Mbarara Branch activity implementation report
UGANDA RED CROSS SOCIETY
Mbarara Branch plot 42 Lower Circular Road P. O. Box 524 Mbarara
Tel. 0485428900, Email redcrossmbarara@mail.com
FOURTH QUARTER PROGRESSIVE REPORT 2009
Overview
Uganda Red Cross Society, Mbarara Branch has continued implementing activities in the vulnerable communities especially focusing on social aspects that are reported to the region and National Secretariat on quarterly basis.
A wide number of the activities both planned and unplanned were implemented though with challenges which the Branch faced during the quarter.
Summary of achievements:
· Improved tracing
· First Aid training and services
· Blood donor recruitment and mobilization
· Implementation of women and youth projects
· Dissemination and membership recruitment
· Road safety activities
· Disaster preparedness and response
· Local resource mobilization activities
· Monitoring and evaluation
Overall Goal:
Build and strengthen Branch capacity, youth and volunteer management and community development to improve the lives of the vulnerable:
Objective1. Strengthen the capacity of Branches for effective and efficient service delivery.
Activity: Construction of Shopping mall
Construction of a shopping mall is moving on well. The construction is now at the second floor and the roofing has been completed. However, more funds are required to finish up the building that will act as a source of income for the branch.
Activity: Canteen operational:
The branch canteen is operational and is a source of income. The canteen has been expanded to accommodate the increasing number of customers. The generated revenues have helped the Branch to effectively implement its activities such as the corporate league and exchange visits-thereby involving the young people in service delivery and building the strong volunteer force that can increase visibility of the organization and improve the corporate image.
Objective: 2. mobilization, Development and retention of youth as the most active volunteer force to respond to their vulnerabilities and needs of other people in the community.
Activity: Senior youth Exchange visit
Mary Hill Girls link visited Immaculate Heart High school while Mbarara SS visited Nyamitanga technical institute during the Period. A total of 20 girls and 40 boys participated in the activity respectively. The major activities carried out were dissemination and community service. During the visit, 12 youth were recruited (all male) as a result of dissemination. The link would like to have more social activities which engage youth especially in assisting the neediest. It has been proved by the school authorities and Branch that such activities lead to positive behavior among the youth.
Activity: Corporate body activities
The Branch is happy to have joined the corporate body of companies in Mbarara. Series of activities have been held especially football and dinners. During the quarter, football matches and three dinners were carried out. This partnership has improved the image of the Branch and also the Branch has increased its membership base from 50 members to 765 members of different categories per quarter. In the same way, it has given opportunity to young people to come together to participate in the activities hence promoting 4 youth part program that is to say: community service, Friendship and mutual understanding, Dissemination of RC and Ideals and protection of Health and Life. In all three games, 80 volunteers (15 female and 65 male) participated.
Activity: Community services
During the quarter, the Branch conducted hygiene promotion in Byafura cell, Kamukuzi Division, Mbarara Municipality. The area is always hit by the diseases such as dysentery and records high malaria cases according to the Health center III. Twenty four volunteers participated alongside community leaders. Since the activity was done, diarrhea cases have tremendously reduced.
Objective 3: Developing and implementing volunteer and membership management systems and raising quality of membership for improved productivity and self- sustenance.
Activity: Recruitment of Volunteers
Due to the nature and level of activity implementation in the Branch and the promising corporate image, the Branch recruited 4 volunteers (03 male and 01 female) of different professionals. These volunteers will assist the Branch in programming and other day to day operations.
Activity: Dissemination and Membership recruitment
The Branch recruited 202 members i.e. (187 youth, 04 renewals, 8 life and 03 annual members). Overall 64 male and 138 female were recruited. The target of 150 members was exceeded due to adequate mobilization and change in dissemination approaches and activity design.
The Branch conducted 28 dissemination sessions during the quarter. This was the biggest achievement because the target was exceeded from the original plan of 10 sessions. Areas where the activity took place included: Kagando village, Bwenkoma village,Nyakayojo Village, Nyamiyaga village, Ibanda College, Rutooma SSS Kabateriane P/S, Mbarara preparatory, Mbarara Business school, Kent Foundation, Katete Community, Pentecost P/s, Cleveland college, YMC, Mbarara Central market, Booma Secondary, Nyamitanga Secondary, Mayhill Girls and two corporate league sessions at Mbarara University play ground.
