Biesshop Consulting

According to International standards of Democracy, it is the role of Governments to provide spaces for its citizenry to access relevant information as well as services. Of these two, one cannot exist without the other – whichever you take up first! There’s a saying that goes like this; if you want to hide something from an African, put it in writing. Readership traits are practiced under on the contexts of examinations beyond that, reading is accorded second fiddle priority. It is certain that how information is package, influences in a major way the reception and reaction by the perceived audience. In Eastern Uganda, villagers in Namutumba District like any other semi or non-urbanite constituencies with poor communication infrastructures and as such, limited access to channels of free flowing information such as internet there is a high dependency on development agencies to bridge the gap.  In Kibaale, Nsinze and Kibaale Sub Counties in Namutumba District, support programs ha...

When you are born, usually you born into a dynasty or an empire. You are born as a junior following into your father’s footsteps. Your always told your father he did this and that. There’s none of that in the outer city. I call it outer city because here, the Youth are left out. There’s no nothing. They don’t get no family heirlooms because instead of them fulfilling their prophecies they have to start one. Instead of them doing a good job and carrying on an empire, they have to build one. That’s a hec of job for any youngster – male or female to have to build their empire. For someone else living in the inner city, the real inner city who when he/she is born; at 16 years he gets a car, there’s money in the bank for college on Christmas they go to vacation somewhere. It’s like you have got a friend you never look out for. Everybody needs a little help in their way to being self-reliant. As a country, Uganda need to help these Youth but it needs to be real and it needs to be before t...

The reach of the Youth Assemblies cannot be gainsaid. This I confirmed today whilst in Buwago Parish amidst 40 young men and women. I already have a mental picture of what to expect now that the youths are getting vocal thanks to engagement spaces. The past two days have been unique and today did not disappoint. Youths were given the opportunity to drive the assembly after being taken through a 45 minute long session on the core aim of the Assemblies, now and in future. Human rights, Education and Health were pet topics for the youth and real life portrayals did not fall short either. Emotion was evident and conviction was flawless. Swabula Nanaiga is a 5 year old girl. She wears the face of a grown up deep in thought as if distressed from something she has no control over. Actually, she is distressed. She is hungry, her back is riddled with wounds as if that is not enough for such a tender being; she’s HIV+ and homeless. His father died while Swabula was still a toddler. ...

It’s a bright morning and we are headed to a meeting on another thorny issue, well not thorny yet – Taxation! Part taking to this meeting are Local Council IIs and IIIs as well as various office holders within the Sub County, generally tax payers. We are in Ivukula sub-county. I have been in larger Namutumba for a while now and as such, the slow start and lazy walk-ins and a seldom busy registration desk are not new since I know that before long, the hall will be full to capacity.  Poor governance is the key cause of poverty. Global citizens suffer when governments do not provide requisite services for dignified livelihood. Serious problems with governance still exist in much of Africa – but the overall situation is steadily improving. Working with governments to improve the way public resources are used is an important part of Action Aid’s intervention strategies. The issue of TAX remission is age old, but many of us seldom interact to discuss it. Many more hardly ever ...

It’s an excessively hot and dusty mid Monday morning in Namutumba District – Busiki LRP as we prepare to head off to Ivukula Sub County, one of two others within Namutumba District, in the Eastern side of Uganda. Not much comes to mind during the drive as we head to Rwatama Village not knowing that the adage “Never judge a book by its Cover” is a realization that would soon come to full sight. Community engagements are not tasks for the faint hearted. The results are not immediately realized and getting the communities to open up is an even higher huddle to overcome. As I would soon find out, this is set to change thanks to a shift from typical trainings in the village to congregational laughter, music, dance and subsequently learnings by the young and old alike! Theatre for Development (TFD) is a great vehicle of engagement in demystifying and addressing societal ills. The groups’ present plays that depict the exact house hold scenarios in most of Ugandan communities. The sce...

Though sub Saharan Africa has registered an increase in primary schools in last 10 years, charging of fees still remain a major barrier to progress towards attaining the UPE goal. Bolder actions are therefore still required around access, fees, quality and teachers and overly, application of efficacy in management of schools. Access to education of good quality is a fundamental human right, and its provision and relevance calls on the part of duty-bearers and rights-holders in relevant if not equal measure. Following the adoption of education as a human right in 1997 by the Uganda Government for all its citizens for equitable sustainability, the enrollment and retention rates hurriedly improved. Education indicators thereinafter depicted a scenario of increased if not pure success. Though considered a human right, Education is not necessarily depictive of the same at the regional sphere…..It’s more of a privilege for the “financially endowed”. A decade later following the fu...

Action aid has initiated a 5 day long sensitization and mobilization drive in Namutumba District, specifically in Nsinze, Ivukula and Kibaale Sub Counties. Just like the national assembly, youth assemblies at these parishes converges together different gender and personalities with a common denominator – youths seeking a better life. The assemblies are one part of a five-fold programme for the youths of Namutumba to not only acquire information, but also to use the acquired information to better their lives at household and village levels as well as to part take and influence good governance at Local Government level. The assemblies are open to youths in education systems as well as those outside as they are not meant to inform or educate, rather to create a meeting platform for youths, sit, discuss and cite tangible solutions for the same problems that they face or see other youths facing. Here, age old issues as governments and governance to a phenomenon as new as Human Righ...