Mr. Benono Ategeka is a 52-year-old male. Originally born in Kisoro. Benon lives in Nyamwendara village, Kyakatooyo Parish, Katooke Sub County in Kyenjojo district. Benono is married and has 11 children. One out of the 11 children live with them while the rest are in boarding school.

I am a farmer as well as a business man. I have stayed in this village for the last 11 years.  I met Joint Effort to Save the Children-JESE and Care in 2029. I told them that I am a farmer and I was asked if I was in a group. Our group was introduced to JESE and Care team and the rest is history.

We were taught about farm planning, encouraged to plan together with my wife and the rest of the family members among other things using the FFBS Model. “I want to thank JESE for taking us and teaching us. Because of JESE and Care, I now own a milling machine at the trading center and 14 ha of land in which  I have coffee garden, matooke and my wife understands money.” Said Benon

JESE found when my wife and I would never agree on anything. Whenever I would sell the produce from our garden, my wife would not believe when I told her that the money was finished. There was a lot of misunderstandings between us. When JESE came, I picked interest and attended the trainings. During the trainings, we were taught numerous things; Home farm planning, child care among others. We started doing everything together unlike before when we would have separate gardens.

We have continued to plan and do everything together. I support my wife with all house chores and my neighbors ask whether my wife is fine. Each time they met me at the bore hole or taking our goats to graze. We planned for our children. In 2022, we agreed to take our children to better schools because our house income improved. 2 of my children are at St. Charles Lwanga, while others are in great schools too. I pay school fees of 500 plus for each child every term.

“Because of JESE and Care, we became a role model home in our community and started sharing our experiences with other community members. Other men would let their wives do all the work at home from morning to 6pm and still expected their wives to care for them (Men) in the night. Benon shared.

I shared with them my experience and also told them the causes of misunderstandings between couples. I encouraged them to sit down with their family members and plan together as a family for the betterment of their families.

“I became a role model man and oriented other men. I became known in my community and got elected as the Chairman, Development Affairs. At our church, I am on the procurement committee with Compassion Uganda. At school, I am the Chairman-PTA because I am known as a responsible father.” Benon shared.

 I became a Community Based Trainer under JESE and Care. Now, we discuss on what investments can bring income and care for our children’s basic needs.  Working together with my wife has improved my family. I am now called to the CDO’s Office to support with community Development activities.

I want to thank God for bringing JESE to our community. I want to thank JESE and Care for the good work done in our community and ask them to continue empowering us. Care taught  us to plan and do things as planned. Some people don’t understand the need to educated the girl child. I want to encourage everyone to pick interest in educating girls.

Continue to plan as a family because I am a testimony of the benefits. We now have our plots of land at the Trading center. I encourage other men to empower their spouses to be financially capable. You always have peace and harmony once you support your wife. She will continue supporting, trusting and believing in you and your abilities. Children will respect you and hold you in high regard unlike when everyone does separate plans.

“JESE put me on the map. Other NGOs got to know me through JESE work and I am delighted that JESE believed in me. My children know me as their father because I provide.” Benono adds.

Join For Water, with the partners; Joint Effort to Save the Environment-JESE, Natural Resources Defense Initiative-NRDI, Kyaninga Forest Foundation-KFF together with the Ministry of Water and Environment, organized a National Dialogue on Wetlands in Uganda under the theme “Solutions to the Wetland crisis in Uganda. Stakeholders’ perspective in Uganda”

The main objective of the dialogue was to generate stakeholders’ insights and harmonize ongoing strategic interventions related to wetlands management. The key stakeholders at the National level serve as a crucial opportunity to shed light on environmental threats, advocate for sustainable land use practices, and promote the conservation and preservation of the wetlands for future generations.

The dialogue was attended by stakeholders including; The Ministry of Water and Environment, Parliamentary Commission, Makerere University, AID Environment, Albertian Zonal Water Management, NEMA, Ministry of Water and Environment-Wetlands department, District LG-NRD/DEC, Media, Belgium Embassy, Representative from the Danish Embassy, Religious and cultural Institutions, The Resident City Commissioner, Fort Portal City, Environmental Alert, Water for People, GIZ among others.

The keynote Speaker Mr. Mugabi Stephen David, noted that wetlands are very essential ecosystem that provides both social and economic livelihood. He advocated for the need to train the lo cal government officers to understand the instruments in place to protect the wetlands from degradation.

“Despite the efforts put in to restore wetlands in Uganda, they are still being destroyed due to human activities. This is a reminder to us that all is not well and we need to do all it takes to address the challenges.”  Said Mr. Mugabi Stephen David, the Ag. Director MWE.

He further echoed the need to know the right stakeholders and their roles before engaging them. “Before we take solutions, let’s know the stakeholders and their role. If we want to manage the wetlands crisis, let us bring on board all the stakeholders like; the Community-Based organizations, Communities, media, Advocacy groups, and development partners including the international partners among others, because they carry different responsibilities. We need to ensure that all stakeholders are mapped out, informed, and held responsible to protect and conserve the environment.

He called upon the NGOs to advocate for sustainable land use to protect wetlands and other natural resources. Encourage people to utilize the wetlands without destroying them. Once we play our role, our wetlands will be protected.

