The National NOW-Us! Awards have been postponed due to COVID-19. It will be relaunched in early 2021. Read more here

Nothing About Us Without Us! Awards for Uganda

In light of the principle of “Nothing About Us Without Us”, Voice in Uganda wishes to recognise inspiring inclusive initiatives from Uganda that promote diversity and inclusion, and trigger the self-empowerment of rightsholder groups and communities through the Nothing About Us Without Us! Awards.

For this reason, NOW-Us Uganda! is meant for initiatives that are led by and have been fully developed by the rightsholder groups and/or communities themselves to promote/demand their inclusion in society. In particular, such initiatives should be about the promotion of:

• Improved access to (productive) resources (finance, land and water) and employment
• Improved access to social services, health and education in particular
• Improved spaces for political participation and citizen engagement

These initiatives should be led by one or more of the following groups and/or communities:

• People with disabilities
• Women facing exploitation, abuse, and/or violence
• Age-discriminated vulnerable groups, notably the young and the elderly
• Indigenous groups and/or ethnic minorities
• Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people

Strong preference will be given to initiatives that are able to demonstrate credible instances of intersectionality with at least one or two other rightsholder groups, including youth/elderly and women as a cross-cutting component.

This is a localised version inspired by the global NOW–Us! Awards, a joint partnership between Voice and the Spindle. You can read more about it through this blog here https://voice.global/blog/the-now-us-awards-reflections/ and project details of one of the winning initiatives here https://voice.global/grantees/access-nigeria/#project for inspiration!

Who can apply? 

In order to be eligible for NOW-Us Uganda! your initiative must fit ALL of the following criteria:

• Your organisation (a not-for-profit organisation, community-based oranisation, self-help group or social enterprise) is Uganda–based and legally registered as a local organisation (with a working bank account in your local currency).
• If you are not a registered organisation, please list a host institution that can serve as the legal and financial host for your initiative.
• Your organisation is fully led by individuals (staffing, governance, design and implementation) that belong to the very same target groups/rightsholders that it serves and benefits.
• You have a track record on being inclusive in your ways of working.
• Your initiative is innovative and has the potential for impact.

*Current Voice grantees with ongoing projects cannot apply for the NOW-Us Awards.

What do we mean by innovation?

For Voice, innovation means anything that has not been tried before in a particular context. If your initiative is trying a new idea, method or approach, you are welcome to submit it in your application. Innovation also means using tried and tested methods but for new purposes and with new groups, audiences and themes.

What happens if selected? 

Only ten (10) shortlisted initiatives which meet the criteria above will be invited to attend a five (5) day innovation boot camp to be organised sometime between July and August 2020. The boot camp will provide an opportunity to further improve on your project. It will also give you an opportunity to work with other like-minded innovation professionals.

During this week, all applicants will be given the chance to enter the final stage by presenting their “final pitch” -live- in front of a jury!

At the end of the week, you will be participating in a celebration of inclusion. In the presence of Voice grantees and selected CSOs including development partners and Embassies, the jury will announce the winner(s) of NOW-Us Uganda!

First, second and third ranked pitches win a Voice grant worth 25,000, 15,000, and 10,000 EUR respectively to take home lessons learned and implement their proposed initiatives.

Lastly, the first-ranked group will also be invited to attend the Partos Innovation Festival in Amsterdam on October 2020 (all expenses will be covered). They will meet other NOW-Us winners from different countries, connect with other like-minded organisations, and make their voices heard in international development conversations on inclusion. Nothing About Us, Without Us! in action!

The National NOW-Us! Awards have been postponed due to COVID-19. It will be relaunched in early 2021. Read more here