Focal person conducting dissemination in Ibanda College.
Dissemination sessions have been tagged to analyzing the needs and coming up with constructive approaches to address the identified constraints. Community drama depicting the real life situation in relation to the need is highly recommended if the Branch is to achieve community reception and maintain the validity and relevancy of the activities.
Activity: Link formation:
1 link, Mayanja institute School of Nursing, Kabatreine Memorial School registered as corporate member whereas Katete upper Bakadekweyamba registered as women group.
Activity: SeniorYouth Camp
The Branch organized a Regional youth camp whereby 74 (male 51and female 23) youth participated. The participants were selected from eight districts/Branches from Mbarara Region i.e. Budibugyo, Kabaale, Rukungiri, Kisoro, Bushenyi, Kasese, Mbarara, Ntungamo. During the camp, the following topics were covered, communication skills, cross generation sex, life planning skills and dissemination.
Objective 4: Empower communities for self-sustenance
Activity: Heifer project
The project is still ongoing. In the fourth quarter, Nyamitanga women group was visited together with Vice Chairperson Central Governing Board. The heifer produced from 9 calfs. However, three were reported to have died due to unknown cause. The Branch contacted the Veterinary volunteer from Voice of the Poor to help them on treating the sick ones. This will help the capacity of the groups to identify, report any suspected unhealthy conditions of the animals.
Activity: Tree planting
Isingiro Secondary School has continued planting trees to address climatic change in the region. Last quarter the link planted 200 pine trees coming to 989 trees. It is hoped that the link will reach its plan of planting 10,000 trees. This activity has brought youth together in planning and owning the project.
Objective 5: To facilitate vulnerable groups in our community in improving their health status in order to reduce morbidity and mortality rates
Activity: Road Safety
The Branch conducted road safety trainings at Mandela Junior, at Booma Junior primary school and Mbarara parents P/S. The volunteers conducted the sessions during dissemination and also other activities such as blood donor recruitment and mobilization were tackled. These activities were carried out together with the police and town engineer who tackled technical areas of traffic laws, measurements of zebra crossing, information regarding statistics of accidents among others. The emphasis was on the causes of road accidents and how to avoid them. In all schools, the Branch reached 600 pupils (250 male and 350 female).
In the same development, the Branch sensitized 67 boda boda cyclists and 49 tax/bus drivers on road safety issues. The response was positive because there were free condoms. Having conducted joint sessions between the police, engineer and the Branch, new ideas have been developed on how to reduce the accidents and now there is relative change in the behavior of the riders/drivers hence gradual reduction of accidents.
Objective 2: Strengthen community resilience and institutional capacity to respond and reduce the impact of disasters.
Activity: Tracing
The Branch received 500 Red Cross Messages and distributed them in Refugee settlements and 450 were replied and sent to the headquarters – DM department.
Activity: Training of RCAT
The Branch oriented 30 Red Cross Action Team members at the Branch on ways of handling emergences, roles and responsibilities and reporting procedure. During the training 10 female and 20 male attended.
Activity: Food appeal
The Branch together with Radio West carried out Radio talk shows, announcements and spots appealing to people to donate generously to help famine hit areas. 200kgs of posho and beans in addition to clothes were collected and distributed to the needy.
Activity: Emergency response
The Red Cross Action Team responded to some emergencies especially road accidents when a Bus overturned in Ruti Kabaale-Mbarara Road. Twelve people were injured and the Red Cross Action Team rescued them and took them to the Mbarara University Teaching Hospital for more treatment.
