Welcome to Camkwoki Grassroot Initiative for Development

In Lira City/District, alternative sources of renewable energy are either simply unavailable or unaffordable for more than 85% of consumers. These households used open fires to cook their food, meaning they used more firewood, hence increasing deforestation. Additionally, approximately 92% of all wood used by households is also classified as non-renewable, leading to increased deforestation within the Lango subregion and Lira District specifically. Charcoal stoves are traditionally used by urban households and are widely used all over Uganda. With an increasing use of charcoal in rural areas, it is beginning to emerge as an alternative for the rural population.

Aims and Objectives

1. The project aims to reduce reliance on wood fuel among participating households by providing clean technologies
2. To market  thousands of  improved energy-efficient cooking stoves
3. To improve the capacity of the target groups to plan and manage available resources in a sustainable and profitable way
4. Create access to solar lighting system
5.  To sensitize and increase awareness of the need to conserve the environment/trees

Activities

1. Community Education and awareness-raising on clean energy
2. Registration of beneficiaries
3. Promotion and advertising
4. Distribution of stoves
5. Linkages to solar products
6. Monitoring

ADVOCACY ISSUES IN LANGO SUBREGION

1. Land disputes.
2. Poor and inadequate infrastructure (roads, water points, markets)
3. Inadequate access to modern farming technologies.
4. Environmental degradation
5. HIV/AIDS and Sexual Gender Based Violence

Relevancy  of the advocacy issues

1. Land is a major factor of production hence need for secure land free of wrangles so as to promote production.

• Issues of access and control over land. Need to look at the land tenure system- ownership or, and access to land by cultural leaders. We need to know  when people have access to land,  whether they own the outputs got from the land

2. Poor and inadequate infrastructure (roads, water points, markets). Roads help farmer’s access markets, health facilities and water points. Water helps in production, home use and animals. Markets provide access to buyers. To create markets, farmers should be organized into groups so as to provide a common market for their products. Unfavorable trade policies should be advocated against (sensitize communities to break silence on pressing related issues so as to influence policy makers)
3. Access to modern farming technologies. Use of farming tools e.g. ox ploughs etc, improved and certified seeds/breeds, promote use of organic fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides. This will lead to increased productivity, increased acreage, soil fertility management, and pest and disease control
4. Environmental degradation. Need for enforcement of existing by-laws that are meant to protect the environment. Need to improve on farming methods that deplete the environment. Afforestration and strengthening of community safety nets, use of improved cooking stoves, alternative energy sources e.g. solar, biogas e.t.c. These clearly will help achieve objective
5. HIV/AIDS and Sexual based gender violence are on the increase in Lango subregion

The most common human rights violations in Lango subregion are:

• Detention beyond the mandatory 48 hours by police
• Imprisoning civil debtors without following due process of the law
• Denial of bail because of the absence of chief magistrate
• Torture by fellow imamates in prisons;
• Trumped up charges against civil society activists
• Counter accusations to defeat justice;
• Hard labor for suspects on remand;
• Denial of Police bond to suspects in police custody
• Protecting fellow law enforcers who committed crimes. Eg Police shooting suspects dead