Somero Uganda is a nongovernment organization founded in 2009,by a group of young people living in the slums ofBwaise in Kawempe division, Kampala District Uganda. She was started after the death of one young girl due to HIV/AIDSstigmatization and severe sexual reproductive health challenges. In 2010, Somero was registered as a community based organisation and in 2015 as a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO).
We run a community centre in the slums of Bwaise in Kawempe, one of the five divisions of Kampala district with a population of 268659 people (population and housing census 2002) and associated with a lot of immorality and high HIV prevalence coupled with high crime rates.We run a number of projects around our 4 thematic areas including Child protection, health, livelihood skills development and education and learning.
Our centre comprises of an employable skills development unit with both modern vocationalskills in IT (Graphic designing, secretarial studies, video and photo editing, computer maintenance) and digitalised traditional skills (Tailoring, hair dressing), A business unit that providesentrepreneurship skills and services to the beneficiaries and the community, a kid’scorneris being set to supports children of the youngmothers as the young mothers attend classes and finally a youth corner that provides safe space for young people to have recreation and education activities.
OUR STAKEHOLDERS
Ourmajor stakeholders are the male counterparts who influence the decisions of the young women we support and we equip them with the skills to support the empowerment of the young women. The government ministries, departments and agencies that is the Ministry of Education and Sports, Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development and Ministry of Health, local governments, development partners, educational institutions, health centres, non-governmental and private sector organisations, the youth groups, current and former beneficiaries and the communities members all have a stake in the work of Somero Uganda.
Tel: +256392176894/0772092318
Plot 834 Kyadondo
Block 203 Kazo Mukalazi road
P.O.Box 21162 Kampala Uganda
Vist us
facebook@ somero Uganda
Name / Position
Mrs. Margaret Kasekende / Chair person
Mr Micheal Omeke / Vice chairperson
Ms Sanyu Robinah / Legal advisor
Mr Tom Kakaire / Financial advisor
Mr Isaac Arinaitwe / Member
Non voting members
Mr. Mateern Traffers / Chief technical advisor
Mr Nsubuga Geofrey / Board secretary
The Administrative Unit
Name / Postion / Name / PostionNsubuga geofrey / national coordinator / Nakakande Irene / senior programs coordinator
Najjuma lydia agatha / finance/administrator / Angom suzan / Administrator
Nzamuhabwa denis / security officer
The Progam Unit
Name / Postion / Name / PostionSanyu ruth / skills coordinator / Nambuusi linda / community and youth programs coordinator
Namirembe molly / health programs coordinator / Nanyondo joan / Counsellor
Nalubwama Irene / Counsellor / Kamanyiro yeseri / Field officer
The Training Experts
Name / Postion / Name / PostionNajjombwe shakirah / children’s unit officer / Azonye claudine / training expert secretarial
Mugalanzi gilbert / training expert graphic designing / Nakalo sharifa / training expert tailoring and knitting
Mugerwa muhamad / training expert computer repair and maintanance / Nakazibwe gorret / training expert hair dressing
Our volunteers
Name / Period/country / Name / CountrySara de korte / July- august / Vincent voss / August
Irmante ezerskyter / July- october / Kelly v’ant velt / October-december
Marcin wiza / July-october / Julia doornbos / October-december
2016 projects
Through the following projects, we extended our programs to work in the districts of Kampala and Wakiso in the Central region, Busia and Bugiri in the Eastern Region, Moroto-Karamoja in the North Region and Erusi-Nebbi in the West Nile.
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Annual Report 2016 Somero Uganda1
“ICT social business center;empowering girls and young with innovation” The project supported the seting up of an IT social business center with a skills development unit, a youth corner, a business unit and a child play space. The cener has equipped 279 girls and young women at risk and those involved in commercial sex with ICT employable skills including graphic designing, photo and video editing, secretarial and computer maintenance and repair. The business unit is set to provide the beneficiaries with entrepreneurial skills, while the youth corners provides psycho-social support and the children unit support the children of thee young mothers as they attend classes. This 2year project 2016/17 is funded by Somero Germany Ev/Bingo foundation of Hannover and NSB belin.
Continuing Education for sexually exploited girls and young mothers; Somero Uganda provides full and partial education scholarships to girls and young women who are sexually exploited. The project also supports families of these children with Income Generating Activities to be able to support the education of other children in their families. This project is funded by SomeroeV together with individual well-wishers on a rolling basis.
