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ADJUMANI DISTRICT LEADERS RENEW FIGHT AGAINST BUSH BURNING AND STRAY ANIMALS.

By Bazio DoreenLeaders and key stakeholders in Adjumani District have renewed the fight against bush burning and stray animals by advocating for the review of the ordinance 8 on environment and ordinance 6 on production as well as the District Contingency Plan (2022-2025).The District Contingency Plan was developed to create and establish an efficient institutional mechanism for integrating disaster preparedness and management into socio-economic development in the district. Part III (19) of the Ordinance on environment that was enacted in 2015 states that a person shall not burn or set fire or cause to burn any bush or established woodlot, while part III (23 i) states that the District Veterinary Officer or police shall seize any animal of which there is reason to believe the owner has refused to take and keep charge of and shall take such an animal to the pound.The call was made during a training on Disaster Risk Reduction convened by the Food for the Hungry Association (FHA) at the district headquarters on 14th May 2025, which was attended by the Resident District Commissioner, all District Councilors, Refugee Welfare Officers (RWCs), Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) Settlement Commandants, Community Development Officers, Sub County Chiefs and Chairpersons, and Extension workers/staff.While making his opening remarks, Hon. Ben Anyama, the District Chairperson, said that while the district has made an effort to put in place a Contingency Plan, the District Disaster Management Committee has been resource-constrained to effectively implement it, and many of the laws on bush burning and stray animals aren’t being enforced as expected due to the same challenge.“Disaster happens every day, but the government hasn’t taken it as a serious issue... The District Contingency Plan is not a law; we can’t use it to implement… Disaster should have an annual budget because it is a cross-cutting issue,” Hon. Anyama said.The training also resolved that all Sub County leaders should submit monthly reports to the District Veterinary Officer on the management of stray animals; tasked Veterinary Officers to ensure that all animals in their areas of mandate are branded; and called for the setting up of village committees to monitor bush burning in their communities.Bush burning is a common practice in Adjumani district, especially during the dry season. Some people do bush burning to prepare land for farming, while others use it to improve grazing for their animals or hunting, while others do it as a tradition. In the process, property, which includes food crops in gardens, houses, and animals, gets destroyed, and in worse scenarios, human beings even get burnt.On the other hand, the district continues to grapple with the management of stray animals because there are many stakeholders involved, including leaders at all levels, the courts of law, the Uganda Police Force, and the OPM.Hon. Korina Ewakodra, the Secretary for Production, said, “there is a need to scale up multi-sectoral sensitization at all levels. The LCs are the ones inviting balaalos to their communities. This needs to be addressed.”Meanwhile, Hon. John Sabuni, the Secretary for Health, noted that while the invasion of balaalos has contributed to frustrating the fight against stray animals, as a refugee-hosting district, the leaders have to do more to ensure that refugees only keep animals that they can manage.“99% of the stray animals are owned by refugees. Refugees are grazing animals in gardens of the host communities, and OPM is supporting them 100%; that is our challenge. When you arrest culprits, OPM defends them. It is almost causing chaos,” Hon. Sabuni explained.However, Mr. Kuai Ajak Deng, Chairperson of the Refugee Welfare Councilor II in Ayilo I Settlement, observed that OPM has made milestones to gradually change the mindset of refugees to effectively manage their animals while maintaining peaceful co-existence with their host communities.“When we came here, we were very hostile because of the situation we were in at the time. But now we have reformed. We are now pleading for peaceful coexistence because we need it. We have agreed as RWCs that only animals allowed by us can be moved,” Mr. Ajak narrated.In his closing remarks, Mr. Emmanuel Okware, the Deputy Resident District Commissioner, appreciated this effort, noting that community problems need community solutions because bush burning and stray animals have persisted despite sensitization on the radio. According to data by the Global Forest Watch, there have been 249 Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRs) fire alerts reported so far in 2025 in Adjumani. The most fires of 391 were recorded in 2016. From 2001 to 2023, Adjumani lost 9 Hectares of tree cover from fires. On the other hand, in November 2024, 4 refugees were arrested in connection to disputes over grazing and allegations of armed robbery and theft. FHA is implementing the Ayiri Children, Youth, and Community for Change (CYCC) project in Maaji I, Maaji II (Ayiri Parish, Ukusijoni Sub-County), and Mungula (Itirikwa Sub-County) refugee settlements with a goal of creating a safe and enabling environment where children and youth thrive. 

READY TO LEARN PROJECT TO ADDRESS PSYCHOSOCIAL NEEDS OF 20,000 CHILDREN IN ADJUMANI.

