UGANDA: S/GWI PROJECT PROPOSALS

UNCLAS KAMPALA 000388

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PREL KWMN KPAO AID UG
SUBJECT: UGANDA: S/GWI PROJECT PROPOSALS

REF: 09 STATE132094


1. The U.S. Mission to Uganda submits the following two project
proposals for consideration for the Office of Global Women's Issues
(SGWI) Small Grants Initiative. The two projects are listed in
priority order for funding.



Definition of the Problem:




2. Women and girls in Uganda are marginalized socially, politically
and economically and routinely are the victims of sexual and gender
based violence (SGBV). The defilement of young girls by family
members, neighbors, and teachers is common, with studies estimating
that up to 25% of girls younger than 14 have been raped. Domestic
violence rates are high, particularly in rural areas, with up to
30% of all women reporting physical abuse.




3. There has been some progress in the past year to combat these
trends, through the passage of legislation providing greater
protections for victims of domestic violence and trafficking in
persons. The two projects described below aim to educate and
empower women to improve their awareness of their civic rights as
Ugandan citizens. In addition to the direct beneficiaries, the
programs will have a significant and enduring impact on local
communities and help move Uganda toward greater gender equality.



Project 1: Promoting Women's Legal Rights:




4. The Ugandan Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA-U) requests
$100,000 to provide legal education and assistance to women victims
of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) over 18 months. FIDA-U
proposes to: provide paralegal training to 52 community health
workers; conduct ten legal aid outreach events; produce a short
documentary of SGBV survivor stories; and train 35 practicing
lawyers on women's legal rights, particularly those covered under
newly passed legislation.



Para-legal Training for 52 Community Health Workers: FIDA-U will
provide a three-day para-legal training to 52 staff members at a
local hospital that has a client base of 600,000 people, 70% of
whom are HIV positive. In many cases of domestic violence, rape or
abuse, medical staff are the first and only contact the victims
have with potential assistance. The training will underline the

role and responsibility of the medical profession in curbing and
mitigating violence, its responsibility to provide basic
information and referrals and to explain the medical documentary
evidence necessary for the successful prosecution of SGBV cases.
The training will also provide basic legal information to the
health care providers, including instruction on the recently passed
Domestic Violence Bill.



Series of 10 Human Rights Legal Clinics: These mobile legal clinics
will take the law closer to communities to conduct basic legal
rights training for women as a way to prevent ongoing abuses and to
address women's legal issues.



Short Documentary of SGBV Survivor Stories: The documentary will be
used to sensitize the public to the abuses suffered by women in
Uganda. The film will combine stories of abuse with audience
discussion and legal professionals commentary. FIDA-U produced an
effective anti human trafficking video that was used to sensitize
the public and lobby for the passing of Uganda's anti-human
trafficking bill last year.



Training/Mentoring Women Lawyers on Human Rights Law: Women lawyers
in Uganda have varying degrees of familiarity with international
human rights standards and with Ugandan laws. FIDA-U will provide
training to 35 women lawyers on the law, issues with enforcement
and prosecution, and gaps that require reforms. At the lead
University Human Rights and Gender are taught as post-graduate
courses so many women lawyers have not even had a basic course on

the issues.




5. The FIDA-U budget for this program is $110,000 but includes a
$10,000 cost share. The budget is broken down into the following
components: program coordinator/legal aid: $25,485; community
health worker training: $24,829; human rights mobile legal clinics:
$15,249; documentary production: $6,158; training for women
lawyers: $7,848; end of project evaluation: 15,951. The complete
proposal including a detailed budget is attached to this cable.




6. FIDA-U has a solid grant and program track record and the
Mission believes the organization has the capacity to
professionally carry out the project within the proposed 18 month
performance period. FIDA-U's proposal and budget are attached.



Project 2: Communities Against Violence and HIV/AIDS:




7. The Uganda Muslim Supreme Council - Women's Desk (UMSC-WD)
requests $65,534 for a train the trainer program to educate and
empower 3,300 women over 12 months. The projects will provide
modular training to 33 district coordinators in four topic areas:
HIV counseling and prevention; domestic violence and women's
rights; income generating activities; and parenting. The 33
district coordinators will then establish/support four community
peer support groups in their respective districts and offer 4
sessions covering the four topic areas to the women in each
community peer support group. The 528 community training sessions
will be offered to women of all faiths in 33 of Uganda's 90+
districts. The UMSC-WD expects that the 132 community peer support
groups will continue function as a community level group and as a
entry point for information on women's and gender issues beyond the
end of the 12 month period of performance.




8. The UMSC-WD $65,534 budget contains a modest stipend request for
the national coordinator and an administrative assistant, but
otherwise relies on the volunteer support of the district
coordinators and the peer support group leaders they will recruit
within their districts. The budget has the following components:
labor: $5,884, consultative meeting $1,309; training and workshops:
$36,771; community mobilization: $3017; monitoring and evaluation:
$9326. The UMSC-WD proposal and detailed budget are attached to
this cable.




9. The UMSC was established in 1972 and is an umbrella organization
for all Muslim associations and organizations in Uganda, with
representation in 33 of Uganda's 90+ districts, including more than
8,000 village mosques. (Note: Uganda's Muslim population is
estimated at 12%). UMSC-WD was established in June 2009 and has
less experience in formal project implementation and grant
management, however Post has interviewed both its national
coordinator and the coordinator of the overarching Human Rights
department and believes that the organization will effectively
carry out the proposed program. UMSC's Human Rights desk has
proven capable in managing grants received from the Mission. Post
believes this is a good opportunity to increase the capacity of the
UMSC-WD to promote the rights of some of the most marginalized
women in Uganda, and to promote inter-faith interaction at the
community level.




10. Management note: The Mission's small grants office currently
manages $70,000 in self help grants and $350,000 in PEPFAR small
grants. Self help grants normally do not exceed $10,000, and
PEPFAR grants are capped at $25,000. If either of the two projects
above are funded at the requested amounts, Post may need to use
some of the funding to help manage an additional grant of this
size. Pol/Econ Officer Trevor Olson is the Mission's point of
contact for this submission. End note.
LANIER