Stopping child exploitation from Education and Livelihood (SCEEL);
Theproject is aimed atcontributing toprogressiveeliminationoftheworstformsof child laour and realization of children rights in Uganda through facilitatingthe protection and safeguarding of children engagedinworstformsoflabour, Improving Law enforcement agencies and duty bearers/governmentofficials’ knowledge and understanding of their roles and duties in stopping childexploitation, contributing to reduced vulnerabilities in the family/community of children, improvingknowledgeof Private sector actors ontheirrolesandresponsibilitiesin protectingchildren. This 3 year project is implemented in a consortium with Platform for Labour Action, Somero Uganda and Ecological Christian Organisation with funding from Terre de Hommes- Netherlands.
HIV/AIDS Care for Children and Adolescents in Kampala;The project is aimed at accelerating identification, linkage and retention of PLHIV in care through provision of complementary holistic community-based support services, by conducting home visits to trace lost PLHIV, tracing partners and children of index PLHIV and encouraging them to test for HIV, creating demand for HIV counseling and testing among at risk OVCs as well as youth, strengthening adherence to HIV treatment and to clinic schedules among special categories of PLHIV and identifying OCV households and linking them to organizations for support. The project is supported by IDI-ELMA/KCCA fund.
What kind of education holds the future;
This global project was implemented in conjunction with Somero Uganda and VNB Hannover under the Learn to Change Global network for Educationists. The objective is to gather and share the views on how the educations systems are today are influencing the young people in schools. The project was funded by Engagement global.
Leadership Education and Development Program (LEAD); A global projectthat promotes commitment and partnership for sustainable development as well creating "global leaders” who will be capable of guiding North-South groups, trained to identify concrete goals for sustainable development. The project works in Germany and 9 countries of the global South.
Digitalising Traditional skills; The project is aimed at creating employment for young women and youth through empowering them with digitalised traditional skills including hairdressing and tailoring & knitting skills. The project acquired initial funding from KCCA’S Community Driven Development fund and with the support of community members and former beneficiaries through the community support fund.
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Annual Report 2016 Somero Uganda1
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Annual Report 2016 Somero Uganda1
The year 2016 has been the first year of implementation of our new strategic plan 2016-2020. All our stakeholders have had a great contribution to the successful implementation of activities and the achievements reached. This report covers the achievement, challenges and lessons learnt for all the programs (which are also based on the pillars of our strategic plan) implemented throughout the year. We were privileged to have remarks from our dear beloved board of directors and the national coordinator at the beginning of the report. At the initial stages the report also highlights our history, our vision and mission as well as the people that we work with to strengthen our programs. It goes ahead to summarize our core achievements, challenges and a conclusive remark for guidance in the next year 2018 and others to come in the future. We wish you a nice reading.
PROGRAMS REPORT
EDUCATION PROGRAM
The Education program is implemented with 3 objectives ie vulnerable children and young women access free, equitable and friendly primary and Secondary education. Children access quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education and to provide Literacy and Numeracy skills to out of school slum youth thereby contributing to SDG 4, 4.2 and 4.6 respectively and the Uganda National Development Plan
We are proud to be among those organizations that believe that the best gift we can give a child is education. Somero Uganda’s education programs targetchildren and young women who due to unfavourable conditions like broken families, death of parents, early pregnancy, sexual exploitation at school and home among others ending up in situations where they have to forego school and look for any possible kind of work to fend for themselves and their children. Just like any other child, these girls have dreams and wish for a chance to go to school for a bright future, however the family ends do not meet to permit them.
Our education support always puts into consideration the continuing students first to ensure that they do not drop out. In the year 2016,1103 children were identified with 41.3% % from Kampala (256 girls and 200 boys), 30.1% from Moroto-Karamoja (198girls and 102 boys),22.5% from Bugiri (114 girls and 134 boys) and 6.1% from Busia (47 girls and 20 boys).
Please note that the vulnerability in the table above doesnot depict the vulnerability of the children in the respective area but rather according to the project implemented in the area.
Of the identified children only 650 children were provided with scholarship with 14. % from Kampala (150 children) 23.4% from Moroto – Kalamoja (250 children), 18.7% from Bugiri (200 children) and 4.7% from Busia (50 children).
All our scholarship holders have gone through the holdwhile you wait sessions before they are placedin schools. The hold while you sessions are a bridge gap between the exploitative life and nature of intervention the children are yet to take on. The sessions employ the ILO-SCREAM methodologies that build the child’s self esteem, increases knowledge about the exploitative situation and allow them to participate in the selection of their intervention. This year, these sessions have been conducted in Kampala, Busia, Bugiri and Moroto.
Other interventions
- 60 teachers in Kampala, Busia, Bugiri and Moroto districts were trained in creative facilitation and skills on how to handle children withdrawn and create a safe environment for them to stay in schools. This was done using the ILO SCREAM methodology
- 120 children in Kampala-60, Busia-20, Bugiri-20 and Moroto-20 districts were trained as agents of social change using the ILO SCREAM methodology. These gained skills in peer education, relating with fellow children and reporting cases of child abuse within the schools and the community in general.
