This is a blog about my Karimojong community peace facilitators.

These facilitators are from Nakapiripirit, Amudat and Moroto districts in Karamoja region, Uganda.

CRY Uganda is developing a team of 60 peace facilitators from former young armed cattle rustlers and raiders in Karamoja. These young men and women supporters have disarmed and are being transformed into peace agents.

With the generous funding from CAFOD- Catholic Foundation for overseas Development (Nairobi office), CRY Uganda started to pilot a community peace facilitators project in Moroto and Nakapiripirit district of Karamoja region in Uganda.  Since Amudat district has been curved out from Nakapiripirit district, CRY Uganda has included it in the district it covers.

During the first week of June 2010 CRY Uganda interacted with the sub county teams of the Karimojong youth peace facilitators. CRY Uganda adopted the sub county-level engagement in 2007 because it is the best way of reaching the grassroot community with the youth as the resource.

In Moroto district the sub countties that CRY Uganda works on are: Nadunget, Iriir, Rupa and Katikekile. In Nakapiripirit/Amudat districts they include Namalu and Amudat.

The recent action research conducted by CRY Uganda indicates that Karimojong are ready for micro-credit as an alternative livelihood support mechanism. CRY Uganda is promoting entrepreneurship among her young peace facilitators. Most of the beneficiary of =this project have adopted the entrepreneurship approach to creating sustainable livelihoods in Karamoja.

The other development noted is that, due to CRY Uganda intervention most of the youth have been energise. For innstance one Patrick Okerenyang has secured a decent job with Italian corperation as a driver, one Hassan has drives one of the Kakapiripirit official, three other members are engaged by the Uganda Electoral Commission in Amudat to conduct field exercises to update natinal voters' register. Most of the memebrs are engaged in profitable businesses such as sereal banking, running community butches,to name a few.

Most of the peace facilitators are engaged in mobilizing communities and other stakeholders to promote inter-clan harmony.

The peace facilitators have appreciated the bicycles, visibiity t-shirts and certificates that CRY Uganda provided because these tools have eased their community moblisation efforts.

They have requested for more bicycles so that all members can have one. Some of the members requested for appointment letters as CRY Uganda community peace facilitators.

The Future:

When asked by CRY Uganda, the Karimojong Youth peace facilitators recommend a concerted and integrated approach where entrepreneurship/microcredit and peace building promoted immediately, and comcumretly.

They request micro credit of preferably grants to aid them increase their working capital.  They would use the funds to increase their volume of trade, recruit new former young warriors into their sub county groups.

In Naduget sub county, in Moroto there are 6 parishes and the team has recruited 2 former young warriors to their group. CRY Uganda recently met one of the new recruit in Nadunget Sub county head qaurter. In Amudat sub county, CRY Uganda team met 2 new members to the Toughnot group.

Bicylces, motorcyles for public commuter hire, running a griding mill, grocery shop, sereal banking, erecting tree nursery beds/sell seedlings, trade in livelistock (cattle, sheep and goats), trade in petroluem products, run a metal, electronic and mechanical workshops, and an ICT centre are some of the notable specific requests by Karimojong young peace facilitators. With the acquicition of the above, the facilitators believe they can be better placed to convince and recruit fresh former young warriors to adopt alternative livelihood away from the illicit small arms and light weapons.

Agula Joseph Ogoror

Tags: CAFOD | peace building | CRY Uganda | disarmament | small arms | Uganda | youth | Karimojong | Karamoja

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