A Report on
Displaced Children and Orphans Fund
Programs in Gulu and Kitgum
September 2000
By Catherine Savino
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A Report on Displaced Children and Orphans Fund Programs in Gulu and Kitgum
I. Introduction
Cathy Savino of USAID’s Displaced Children and Orphans Fund (DCOF), Randolph
Harris of USAID/Kampala’s Special Objective for the Reintegration of Northern Uganda
and Ann Fleuret, USAID/Kampala’s Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist traveled to
Kitgum and Gulu from September 27 to 30, 2000 to visit four grantees receiving DCOF
funds: Save the Children/Denmark and its sub-grantee, Gulu Support for Children
Organizations (GUSCO) in Gulu, Associazione Volontari per il Servizio Internazionale
(AVSI) and its sub-grantee, International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Kitgum.
II. Background
The DCOF began in 1989 as a Congressional earmark within USAID’s Office of Health
and Nutrition to address the needs of especially vulnerable groups of children. The Fund
receives approximately $13 million per year. Currently operating in 14 countries, the
Fund works through NGOs to assist children in three main categories, children affected
by conflict, children orphaned by HIV-AIDS and children living or working on the street.
First Lady Hillary Clinton visited Uganda in 1998 and learned about the conditions of
children in the North. A rebel movement called the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has
for the last 14 years carried out attacks on the civilian population in the North, primarily
in Gulu and Kitgum districts. These attacks included the abduction of at least 10,000
children who have been forced to fight with the rebels or become unwilling sexual
partners of commanders. Mrs. Clinton pledged to support these children and their
families. USAID/Kampala invited DCOF to conduct an assessment and a team (John
Williamson and Cathy Savino) visited in July 1998. The assessment affirmed that there
was an urgent need to address the psychosocial health of children, their families and
communities by providing assistance that helped children return to their families as soon
as possible once they were released or more likely escaped from the LRA. All agreed
that the needs of these children and those affected by the conflict had to be community
driven, holistic and culturally appropriate.
That visit resulted in the award of two grants, to Save the Children/Denmark for
$1,352,155 (from April 99 to April 01) for work in Gulu and to AVSI for $1,467,919 (for
the period covering August 99 to August 01) for work in Kitgum. The AVSI grant also
included a large sub-grant to IRC. The Save/Denmark grant includes a large sub-grant to
GUSCO and smaller grants to other local NGOs. Both grantees were working in the
given areas, had connections to local groups and demonstrated success in implementing
programs. Because of the insecurity at the time, the team was allowed only a short visit
to Gulu and no travel to Kitgum was permitted at that time.
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III. Scope of Work
In September 2000, USAID/Kampala and DCOF agreed to revisit the programs, assess
the situation and plan for the future. The scope of work included looking at existing
activities and their results, exploring possible links with other groups, discussing the
impact of HIV/AIDS, and examining future needs. Because both grantees were planning
internal evaluations, no additional team members were included pending the results of
those reports. (Save/Denmark’s mid term review was already in progress and the team
met with its members to discuss relevant issues. AVSI’s mid term review is planned for
November but details are not confirmed.)
While the team was in Kitgum, it was announced in the national newspaper that (further)
progress had been made towards implementation of the Sudan-Uganda Accord signed in
Nairobi in December 1999, brokered by the Carter Center. Two weeks before the visit,
an international conference in Winnipeg highlighted the concerns of war-affected
children in Northern Uganda and called for renewed efforts to end the conflict. The
Carter Center also has been involved with brokering peace. All these considerations plus
the team’s anecdotal information about mortality associated with HIV-AIDS make it
seem that the future of Northern Uganda will be different than the past, requiring
different, more development-oriented approaches. Given USAID’s revised and unified
strategy, these considerations will be important in the development of any future projects.
IV. NEXT STEPS
· Ensure transfer of $820,074 to USAID/Kampala for mortgages owed Save/Denmark
($352,155) and AVSI ($467,919). Note that $2,000,000 was initially sent to fund
these grants, but the funds were not received as quickly as needed. Thus, the Mission
incrementally funded both grants using only $1,625,000, leaving a balance of
$375,000. This sum will be added to the next set of modifications.
· Address separate accounting issue. Discussions where held with Contracting Office
director John Lord regarding co-mingling of funds. In Save/Denmark’s modification
number 1 dated 10/28/99, an additional 125,000 was added for a reconciliation
program funded out of Kenya. The budget increases each line item making it difficult
to separate out DCOF funds from any others. Save/Denmark does separate reporting
on the activities but as additional monies are added, it is important to keep track of
the funding source (If only to keep track of what mortgages are owed by whom.) Mr.
Lord agreed to try to work out an equitable solution.
· Review Save/Denmark’s mid term evaluation (funded by DANIDA) to determine if
USAID concerns are addressed
· Await AVSI’s scope of work for November mid term review; provide comments. If
unable to adequately address USAID’s programmatic considerations, make
recommendations for alternate assessment.
· Include mechanisms to address HIV-AIDS issues in any follow-on activities.