He emphasized the need to have conservations on sustainable land use planning and implement integrated plans that promote climate resilience agriculture. Promote eco-tourism development to protect wetlands while generating income. Tasked the research institutions to continuously avail information on wetlands to create awareness.

There is a need to strengthen the existing laws and regulations. Let’s look at community engagement and education. Unless we educate the communities, we will not achieve our objective.

He made the following recommendations; Strengthen the National wetlands policy; Conduct regular wetlands assessments; Develop community-led wetlands plans; Develop eco-tourism guidelines for the interventions; and Enhance stakeholder engagement and collaboration.

“Together we can address the wetlands crisis by having the right stakeholders.” He concluded

The one-day National Dialogue that involved panel discussions on; How responsive are our wetland laws and policies to the emerging population/ land pressure and climate crisis had representatives of the Uganda Parliamentarians- Land Management Forum, National Environment Management Authority-NEMA, ENR-CSO Network representative, and Chairperson Uganda Local Government Association.

While the second panel discussion was on “What is the future of wetland management in Uganda and implications for the attainment of NDPIV with panelists from the National Planning Authority, Assistant Commissioner Wetlands department, Youth representative, and private sector representative- Nile Breweries Limited-UBL who recommended the following; The need for mindset change among the population. Coordinating the policies across the line ministries and departments is necessary. Demarcated and boundaries set. Consider a Private-Public partnership to look at wetlands as a source of income and not destroy them. Think of how to continue dialoguing with the different stakeholders. We need to consider young people and what they resonate with when planning and ensure that our planning relates well to local issues.

“We should join for water to change for water.” This was a call to action made by the representatives of the Uganda Parliamentarians- Land Management Forum.

The participants committed to doing the following; Prioritization of budget allocation towards wetlands inventories across the country, Strengthening inter-sectoral coordination, and Intensifying enforcement of the laws and regulations.

Joint Effort to Save the Environment (JESE)received funding from Join For Water and Serengeti Energy to construct a water extension project in Ntara Sub County, Kitagwenda District.

The program, which was implemented for ten months, came as a relief to the community of Ntara Sub County.

The Ntara water extension project was constructed by Bakens Investment. It includes 12 water stands from Rwetuha to Nyakacwamba across eight villages: Kalere, Mpanga, Rwengwe, Kapapali, Karubuguma 1, Karubuguma 2, Nyakacwamba 1, and Nyakacwamba 2.

The handover event that was attended by the community members, District officials, sub-county team Local council chairpersons of the benefiting communities, JESE, Join For Water, and Serengeti Energy was full of appreciation from the different stakeholders.

“We have spent many years waiting for water and are very grateful for the support. I want to thank Join For Water, JESE, and Serengeti for making this happen.” Said Mr. Twesigye Ben, the Chairperson of Local Council 1, Kalere Village. 

The community, sub-county, and District leaders committed to continue supporting the water project. They pledged to support the maintenance and repairs of the facilities. They, however, cautioned the community members against misuse of the water resource.  Now that we have clean water, diseases like; Typhoid, and cholera will be reduced in other communities.

Mr. Mushermeze Ismail the District LCV Chairman shared that he is in contact with the district engineer and the RDC’s office to ensure the water source in Rwetuha is protected and secured. 

Message from the Funders and implementing partner.

JESE, Join For Water, and Serengeti Energy thanked the community members across the eight villages for allowing water pipes to be passed in their land saying the project would not be successful without the donation made by the community members and Kitagwenda District leaders for the continued support that enabled the completion of the project.

 Serengeti Energy, represented by Ms. Karen remarked that they participated in the event to show their commitment to serving the community. “We are aware that having water near saves our women and girls time walking long distances.” Said Karen Low, the Chief Environmental, Social, and Governance Officer, at Serengeti Energy.

The Rwenzori Agroecology Actors Platformed was launched on the second day of the Indigenous Seed and Food Fair. Envisioned to support the Rwenzori region communities to achieve steady socio-economic development premised on sustainable utilization of natural resources, the RAAP aims to transform agricultural practices and policies based on principles of equity, justice, and ecological sustainability for the well-being of present and future generations.

The RAAP’s strategic actions include: Capacity building of farmers; Networking and collaboration among diverse actors; Knowledge generation and dissemination of practical experiences and best practices; Demonstration and Evidence-based documentation; Promotion of Agroecological Markets and Advocacy and Policy Engagement.

During the launch, representations included; JESE, PELUM, KRC, Mountains of the Moon University (MMU), TOPA, Natural Resources Defense Initiatives (NRDI), Bunyangabu Beekeepers Cooperative Society Limited, The Association of Rwenzori Community, Rugarama United Youth Beekeepers Association, Kyenjojo District Coffee and Vanilla Farmers Cooperative Society Limited, Iles De Paix (IDP), Broederlijk Delen (BD), Albertine Interventions for Development (AID), Community Sustainable Initiative Link, Kiima Foods, Care, NARO_Rwebitaba ZARDI, Kabambiro Farmers Marketing Association, Uganda Martyrs University, ISSD, IFDC International, Kabarole Beekeepers Cooperative, Bwamba Cooperative Union among others.

Present were also representatives of the different local governments in the region including Kabarole, Ntoroko  Kyenjojo, Kamwenge, Kyegegwa, Bunyangabu  Districts, and Fort Portal Toursim City.