Putting Down Roots in Pabbo - September 2009
To promote agricultural pursuits, to increase household incomes and food security, and to help revitalize the environment, Pabbo Sub-County leaders, with OTI support, provided 10,000 fruit tree to more than 150 local farmers. The initiative is helping engage returnees in meaningful income-generating activities.
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Open Bidding Minimizes Corruption, Improves Quality - September 2009
The reopening of the offices of Uganda's Resident District Commissioner in Gulu has solidified government presence in the north, and the restoration of the building demonstrated that corruption can be minimized. OTI's assistance helped introduce transparency into the procurement and contract award process.
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Water Is Life: New Pumps Revive Water System in Kitgum - August 2009
Ugandans returning from camps for the displaced and people from rural areas, who are relocating to urban areas in search of social services, have increased demands on Kitgum's water resources. When two of the town's water pumps broke down, tensions increased. However, with assistance from OTI, new pumps have been installed.
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Building Confidence in Local Government - August 2009
OTI is helping to increase the visibility of, and confidence in, local government in Uganda by supporting renovations to schools, health centers, and government offices as well as agricultural interventions and activities involving war-affected youth. And in places like Alero sub-county, people's perceptions about the government's ability to provide basic services are beginning to change for the better.
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Drumming Up Support for the Return Process in Northern Uganda - July 2009
For the first time in 20 years, more than 100,000 northern Ugandans came together for concerts full of celebratory song and dance, as the Northern Uganda Music Artists Association, under the banner of "peace and love in our homes" and with support from OTI, sent positive messages to communities about the peace and return process.
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Commemorating the Victims of the Attiak Massacre - May 2009
Fourteen years after Attiak in northern Uganda suffered horrific violence at the hands of the rebel Lord's Resistance Army, the town remembers the victims, and local leaders are urging the community to forgive and unite as a first step to reconcile past events, bring people home, and rebuild lives.
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Reconciliation Sets Stage for Returns in Kitgum - May 2009
Relations between two neighboring clans in northern Uganda had been tense ever since a misidentification during the LRA insurgency led to deaths. Now, thanks to efforts by the Acholi tribal chief's office and OTI, the two clans have reconciled, paving the way for the return of displaced people and development activities.
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Programs Provide Vital Economic Opportunities for Youth - May 2009
Addressing unemployment, a lack of opportunities, and local governments' need to lead and deliver a range of public services, OTI is providing furnishings made by northern Ugandan youths to administrative offices and schools. The youths are learning their trade thanks to a Norwegian Refugee Council program.
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Kitgum District Takes Center Stage during Camp Phase-Out - March 2009
As people are leaving camps and returning to their communities in northern Uganda, the government is also returning to provide services after a 20-year hiatus. But first, the local councils, with OTI support, are thanking camp commanders for their service and discussing the way forward on issues facing returnee communities.
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Amuru District Government Delivers at Patira Primary School - March 2009
As displaced families return to their northern Ugandan homes, communities and local governments are working together, with OTI's support, to prioritize rebuilding needs. In Amuru District, Patira once again has a primary school to educate the village's children and prepare them for the future.
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Restoring Local Government Presence in Areas of Return - February 2009
As district and sub-county offices in return areas of Uganda are rebuilt, with the support of OTI, critical infrastructure essential to the government re-establishing its presence and providing services is restored, giving people access to local officials and offering communities a new sense of stability.
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Reconciliation through Dance, Drama and Song - January 2009
Northern Uganda erupted in celebration at the Cultural Gala and Dance Competition, thanks to the local Gulu District government and OTI, as Acholi culture was on show to help build relationships through artistic channels—including music, dance, and drama—among the communities that suffered from the country's armed conflict.
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Healing Rites Promote Returns in Northern Uganda - January 2009
Acholi tribal elders across northern Uganda, working with OTI, are performing traditional cleansing ceremonies and burying the bones of victims of the conflict to pacify spirits so people feel secure in returning to rebuild homes and cultivate fallow lands.
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Village Health Teams Help Curb Spread of Hepatitis E - November 2008
In early 2008, northern Uganda was hit by an outbreak of Hepatitis E, a waterborne viral version of the disease. To address the immediate epidemic, the Gulu District government, with OTI support, mounted a campaign to assist communities in tackling the outbreak and controling its spread.
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Reducing Land-Related Violence in Northern Uganda - October 2008
With the transition to peace currently moving forward, internally displaced persons are leaving camps and returning to their homes. OTI provided support to the Gulu District government as it spearheaded a No Violence on Land campaign.
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Ceremonies Mark Transition to Peacetime Governance - September 2008
To build public confidence in the ability of local government to deliver community services, OTI provided support for two ceremonies that marked the handover of public responsibilities from IDP camp leaders, or "camp commanders," to elected local governments.
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