By Bazio Doreen Authorities in Adjumani District, in collaboration with Right to Play (an NGO), have launched the Ugx 11.9 billion Ready to Learn Project in the district to improve learning outcomes and support 20,000 children in developing critical life skills through the power of play.The three-year (2025-2027) project funded by the Lego Foundation aims to support the targeted children’s psychosocial well-being as they transition from 25 pre-primary schools (ECD) to primary education in 10 primary schools, targeting 20 teachers, 20 head teachers, and 4 staff from the District Education Office. In Adjumani, the school completion rate stands at 48%.Speaking during the project inception meeting that took place at the district headquarters on 13th May 2025, Ms. Joseline Draleru, the Community Services Officer at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) Pakele, who represented the Refugee Desk Officer, noted that the project would reduce Gender Based Violence, family separation, and child neglect.“Some parents and caregivers lack skills on how to handle their children’s emotions, and this causes conflict as both the child and parent hide their feelings. Children and parents will become practical in relaying their problems to each other,” Draleru noted.The project will be implemented in 8 refugee settlements: Maaji I, II, and III; Oliji; Nyumanzi; Agojo; Mungula; Pagirinya; Ayilo; and Borooli; and 6 sub-counties: Ofua, Ciforo, Dzaipi, Itirikwa, Pakele, and Adjumani Town Council.Similarly, Ms. Sylvia Masika Hope, the Program Manager – Right to Play, observed that many parents not only have inadequate parenting skills to handle the emotions of their children, but some don’t play their role in ensuring that their children access education and have time to play.“Many parents are not ready to support their children. They don’t know the importance of education and the role of play,” Masika observed. The project targets 4,500 parents/caregivers and will conduct 26 play to grow flex programs. These are parenting sessions that train ECD caregivers and parents on gender-responsive and inclusive playground approaches to foster children’s social-emotional learning and well-being. The sessions also seek to strengthen the relationship between parents and children.Masika also observed that, just like parents, many teachers also lack the required knowledge and skills to know how to respond to children’s emotional needs while at school.“Some teachers aren’t well equipped with knowledge on how to carry out learning in ECD with incorporation of play. We intend to keep them with skills on how to teach through emotional learning,” Masika explained.On his part, Mr. Henry Lulu Leku, the Assistant District Health Officer In charge of Maternal Health, noted that “Even the most vulnerable person, when supported with education, can see light at the end of the tunnel. There is a need to include other aspects like nutrition and health because they form part of psychosocial well-being.”In affirmation, Ms. Frances Dipio, the Senior Probation and Social Welfare Officer, noted that there is a need for the project to also cater to other aspects of social well-being both at school and in homes.“Embracing school feeding program is still a challenge, especially in refugee schools, because of reduced food ration and funding… where children are well fed, you can also see that the performance is usually good,” Dipio noted.The 2024 Uganda Food Security Report shows that malnutrition in refugee settlements in Adjumani stands at 7.1%. Right to Play has been implementing projects in Adjumani since 2017. The Ready to Learn project shall also be implemented in Obongi district in partnership with Global Fund for Children, Amma Foundation, War Child Alliance, AMREF, and Innovations for Poverty Action.

URRI PROJECT TO EMPOWER OVER 7,000 FARMERS IN ADJUMANI TO ADAPT TO CLIMATE CHANGE.

 By Bazio DoreenAuthorities in Adjumani and the Royal Danish Embassy (DANIDA) have launched the Uganda Refugee Resilience Initiative (URRI) project in the district, building on the milestones of the Northern Uganda Resilience Initiative (NURI) project that ended in 2023. NURI contributed to the resilience of over 130,000 households in Northern Uganda and provided agricultural advisory services to more than 4,000 farmer groups.Funded by DANIDA and running up to December 2028, URRI is designed to enhance climate resilience and promote sustainable development for refugees and host communities across Uganda, mainly operating in the areas previously supported under NURI.In Northern and Western Uganda, the project will be implemented by a consortium of 7 partners led by Save the Children. The other partners in the consortium are World Vision, AVSI Foundation, Kabarole Research Centre Uganda (KRC), Uganda Network on Law Ethics and HIV/AIDS (UGANET), Youth Social Advocacy Team (YSAT), and Uganda Response Innovation Lab (U-RIL).In his welcome remark at the launch ceremony that took place at Lavic Hotel on Thursday, 8th May 2025, Hon. Anyama Ben, the District Chairperson of Adjumani, appreciated DANIDA for funding two critical projects (URRI and SAY) in the district, addressing pressing issues in production and reproductive health, respectively.While pledging the district's support to ensure that the project succeeds, the Chairman also thanked the embassy for choosing Adjumani and observed that the project would not only restore the environment but also improve food security and build resilience of the beneficiaries. “Thank you for choosing Adjumani because you could have taken this project elsewhere. We are going to support the implementation and make sure the project succeeds,” Hon. Anyama said.Hon. Anyama added, “Our biggest problem now is food. When you don’t have food, you can’t be productive. The lack of food is likely to cause conflict in the district due to the large number of refugees we host. WFP needs to rethink. But we thank you for your support.”The key Components of the URRI program include: Climate-smart agriculture training, financial inclusion initiatives, post-harvest handling, and Value-addition training. It will also offer support for alternative sustainable livelihoods, energy-saving technologies, leadership training for women and adolescent girls, and the cultivation of multi-purpose trees to benefit households and communities.In response, H.E. Adam Spilimo, the Deputy Royal Danish Ambassador, who presided over the ceremony, explained that Adjumani was chosen for its generosity and hospitality, complemented by the long and enduring partnership with the local government that motivates continuous support.“Adjumani is by far the most generous district, and that merits recognition. We recognize this not in words but with action and support. We know that hosting refugees puts a lot of pressure on the environment,” H.E. Spilimo appreciated district leaders. In affirmation, Taban Peter Data, the Resident District Commissioner of Adjumani, observed that the project will foster peaceful coexistence between the refugee and host communities, improve food security, and reduce degradation of the environment.“WFP gave the refugees food, but no one gave them firewood to prepare it, and that is why we have seen continued deforestation for firewood. Feeding people for years is not sustainable; refugees should be supported to work and earn,” Taban observed.Aligned to the National Development Plan IV (2025-2030) and with a total budget of shs 145 billion (USD 40 million), URRI aims to create sustainable and durable solutions for Uganda’s refugee-affected districts of Yumbe, Obongi, Moyo, Madi Okollo, Terego, Koboko, Adjumani, Lamwo, and Kyegegwa, where high levels of poverty have exacerbated the impact of refugees and climate change.In Adjumani, the project will be implemented district-wide, targeting 7,404 households as direct beneficiaries and 49,388 as indirect beneficiaries. Of these, 4,442 will be women and youth, 222 Persons with Disabilities, and 2,962 men. These will also be arranged in 246 farmer groups, where 2,591 will be refugees while 4,813 will be from the host communities.