Climate change resilience, adaptation and mitigation

About 95% of the District’s current energy consumption is divided from wood fuel provided from private natural forests and woodlands and planted woodlots which are not enough to satisfy the demand of the population which is mainly rural and poor solely dependent on the available meager tree/forest resources. This has led to over exploitation of the existing tree resources both on public, private land and along water bodies especially along river banks during times of floods. The threat is that trees are being harvested at an alarming rate without any replanting taking place. As the human population continues to increase, the pressure on the tree/forest resources also increase. Trees are being cut down to create land for cultivation, to provide firewood and charcoal, to burn bricks and lime and for timber production. The current resources are therefore being utilized unsustainably leading to the depletion of the current forest and trees resources. Yet the need for energy is still high. As a result most of the hills that were forested in the past now bare and there is urgent need for their re-vegetation.

 This state has led to deterioration of water quality and quantity in River Mubuku catchment there by impacting on the ability of the ecosystem in the catchment to provide ecosystem services. This is so because River banks have been encroached on by human activities making them vulnerable to flood waters and shortage of food. In addition there is detrimental effect to the downstream industrial and domestic water users which include-the hydro-power plants operating along River Mubuku in cascade Mubuku I (5.4mw installed capacity), Mubuku II (14mw installed capacity) and Mubuku III (10mw installed capacity). The hydro power plants have registered drastic decline in power generation due to lack of good up stream catchment management practices which have resulted into change of flow regime and sedimentation of the water in the river.

Training community members in making bio mass briquettes to enhance their agro-environment al skills enhancement and value addition to fight the vicious cycle of environmental degradation, energy poverty by promoting climate change resilience, adaptation and mitigation through supporting and expanding sustainable community involvement and participation in agro-environmental and  entrepreneurial skills enhancement and small-scale business management  aimed at creating a bio briquette cottage industry in Kasese District Western  Uganda that uses the locally available organic materials from coffee, cassava and cocoa bio products into a source of fuel. Support for bio briquettes production in Kasese District has not only provided local women and youth an additional fuel source and income stream, but also positively impact local initiatives to combat climate change and deforestation.

ARUD has mobilized, sensitized, trained and educated 15,345,235 community members on the dangers of using the traditional three stone fire place for for cooking with all the associated effects like , it produces a lot of smoke that makes the kitchen unpleasant place for one to stay in, causes respiratory infections like lung cancer, Air pollution and green house gas emissions.

7,875,641 community members have shifted from the use of the traditional three stone fire place for cooking to the use of improved energy saving technologies such as use of energy saving stoves, briquettes and solar systems for lighting.

According to the reports fro the In charge Kilembe Mines Hospital Limited,  there has been a 50%  decrease in the number of patients reporting at the Hospital with illnesses relating to respiratory infections and this decrease has been attributed to the tireless work and efforts by ARUD in sensitizing the community on the dangers of using wood fuel for cooking.

The project has also provided employment to over 50 youth within  Kasese District where most of them have been employed as community  based facilitators, store keepers and  sales agents thus improving livelihoods in the community. 

The powers of Agency for Rural and Urban Development lie in the hands of General Assembly from which the Board of Directors  is generated, these are the  supreme policy making body on all policy matters pertaining to ARUD. The Board of Directors comprise of an executive committee of nine members. On the technical side, the organization is headed by the Executive Director -who holds a bachelor degree of social sciences, diploma in development studies and a certificate in public administration and management an does daily management and coordination of activities and is assisted by a team consisting of the Projects manager, Finance and Administration officer, community based facilitators and Field volunteers usually on internship program. All the above officers are qualified and have technical experience in their respective fields of operation.