· Based on USAID/Kampala’s revised strategy, which in turn is based on the
government of Uganda’s Poverty Eradication Action Plan, coordinate with
USAID/Kampala on future plans.
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For Gulu
· Given that school construction and other community-based activities have been
slowed down by insecurity, its expected that Save/Denmark will request for a no cost
extension through July 2001.
· As the project moves into more income-generating activities and vocational training,
it would be useful to carefully plan and document its efforts. It would be important to
see what happens to the current classes of carpenters, tailors and other skill learners.
Efforts to link up with existing income generating grants or activities are encouraged.
· Lack of other services (providers) along with increasing needs is moving the project
into many new roles. In the event of a follow-on grant, it will be important to try to
bring together a variety of resources to meet those needs.
· Education continues to be one of the primary needs.
For Kitgum
· Given the insecurity, and the limited progress in results, it is expected that AVSI will
request a no cost extension. It’s unclear whether IRC will be underspent.
· The insecurity of the area has forced the project to develop in ways that were
unanticipated. At the time the project was designed, based on their proposals, AVSI
and with IRC as its sub-grantee, complimented rather than duplicated efforts. It is
unclear whether that continues to be the case.
· Additionally, efforts do not appear to be very coordinated. It's expected that this is an
area for further development and continued support will look closely at this issue of
coordination.
· HIV-AIDS appears to be responsible for much of the mortality of adults. The issue of
aids orphans, especially manifested by child-headed households or inappropriate
caregivers, is growing. This too may be an important issue in the event of a follow on
project.
V. Observations
A. Kitgum
AVSI
AVSI, an Italian NGO, has been working in Kitgum District since the 1970’s. It has
long-standing ties to the community and is involved in a variety of activities. Under the
USAID/DCOF grant, its objective is to provide social support to war affected vulnerable
persons. AVSI works with the local government through the community development
officer, Mr. Olaa Ambrose. It supports that office with technical and administrative
resources. Working through CVC, (community volunteer counselors), teachers and
tutors, and most recently, community advisory committees, AVSI trains these leaders to
identify, and assist, in limited fashion, the most vulnerable children and their families.
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Mr. Olaa Ambrose talked with the team at length about the history of the conflict and its
impact on the people there. He discussed the trauma to the community and how it has
affected every facet of daily life. He discussed the need for culturally appropriate Achioli
responses to the problems. Using Community Volunteer Counselors (CVC) is one of
those components. CVC fall under the Community Development Assistants who are paid
employees of the district.
Volunteers
CVC are chosen on the basis of their community influence (they are nominated by the
community and asked to volunteer). Often they are traditional birth attendants, traditional
healers or other community leaders. There are 3 volunteers trained per parish and at least
one must be a woman. Currently there are 133 volunteers who “support children and
families in addressing their own needs by promoting initiatives.”
Additional training is provided to teachers, who are taught the psychosocial process and
how to model behavior that children can follow. Tutors (Centre Coordinating Tutors or
CCT) are trained in psycho social support to assist the teachers and lastly efforts are
underway to incorporate this approach in the curriculum of primary teachers colleges.
It’s important to note that these are all existing structures. The training is designed to
strengthen and educate under the coordination of the Ugandan government. One
challenge has been the time necessary to get things done. Other concerns involve the
limited nature of volunteerism. Without their getting paid, its difficult to place demands
on volunteers who already have numerous other requirements.
It has also been said that the volunteers are less inclined to help other NGO’s who want
to use their skills to follow up on children who have been returned. In response to this,
AVSI has said that unless the CVC are officially advised that there is some specific
action that needs to be done, they may not be so inclined to act quickly. Also, given their
volunteer status, they often do not have the time to drop everything on short notice. On
the other hand, IRC, as a sub-grantee of AVSI, is designed to care for returning children
at the Kicwa center, and follow up their re-integration into their communities. They
need to provide timely and accurate information on the follow-up of these children.
Gulu and Kitgum differ in the degree of their displacement. In Kitgum, about 20% of the
people live in IDP camps, compared to 80% in Gulu (based on 450,000 total population
for both districts.) In Kitgum, people move in and out of camps during the day to farm
the fields (dig their gardens), returning to the camps for protection at night. In Kitgum, it
is said that the LRA is not able to stay in an area for more than a week, given the
increased military presence. When the LRA leaves, the population moves back to the
fields and people stay as long as possible to cultivate the land. Using this information,
the project is designed to reach as many communities as possible and link with the
traditional framework.
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The insecurity in the area since the latest major LRA incursion in December 1999 has
caused many other ripple effects. Because of it, not as many children have escaped.
Both AVSI and IRC implemented the main objectives of the grant but adjusted it to the
changing environment.
Kicwa Center
The team visited the Kicwa center, comparable to the Gusco center in Gulu, though not
as comprehensive, nor as organized as that center. Kicwa is intentionally a transit stop not
meant to be any more permanent than necessary. It is the place where children are
transferred after capture by the military or after escape from the LRA. On the team’s
visit, about 20 adolescents, all but one boys, were resident at the center. (The one girl
had arrived the day before from Sudan.) The center was a welcoming place, with
friendly staff, lots of colorful artwork on the huts and upon arrival, the residents were
taking a break from a puppet show to sing and dance. (The team’s arrival compelled
everyone to complete silence.)