Working with other partners
- 120 and 30 teachers in Erusi-Nebbi and Hoima district respectively underthe child labour free zones implemented by UNATU as supported by HIVOs-Netherlands and the REALISE project as implemented by UWESO as supported by ECLT respectively have been trained in creative facilitation and skills on how to handle children withdrawn and creative a safe environment for them to stayin schools. This was done using the ILO SCREAM methodology.
Challenges in the education program
Funds are still limited to support all the identified beneficiaries with scholastic materials to ensure a conducive environment for their education.
THE SKILLS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
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Annual Report 2016 Somero Uganda1
Our skills development program employs ICT as an employment solution to you most at risk key populations. We try to look for innovations that can help young people to cope in the new employment error of the 21st century.
Our vision is to see that young people are able to survive in the dot com employment world irrespective of their gender, level of education, vulnerability and area of residence (slums, villages etc).
In the year 2016, 279 young people were equipped with skills of IT employable skills. These were taken through the Somero assessment criteria to ensure they were the right target. Through the assessment process, the following was realized;
Parental status
Number of Beneficiaries supported per course throughout the year
Name of course / Jan- June intake / June–Dec intake / Total number of students each classTailoring / 19 / 23 / 42
Hairdressing / 14 / 59 / 73
Graphics / 09 / 21 / 30
Photo and video / 12 / 29 / 41
Secretarial / 26 / 47 / 73
Computer maintenance and repair / 10 / 10 / 20
Out of the 279 beneficiaries equipped with entrepreneurship skills, 60 young people opened up bank accounts and started saving, 102 beneficiaries got jobs in salons, internet cafes, secretarial bureaus, photo studios as well as graphics shops. 12 young women managed to buy sewing machines and start own businesses.
Challenges
Unstable power supply in the ICT unit especially in the photo and video and graphics, this has de motivated the beneficiaries in classes.
RECOMMENDATION
The solar panels should be serviced regularly so that there is no power disruption
There should be provision of more space created in the training classes since there is an increase of beneficiaries coming to the centre.
The trainers should be provided with enough materials both in the tailoring and hair dressing class quarterly.
THE SKILLS DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT IN PICTURES
HEALTH PROGRAMS
Practicing good health is not a one-step or single-action process. Health entails spiritual, emotional, physical and mental wellbeing. The practices of good health vary for each individual but include physical activity, healthy eating, social interaction and support from others. Maintaining a strong level of social support helps in practicing good mental and emotional health. At some point during life, everyone has a stressful situation to deal with ranging from minor everyday annoyances such as rude tone from a friend to a catastrophic event such as the loss of a close relative and care taker and all that yields to physical discomfort. The ability to cope with stress is an important part of practicing good health. No matter what the cause of the stress is, healthy living not only involves taking actual medication but rather also changing the situation or changing your reaction to it and that is why our intervention is integrated enough to provide the psychosocial support to curb emotional pain and tangible medication to curb the physical pain. It is thus paramount for us to ensure that our beneficiaries are holistically healthy for them to achieve social functioning in their communities.
In the year 2016,
- Contributed to the good health of 2340 individuals and the community at large through 28 mobile clinics conducted both at the center and in different villages, The clinics were conducted in conjunction with different health centers especially Kawaala health center which provided reliable services every time we reached out to them for help.
- Two art murals were printed in the year targeting people at risk of getting involved in risky behavior that has negative impacts on their health.
- 47 young people were supported to access sexual reproductive health assistance from other organizations such as Reproductive Health Uganda, Kawaala health center and Nabweru health center for services that cannot be offered at Somero Uganda through referrals.
- 2 bi-annual campaigns on SRH were conducted which Increased awareness of community members on sexual reproductive health.
- Contributed to the adherence and uptake of ARVs, traced lost people living with HIV in Komamboga and Kiswa hospitals
- Equipped 160 (29 males and 131 females). Young people with the right information to become peer educators and reach out to their fellow peers with the correct and appropriate health information.
CHALLENGES
- Limited funds to follow up on the referrals that made especially referrals out
- Limited funds to strengthen the community mobile clinics to ensure that they reach a wider community
- Some of the peer educators had already gone for internship and thus we could not train consecutively any more but we changed the training plan to two days in a week so as to enable all of them attend
RECOMMENDATIONS
- Paint more art murals in the community such that the messages can reach out to many people with less resources
- Train more peer educators at village level such that we can have focal people at every village to help us reach their fellows with the right information and help them make informed decisions
- Engage into more follow up activities so that we can ensure more effectiveness in the provision of medication to the community
Pictorial presentation of the health programs