MOTIVATION TO START BCRD-UGANDA

'If compromise continues, the revolution disappears', says an old proverb. The team was first and foremost motivated by the desire to directly implement programs with rural smallholders, and break the head office-field office syndrome and bureaucracy. The impulse emanated from the founder members’ practical experiences.

The online Master of Arts degree Program in Applied Community Change and Conservation widely exposed the Team Leader and inspired her greatly to initiate something new. During the first semester residential in India (Nov 2007), the team leader realized that classic Non-Governmental Organizations like Jamkhed Comprehensive Rural Health Project (CRHP), SEARCH (Society for Education, Action and Research on Community Health) Gadchiroli, in India’s Maharastra State, as well as interaction with a classmate from BRAC Bangladesh were started by individuals after completion of their masters degrees from the United States.

She realized that by mobilizing colleagues to initiate a CBO, it would be feasible to implement a wealth of knowledge gained from the Master’s degree Program gained from (i) the classroom, (ii) online assignments, and (iii) exposure to rural development technologies in various countries and continents during the one-two months’ Residentials that were spread across four semesters in two years - India (Nov 2007), USA (May-June 2008), Peru (Nov-Dec 2008) and finally Nepal (Sept-Oct 2009).

When she returned back to her community in Kisoro from the India Residential, she shared with her colleagues about the wonderful rural development work and action research by SEARCH Gadchiroli and Jamkhed CRHP. In December 2007, a meeting was convened at Kisoro Tourist Hotel where it was unwaveringly agreed to form a CBO and carry on with community development programs based on PDM (Participatory Development Methodology) and SEED-SCALE (Self–Evaluation for Effective Decision–Making–Systems for Communities to Adapt Learn and Expand); SEED-SCALE is a Universal Process to Shape Community Momentum, to Fit Community Economy, Ecology, and Values.

'Be the change you wish to see in the world'– Mahatma Gandhi

Staff Capacity Development

At BCRD-Uganda, we believe in capacity building to ensure our community-based organization (CBO) becomes a learning organization. According to Peter Senge (1990) learning organizations are organizations where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning how to learn together. Organizations that will excel in the future will be the organizations that discover how to tap people’s commitment and capacity to learn at all levels in an organization.

One BCRD-Uganda staff member and co-founder, Natwijuka Seth Kayombo will undertake an education program on climate change and biodiversity conservation at the University of Dar es Salaam's Institute of Resource Assessment from 9 July to 3 September, 2010.

The Team Leader, Ms. Joy Samantha Bongyereire is a 2008 AWARD (African Women in Agricultural Research and Development) Fellow, a two-year fellowship to fast track the careers of African women delivering pro-poor research and development. In October 2009, she successfully graduated with a Master of Arts degree in Applied Community Change and Conservation from Future Generations Graduate School,headquartered in West Virginia, United States.

One Field Extension Facilitator, Ms. Harriet Nyiramutuzo successfully completed a BSc (Agriculture) from Uganda Martyrs University (UMU) this year (early July 2010).

We believe we will make BCRD-Uganda a strong CBO, as long as we work hard as a team. Nothing beats hard work and teamwork.