Objectives: Administration: To ensure smooth running of all activities through an efficient and effective administration
Activity: Workshop
The Branch Coordinator attended a workshop on risk reduction and designing the appropriate response mechanism for districts likely to be hit by disasters. The workshop was held at Imperial Resort Beach Entebbe. The BC was representing Isingiro district together with district technical team. The main objective was to identify constraints and design interventions which call for funding by East Africa public Healthy Initiative being coordinated by Makerere University institute for Public Health. As a result of the workshop, the Branch together with the district has designed a proposal for funding which is in the final stage. It is hoped that the funding will be secured and constraints addressed in vulnerable identified areas.
Activity: Monitoring and supervision
The BC visited St. Bonafance P/s, Nyamiyaga P/s, Nyakayojo community and Rwarire women group. In these places, there is conflict of interest and roles about the group dynamics and the functionality of the structures. The Branch was able to meet them and resolve the issues. The atmosphere is now okay though closer monitoring is needed.
Other places visited included: Nyamitanga, Booma International School and Nyamitanga women group. The groups are active but lack leadership skills. The Branch will look at some possible areas where it can intervene to improve on existing leadership structures.
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Activity
|
Performance indicator
|
Planned out come
|
Actual out come
|
Comment and variances
|
|
Objective I: Improve the Health status of Vulnerable and affected communities by reducing morbidity and mortality arising from common diseases and Health emergencies
|
|
First Aid Services
|
· No. First Aid services conducted.
· No. of pple attended to.
· No. Occasions held
· No. of volunteers participated.
|
02
|
08
|
Target achieved because these are the only functions held
|
|
First Aid training
|
· No. of participants attended.
· No. of trainings held
|
02
|
01
|
Target not achieved due to lack of funds.
|
|
Road safety awareness
|
· No. of schools reached
· No. of children sensitized
· No. of posters distributed.
|
04
700
02
|
06
500
50
|
Exceeded target due to the need.
|
|
Objective1. Strengthen the capacity of Branches for effective and efficient service delivery
|
|
Branch Capacity Building
|
· No. of locally fundraising sessions held
· No. of people attended
|
01
20
|
01
04
|
Target achieved due to attractive nature of course content.
|
|
Give out certificates
|
-No. of pple received certificates by sex.
-No. of certificates give out
|
04
04
|
04
04
|
Target achieved
|
|
Meetings
|
· -No. of quarterly meetings held
· -No. of pple attended.
· -Minutes produced.
|
02
|
None
|
Members were not available due to busy schedule.
|
|
Workshops/trainings
|
· No. of trainings/workshops attended by the BFC
|
02
|
02
|
Target achieved because activities took place
|
|
Objective 3: Building and strengthen Branch capacity, youth and volunteer management and community development to improve the lives of Vulnerable
|
|
Meetings
|
· No. of meetings held
· No. of pple attended
· Minutes produced.
|
01
|
02
|
Members responded because there was need.
|
|
Membership recruitment
|
· No. of members recruited
|
150
|
202
|
Exceeded target because there was collective responsibility and attractive nature of activities.
|
|
Dissemination drives.
|
· No. of dissemination sessions held.
|
20
|
28
|
Exceeded Target due to adequate man power.
|
|
Recruitment of volunteers
|
No. of volunteers participated in different activities
|
04
|
04
|
Target achieved because people were willing to join as volunteers.
|
|
opening links
|
No. of links registered
|
01
|
01
|
target achieved due to proper planning
|
|
Exchange visits
|
No of exchange visits conducted
No of people participated
|
01
25
|
01
58
|
Target achieved
|
|
Objective: 4: To Ensure smooth running of all activities through an efficient and effective administration
|
|
Salary payments
|
· -No. of staff paid.
· -No of months paid.
|
03
01
|
03
01
|
-Staff salaries were paid.
|
|
Payment of operation bills
|
· -No. of operational bills paid by nature.
|
02
|
02
|
Funds were available.
|
|
Empower communities for self-sustenance
|
|
In a two roomed house in Wakataayi Village, Kakakala Parish, Zirobwe Sub County, Luweero district lives 12 year old primary school going Nakku Sherinah. She studies in Primary four at Kijugumbya Primary school. The household has seven (7) members with a 50 year old Nakimuli Sarah (grand mother) as the family head and Nakku being the second elder child in this home. 