The sub-grant with IRC was meant to build on their strength in resettlement and working
with adolescents in the camps but because there were fewer children escaping, (and thus
the Kicwa center was under utilized), and because of the insecurity, it made sense to
adapt to the changed environment. The camp activities became less necessary as the
population moved in and out of camps and yet, the insecurity made it impossible to
provide sufficient follow up.
Other objectives under the AVSI grant include community mobilization, training in
specific capacities in counseling, vocational training and income generation, peace
initiatives, and coordination at regional and the national level. There was not enough
time to explore these objectives in depth.
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B. Gulu
The USAID grant in Gulu was awarded to Save the Children/Denmark with a large sub￾grant to GUSCO, the local NGO that manages the children’s center. Save/Denmark had
broad experience in the area of psychosocial support to children in Gulu as well as in
other Ugandan communities.
Save/Denmark works in 8 of the 23 sub-counties in the district. The 8 sub-counties were
chosen because they had the highest number of abducted children. The grant provides for
services to monitor the reintegration of formerly abducted children with their families. It
also focuses on getting children back to school. Because the rebels destroyed so many
schools, the grant included a provision to reconstruct 9 schools. This was the most
requested intervention by both parents and children in initial community surveys but their
support is a key component of the building process. The grant also has the capacity to
provide sub-grants as part of its capacity building strategy.
Local residents of Gulu formed GUSCO in 1994 in response to needs among the formerly
abducted children. DANIDA has funded GUSCO Center through Red Barnet in the past
and is expected to continue to do so. The Gusco Center has had to revise their mission in
light of fewer children escaping the LRA. The center held as many as 300 children at one
time but currently there are only 55 residents. Gusco has adjusted staff accordingly,
moving social workers into positions in other areas, like follow-up and vocational
training. This flexibility provides them with good opportunities to see what’s needed in
both the long and short term. GUSCO was the logical sub-grantee to provide for follow￾up services.
In Gulu, the team concentrated on seeing activities in the field since permission to travel
had been secured. The team met with LC V Walter Ochora who accompanied the team on
the trip to Pabbo camp. The team traveled with armed military escort to Pabbo, a camp
that was built in 1994. The camp holds between 45,000 - 50,000 residents,
approximately 9,800 households. It was instructive to see how debilitating camp life can
be…water is hard to get, there is one health clinic, huts are very close together and
residents, especially young men, sit around seemingly without purpose (and with lots of
brewing materials).
Pabbo Vocational Training
The team visited a vocational training center in Pabbo. There, six young men are being
trained in rudimentary carpentry. While the young men can be said to be enthusiastic
about their education, its unclear to what end the training will be used. The team
discussed the need for some clearly defined parameters in terms of what can be offered or
expected by these boys. Its not that it is not necessary nor that carpentry is not a useful
profession, but evidence of market surveys and links to employment opportunities also
need to be part of the planning. Save/Denmark recognizes these issues and is
documenting their efforts.
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Abera Primary School
The team visited a newly constructed school in Abera. Built with the help of the
community who provided 5,000 bricks, sand and other materials, the school still needs a
water supply, desks and chairs for the students and housing for the teachers. Those
details are still being resolved.
Role of Government
The grant in Gulu does not have the strong government component that was seen in
Kitgum. On the one hand, this allows Save/Denmark to get things done relatively
quickly. Conversely, they do not have the long-term sustainability outlook that has
potential in Kitgum.
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LIST OF CONTACTS
AVSI Hillary Haworth Country Director
Farida Khawaja Kitgum Coordinator
Jeanne Annan Kitgum Field Support
Alice Achan PSS worker
Donato Okumu PSS worker
Aloyo Caroline Obonyo PSS worker
Florence Ringe Business skills
Ochieng Phillips CVC (volunteer)
Gov. of Uganda Walter Ochora Chairman LC V (Lt Col)/Gulu
Ambrose Olaa Community Development Officer/Kitgum
Michael Ogweng Community Development Assistant
Major Francis Ochoka Civilian Military Cooperation
IRC Cindy Dubble Community Services Coordinator
Ayul Zone Patrick Chorya Obol Psychosocial Program Officer
PO Box 154 Chris Hennessey Project Coordinator
Kitgum Tapley Jordan Operations Coordinator
Peace Corps Conche McGarr Associate Director
Box 7007
6 MacKinnon Road
Kampala
UNICEF Keith Wright Country Representative
Alfred Mutiti Field Representative
Save/Denmark Richard Young Country Representative
Plot 39 John Reinstein Program Manager/Gulu
Nakasero Rd Richard Onecka Program Officer
Box 11857
Kampala
GUSCO Ochoro Ochitti Deputy Program Coordinator
Emmanuel Obonyo Program Director
Emmanuel Ocaya Field Officer
Charles Komakech Field Officer
Helen Akong Social Worker
Lydia Anena Social Worker
Save/Denmark Elisabeth Jareg
evaluators Patrick Okumu
Peter Crawford
World Vision Anthony Obomo