Community Cooperation Programme

The CCP aims to develop collaborative structures for development and to enhance prosperity, peace, and justice at home, community, district and national level.

The program started in 2001 in response to tribal clashes during elections and requests from local women who became victims of domestic violence.
Youth, women, and children are the primary constituents as well as marginalized men.
Strategies:

To establish Community-Driven Epicenters
To develop collective capacities to collaborate across traditional divides of gender, history, tribe, culture, and tradition;
To support the development of strong rural economies and institutions so that development is self-generated and sustainable;
To create learning communities that will enable people to move from reactive/problem solving to creating new ways of building relationships and action for development;
To play a facilitative, informing, linking and lobby role for farmers to find local spot markets and international niche markets.

Activities:

Training rural communities and local leaders in the principles of the creative process for sustainable development;
Training peasant farmers in farm entrepreneurship and formation of farmers organization;
Train rural youth and other marginalized groups to become self-reliant and participate in rural economies;
Organize rights advocacy and lobbying, community learning, consciousness-raising programs;
Organize Gender HIV and AIDS reflection and dialogue;
Organise Elders forum, peace dialogues;
Support to special interest groups-youth, women and PWDs;
Organize educative theatre in the communities;
Organize the Kagadi Peace Marathon were men in solidarity with women-run together for peace.
Lobby and advocate for human rights of disadvantaged1 and marginalized groups2 are promoted, protected and enjoyed;
Broadcast programs and organize seminars on governance, which are human right based, transparency and accountability for the delivery of quality services, especially for the disadvantaged and marginalized;
Carry out evidence-backed research to ensure the land rights are equally enjoyed by all citizens in the Bunyoro region.

Management
The program has 5 components: Community Driven Epicentres, Land rights, Gender And HIV, Peace dialogues and Human Rights.
Land Rights desk Focuses on the right to meaningful livelihoods through access to property and land. The desk uses evidence-backed research to ensure the land rights are equally enjoyed by all citizens. Land ownership is a major reason for conflict in Kibaale district.
Activities: information provision, mediation, counseling, legal advisory services, research, and networking. A weekly program is broadcasted on URDT’s community radio. We also encourage victims of Human Rights abuses to share their injustice experiences and how it was resolved on-air for learning purposes.

Gender and HIV & AIDS desk: Focuses on a gendered outlook at HIV and AIDS, incorporating the principles of rights as articulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It promotes HIV prevention and positive living.
Activities: to develop the capacity of Community-Based Organizations; to mobilize institutions such as schools to mainstream HIV & Gender concerns; supporting the diffusion of HCT services at sub-county levels; support to People with Disabilities and the Elderly; linkages to the Functional Adult Illiterate groups. Peace. Focus on peace management and reconciliation processes in the Bunyoro region.

Activities: organize peace meetings and workshops with different groups that aim to generate dialogue, a shared vision, and action for peace, respect and unity in diversity in the region.

Human Rights desk Focus: Respectful and caring relationships in households. Currently, there is gender-based violence in many homes and institutional injustices in health services, police, public service, prisons and magistrate levels within the decentralized system.
Activities: mediation, guidance, counseling and consensus-building sessions at URDT’s campus; sensitization meetings and workshops at village level; and training for village council leaders and police who are responsible for enforcing the law.
Results:

advised over 5000 clients on issues of human rights and land rights;
organized more than 100 meetings and workshops at village or parish level on social justice issues;
aired 200 programs on human rights and justice on URDT’s community radio;
52 councilors received training in handling rights abuse in their communities;
50 district authorities were trained in the principles of human rights-based approach to programming
it is widely acknowledged by the larger community for its constructive role in creating peace and minimizing tribal conflicts.

Partners: