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USAID/ Uganda - Success Stories
›Nabuka Dairy Cooperative Society
›New Marketing Campaign Increases Protector-brand Condom Sales by Over 50 percent
›The Ambassador's Girls' Scholarship Program: Promoting Girls Education through USAID/ Uganda
›The Environmental Protection and Economic Development (EPED) Project: Protecting Parks and Promoting Economic GrowthNabuka Dairy Cooperative Society
During the 1970s and 1980s, continuing conflict in Uganda reduced the number of improved dairy cows and, in turn, essentially wiped out the Uganda dairy industry. In the early 1990s, the private sector took a lead role in revitalizing the almost nonexistent industry. Since 1994, the USAID/Uganda dairy business development activity, implemented by the Land O'Lakes cooperative (LOL), has been using various methods to improve the dairy industry.
At the start, the hurdles in the dairy industry included limited use of improved dairy breeds, low farm-gate milk prices, lack of market information and planning, lack of technical advice on herd and farm management practices, and inadequate milk processing facilities and distribution systems. By assisting small- and medium-sized dairy processing cooperatives and associations, LOL has improved the efficiency of dairy operations. LOL provides training in grassroots cooperative development, association formation and building, milk production and dairy product development, processing and marketing, agribusiness management, and private extension service provision.
Nabuka dairy cooperative society (NDCS) is one of the many farmer-owned cooperatives and associations that have benefited from this activity. NDCS started in 1991 as an association formed by three farmers' groups: Nakago, Bugerere, and Kanisa. The objective of the association was to help member farmers market their milk as well as improve their farm management operations. In 1998, through the USAID/LOL interventions and by virtue of its objectives, Nabuka changed its status from an association to a cooperative limited by share capital and with a mandate to conduct dairy business.
NDCS now has 250 registered members with 95 of these delivering milk daily. NDCS has increased its daily milk collections from 500 liters per year in 1998 to 2200 liters per year in 2000. The gross income of members has increased from Ugandan Shillings 200,000 ($111) in 1998 to Ush.1,100,000 ($611) in 2000.
Initially, the only service to NDCS members was to market their milk. Now services include private artificial insemination and veterinary services, farm supplies, and farmer credit. With the cooperative in place, the farmers are promptly paid every two weeks for their milk deliveries. NDCS has used excess funds for a savings and credit scheme that has already realized a total of Ush 2,770,000 ($1,539) in two months. This money will be loaned to members, at market interest rates, to enable them to expand their operations.
As an effort to create awareness and expand markets for its milk and milk products, NDCS actively participates in the annual June dairy month promotional campaigns, national agricultural shows, and trade fairs. Consequently, NDCS has expanded its marketing outlets to include two lock-up shops in Mukono town and two vending points in Tororo and Gulu districts. Two farmer groups have been formed in Kayunga and Nakifuma areas with an agreement to deliver 700 liters of milk daily to NDCS. These groups now constitute potential secondary cooperative partners.
Future plans for NDCS include establishment of a 15,000-liter capacity mini dairy plant on land already purchased by NDCS, acquisition of a milk tank, and maturation of the savings and credit scheme into a lending village bank.
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New Marketing Campaign Increases Protector-brand
Condom Sales by Over 50 percentHIV/AIDS has had a devastating effect on the country of Uganda, which was seen as the epicenter of the pandemic in the early 1990s. HIV seroprevalence rates, as high as 30 percent in some areas, has revealed that the highest rates are in younger age groups.
USAID/Uganda implemented multiple approaches against HIV/AIDS. One consistently successful intervention, the social marketing of condoms, is targeted to the most vulnerable group-young adults. By socially marketing condoms, USAID has been able to provide a good quality product, distributed through many areas of the country, at a reasonable low price.
Now, 10 years after the first condoms were introduced to the market, the project has sold over 10 million condoms in one year. There was a dramatic increase in sales-up from just 4 million in 1999-that can be attributed to a number of marketing and distribution innovations introduced by Commercial Market Strategies (CMS). CMS realized that the condom market was a competitive one so they strengthened market driven techniques in 2000 to sell more condoms. The private sector techniques have not only increased CMS condom sales, but have also increased total condom sales in Uganda, which have skyrocketed in the last couple of years.
First and foremost, CMS invested time and resources in understanding the Protector (brand name) user and how Protector fits into the condom market in Uganda. Who buys Protector? What do consumers like about Protector's image? To get to know the consumers' opinions about Protector, CMS used exactly the same techniques as Uganda's successful commercial enterprises. In market surveys, CMS discovered that Ugandan consumers believe happy and responsible people use the Protector brand. CMS reoriented the marketing campaign to fit these newly discovered beliefs and perceptions and launched the slogan "My Choice." A choice to be responsible, a choice to enjoy life to its fullest. The advertising featured very cool Ugandan young adults having fun and choosing Protector. Radio adverts in four languages soon followed with young adults making real life choices at the hairdresser and at the disco. "But just because I am young, doesn't mean I am stupid. There's only one natural choice. Protector: My choice. Every time."
The campaign has sparked new life in Protector not only among consumers, but also within the trade. There was a large emphasis put on marketing through the private sector, which provided the greatest means of distribution. The success of the "My Choice" campaign contributed to more retailers stocking Protector, with sales growing to almost 1 million in the month after the campaign launch.
The project also made some internal changes that mirror what goes on in the private sector. The commission structure for the sales team was improved upon to ensure the sales people kept Protector available and accessible to consumers in pharmacies, general merchandise shops, bars, lodges, petrol stations, and drug shops. A new sales tracking system was incorporated to regularly evaluate where more distribution was needed. All of this contributed to improved distribution, sales, and use of Protector, which, in turn, results in lives saved and a decreased spread of HIV/AIDS.
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The Ambassador's Girls' Scholarship Program-Promoting Girls Education through USAID/ Uganda
Attaining education at the secondary level is challenging in a developing country, especially for girls. Though the Government of Uganda is supporting primary education through the Primary Education Reform program, many girls who have performed well in primary school are not attending secondary school because they are unable to pay school fees.
President Bill Clinton launched the Education for Development Initiative (EDDI) in 1998, to support innovative programs for the strengthening of education and democracy in selected African countries. In 2000, Uganda received a grant from EDDI for $380,000 under the Ambassador's Girls' Scholarship and Mentoring program. The goal of this program is to promote equity in education, with the objectives of providing rural needy girls an opportunity for quality secondary education; keeping these girls in secondary school; enabling needy girls to access tertiary education in key areas relevant to the development of Uganda; and mentoring girls into good careers and meaningful lives.
The Ambassador's Girls' Scholarship and Mentoring program has a two-tier approach, providing funding for the entire four years of secondary education, as well as a mentoring component that provides girls the opportunity to meet women in various professional positions. The grant has enabled 180 bright, but needy girls to attain secondary education in 17 of the best girls' secondary schools throughout the country. The component devoted to mentoring has enabled the girls to meet recognized female judges, engineers, doctors, scientists, mathematicians, environmentalists, and agriculturists. These women have offered guidance to the girls and encouraged them to aspire to higher levels of education and profession.
This program has significantly enhanced girls' education and has provided a strong platform to build upon. The girls in the program, now in their second year, are performing well and will be a valuable contribution to Ugandan society. With this great start, USAID/Uganda intends to continue this program for an additional 200 girls in the coming year.
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The Environmental Protection and Economic Development (EPED) Project: Protecting Parks and Promoting Economic Growth
There are numerous parks and reserves in Uganda where biodiversity is being preserved. Unfortunately, poverty forces many residents to use natural resources illicitly in many of these areas. The USAID-funded Environmental Protection and Economic Development (EPED) project, which began in 1996, has undertaken a conservation and development approach in Murchison Falls National Park and the adjacent Bugungu and Karuma Game Reserves that involves resolving conflict and providing greater economic opportunities to the communities of these critical areas.
The project, now in its second phase, has three components: building district capacity to effectively plan and manage its resources; stabilizing buffer zone communities through provision of basic infrastructure; and supporting smallholder agriculture as the basis of economic development. The project has worked very closely with communities in Masindi Dstrict including organized sectoral committees elected by the people at the village, parish, and sub-county levels, as well as some formal community based organizations (CBOs).
EPED worked closely with the CBOs and communities to provide incentives for those who needed to relocate out of the protected areas, as well as for those who were using protected resources. Over 100 families were relocated from the Karuma Game Reserve to a 1,000 hectare tract that was offered by Masindi District, and by individuals who agreed to accept new settlers in their communities. As land is an important and treasured commodity in Uganda, this was a progressive step. The land was surveyed and divided into parcels of 8 hectares per relocated family. Seven boreholes and 10 springs were developed, as well as two health posts that were staffed by district health officers.
In order to protect parks and also promote economic growth, technical and financial support was given to the district for environmentally sound planning at all levels. This planning has resulted in the development of 14 sub-county development plans and 43 community action plans (CAP), using both participatory methodologies and rural development planning. Additionally, a three-year Masindi District sustainable development plan was prepared and adopted. Strategies to attract potential investors to the area include a district-wide feasibility study of hydro-electricity generation, irrigation and water supply on the Waki River, and establishment of a district resource center.
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More about USAID/ Uganda
USAID/ AFR Success Stories
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Updated: Wednesday, January 9, 2002
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Last Updated on: July 19, 2004 |