I  would like to apply and join this challenge in order to acquire technical knowledge and skills, network and establish partnerships so that I contribute to the development of  the political , social economic knowledge and skills of young women and men and motivate them  to advocate for social justice and good governance in the community  through; advocating  and being dedicated  to  a society in which all people enjoy the freedom to pursue their own sustainable development by strengthening the capacity of local youth groups to realize poverty reduction and good governance. Helping them to alleviate poverty by focusing on improving people’s food security, increasing their incomes and expanding employment opportunities through specific productive sectors and improving access to basic services including renewable energy, water, sanitation and hygiene. In stimulating good governance, I shall pay particular attention to gender equity, social inclusion of marginalized groups and accountability.

By practicing inclusive development bearing in mind that economic growth must be sustainable and beneficial for the poor. I shall ensure that inclusive development listens to and engages with people living in poverty, and underprivileged categories of the population such as young women, youth and men in order to find development solutions that can create change in their lives.  Also creating a systematic change, realizing inclusive and sustained development at scale requires shaping an enabling environment that addresses systematic constraints underlying poor sector performance and inequality. I shall try to improve sector or system performance which requires a multi- actor approach that makes market work for the poor and excluded. 

I shall also encourage contextualized solutions by working on development solutions that take into account contextual limitations and opportunities. I shall use my long term local presence and networks in other regions and countries to make tested solutions available, enabling approaches to be adopted and applied in the community. This shall lay a basis for replication and up-scaling. Lastly, I shall encourage and promote local ownership where effective and sustainable solutions can only be achieved if local actors shape and drive their own development agendas. My role shall be to strengthen the capacity of the local service providers in playing their roles in development processes for and on behalf of the poor communities.

Establishment of ARUD Energy Revolving Scheme:  The project manufactures briquettes of different sizes and capacities suitable for household and institutional use. The briquettes are then supplied to end-users who are able and willing to pay over a period of time ranging from 1-3 months. This implies that beneficiaries agree with the project team on the pay plan that suits their financial abilities. The end-user price is computed considering the direct cost of acquiring the technology and other costs including transportation of the product/delivery of the product,   recovery costs, and management fees for the warranty period; whereby the project will pay a 25%subsidy. Three pay-models/plans have been employed as follows;

• One-off payment - where a beneficiary will pay 100% of the price (less 25% subsidy) before acquiring the product. The end-user price under this pay-plan will be relatively lower than the rest of the plans given that there will be no collection cost involved.
• Monthly installment payment model- where beneficiaries will pay not less than 20% (of the total cost after subsidy) before acquiring the product, and then pay the balance in monthly installments as will be agreed upon in the purchase agreement.
• Seasonal payment model – this specifically target farmers whose income is seasonal. Under this model, beneficiaries will pay not less than 30% of the price (of the total cost after subsidy) before acquiring the product and the 70% will be paid in three installment targeting harvest seasons. 

Agency for Rural and Urban Development  through biodiversity conservation and community environmental participatory planning meetings  has partnered with  Uganda Wildlife Authority (management of Ruwenzori Mountains National Park), WWF UCO, biodiversity Alliance, and all the three Hydro power generating plants operating along river Mubuku (Kilembe Mines Hydro Power plant,  Bugoye Hydro Power Plant and Kasese Cobalt Company power plant)  to implement the restoration of the degraded Hotspots within the Ruwenzori Mountains National Park and the lower Mubuku and Nyamwamba sub-catchments for enhanced livelihoods a project that cross cuts with the existing project of training communities in biomass briquettes making and the need to conserve the natural beauty of nature of Uganda makes it the Pearl of Africa, Ruwenzori is the Pearl of Uganda that makes her Africa’s botanical garden based on her vegetation zones with rare endemic and endangered species, a world heritage site and RAMSAR site. This calls for each and every reason to conserve the environment along the Ruwenzori mountains National Park thus making the project more attractive and unique from the rest of the projects.

Biomass briquettes produced by Agency for Rural and Urban Development have market in the community (institutions like schools, hotels, churches, hospitals). In addition ARUD signed a memorandum of understanding with Ruwenzori Mountaineering Services Limited the sole provider of the Ruwenzori Central Circuit trail to serve her with biomass briquettes that are used to prepare meals for the tourists and the tourist escorts while in the park.