A FIGHT FOR THE VOICELESS

Since inception, KALI has been at the forefront of massively addressing Gender issues and this has been at different levels including among others; at the work place guided by KALI Gender policy, institutions like schools, churches and hospitals, local Government structures right from village, Sub County to District level. KALI is an organization that believes in working together with various structures; this commitment has therefore not been coming by its self but rather with support from different entities like HIVOs, Oxfam, KWATANIZA, Government, the Media and the will of the different communities where KALI is operating from.

KALI Staff developing a proposal to SNV on Community Wash: Nicholasi M, (left) Geofrey Bwambale, Ms. Sedrass K, and Ms Scovia Masika (right)

KALI has implemented several activities in terms of addressing Gender issues and different interventions have been made to achieve the set goals and objectives and these include; meetings (Round table, dialogue), field visits, trainings, workshops, field theatre (Drama shows), Radio talk shows among others. KALI has formed relevant structures like Sub County Gender Budgeting and Advocacy Groups (SGBAGs), Village Advocacy committees (VDCs) and Parish Advocacy Committees (PDCs); these have helped in collecting Gender segregated data and creating awareness on Gender budgeting aimed at empowering community structures to be proactive and advocate for gender sensitivity in the planning and budgeting processes right from family to Government structures.

Women’s voice unheard of:

KALI came into the arena of gender budget mainstreaming back in 2001 when a group of concerned citizens in Kasese district highlighted the plight of women as a great challenge in the public sphere. While at one point the challenge was getting women into the public sphere be it education, politics and health. For decades, Kasese district posted the first ever women doctors (Dr. Florence Kabugho –RIP) in the 1970s and it took two decades to get another woman doctor. The only rewards parents gave to young girls was to marry them off and start a family. To highlight the plight of the female gender was like kicking off a dying horse! Kasese posted a leadership vacuum until the late 1980 when the first ever female National Resistance Council member (NRC) was heard of guess who? Hon. Loice Biira Bwambale. This opened the minds of many parents to rethink their strategy of marrying off their girl children at an early age but what remained was for women to become assertive and change the status quo.

A WOMAN’S MOUTH CAN NOW OPEN IN BUKONZO WEST CONSTITUENCY

Through edges a woman’s mouth could not open in public unless by chance.  If I can remember well my primary one science, keeping your mouth shut for long a time, unhealthy conditions could be registered. Woooooooweeeeeee………You can imagine the unhealthy condition women have been living!!! What about the social side of it? Women’s concerns could not be addressed! Of course from who? And by who? Believe me this could have been the reason for women’s invisibility in the development arena.

Hands up for the different initiatives that have come up with different strategies for strengthening women’s voices and enhance their capacities to integrate women in development and especially KALI-KWATANZI partnership that has made the ‘voices’ of women councilors and leaders to be heard and to demand for accountability from duty bearers.

KALI implemented a project aimed at enhancing committed women councilors and leaders ‘voice’ to demand for accountability in kasese district which was initiated by KALI and KWATANIZA. This has been done into phases; the first phase was conducted in 2008 being facilitated by KALI and Akina Mama Wa Africa in 22 local and urban councils and this registered some achievements which culminated into the rebirth of the second phase that was implemented in 2011-2012 that was implemented in the seven sub counties of Bukonzo west constituency kasese district. This based on the vigilance of women and youth in recently held local council elections (March, 2011), majority of the elected women councilors in kasese district were new comers thus a need to be mentored in matters of council procedures and debates for effective deliberation, down ward accountability and gender sensitive budgeting processes. Women councilors/leaders were taken through communication skills, planning and budgeting processes and council procedures here mock councils were held during the trainings to demonstrate council proceedings and how councilors move motions during council sessions.        

Ms. Sedrass Kalyengyo, Gender Officer at KALI

Walking into KALI’s gates and her catchment area, one gets the impression that women are at the center stage of emancipation and development. All this is because women’s vigilance has increased, their participation in development arena is at a centre stage, a team of gender activists enhanced.

By MASIKA SEDRESS KALENGYO