and project team were

Office Address: Plot 15, Upper Churchill Drive, P.O.Box 693, Gulu Tel: 0471-436666, 0372-275358 Page 3 Website : http://www.molg.go.ug/projects/achca JICA Web(in Japanese): http://www.jica.go.jp/project/uganda/001