19th October, 2007
New partnership with the Guardian and Barclays
AMREF is excited to announce a new partnership with the Guardian and Observer newspaper and Barclays to transform lives in one of the poorest districts in Uganda. AMREF will be carrying out a three-year development project that will be regularly featured in the newspaper and Guardian Unlimited, the UK’s leading online newspaper.
On choosing AMREF as a partner for the project, Alan Rusbridger, the Guardian's editor said: "We went for somebody who knows what they are talking about. They really understand Africa as they are based there."
The three-year project will benefit approximately 25,000 people in Katine sub-county in Soroti district in eastern Uganda. Soroti has always been a deprived district, but development has been severely held back by the effects of the 20-year civil war in the nearby northern region.
Rebel insurgencies in 2003 displaced the whole sub-county, killing people and cattle and razing whole villages to the ground. Mass displacement from the north, as a result of the conflict, has also placed a major strain on the already weak health and education facilities.
The health centre in Katine village has no electricity or running water and frequently runs out of basic essential drugs. People do not have the knowledge or the means to protect themselves from easily preventable diseases, such as malaria. And the water supply, from wells and boreholes, is often the cause of water-related diseases, such as diarrhoea and bilharzia.
The conflict in northern Uganda destroyed much of the infrastructure in Katine, including schools, and also depleted farmers’ herds and crops. Recovery since, has been slow.
As with all AMREF projects, the Katine project will work in partnership with community members and local government authorities so that the project closely responds to people’s needs and is sustainable.
The main objectives are to increase access to good quality health care, clean water and sanitation and education, as well as improve people’s ability to earn a decent living and give them a voice in local-decision making.
Barclays has pledged £1.5m to the project, which includes an upfront donation of £500,000 to get the programme underway and a further £1m in match-funding for readers' donations over the next three years. Barclays will also use the skills of its employees to work with AMREF in Katine to provide better access to financial services and help community members to better manage their small businesses and their money.
Rachel Barber, the head of Global Community Investment, said: "We’re really excited to be involved in Katine. We can see the opportunity to make a big difference to the community there, not just with the donation we’re making, but also through hands-on involvement on the ground."
Activities extend beyond AMREF’s normal remit of health, but the project adheres to one of AMREF’s overriding principles; achieving sustainable change through community empowerment. FARM-Africa, our sister organisation, will be implementing the agricultural activities.
Jo Ensor, AMREF UK’s chief executive says: “AMREF is delighted to be working in partnership with the Guardian and Barclays to deliver this joint programme. Reader's donations will help us to make a real difference to people living in Katine. The project will also give community members a strong voice, helping Guardian readers to understand the challenges they face, and the solutions AMREF and they themselves are developing to improve their lives.”
For more information about AMREF's involvement in the project contact Louise Orton on +44 (0)207 269 5526 or + 44 (0)7939 141 764 or email - l.orton@amrefuk.org
For stories, videos, blogs, more information on the project and to make a donation visit - www.guardian.co.uk/katine
