The Amplifying the Voices of Vulnerable Women and Youth project of KRC enhances the capacity of vulnerable women and youth within the Basongora and Batuku pastoralists communities to increase their participation in decision-making processes, influencing on policies and advocacy against exploitation, abuse, violence and better service delivery in education and health in Uganda. The project has a specific focus in Ntoroko and Kasese Districts. The critical issues to be addressed by the project will include 1. Limited documented evidence and exposure of cases of abuse, exploitation and violence in relation to girl-child school dropouts, early marriage, limited access to reproductive services and limited access to education 2. Limited knowledge of vulnerable women and youth on education and health policies, obligations and roles of duty bearers 3. Inferiority and lack of confidence among vulnerable women and youth and 4. Limited space for participation in decision-making and advocacy for vulnerable women and youth. The project will primarily utilise women and youth concerns, experiences and lessons from Ntoroko and Kasese Districts to build synergies with actors from other pastoral communities in Uganda to influence the national policy agenda for inclusiveness.

Fast tracking development through collaborative advocacy 

Pastoralist communities are known to be mobile as they are in search of pastures and water for their animals. This keeps them mobile and on the move making it difficult to trace and reach them with any essential services. The most affected are youth and women who remain vulnerable when these movements take place. As a result, Kabarole Research Center (KRC) set up Amplifying voices of vulnerable women and youth in Basongora and Batuku pastoralist communities for delivery of quality health and education services in Uganda project. This was to expand spaces of influence for vulnerable youth and women among the Basongora and Batuku pastoral communities of the Rwenzori region to advocate against abuse, exploitation, violence and discrimination in the delivery of quality health and education services to the community. This was done through facilitating a participatory process for vulnerable youth and women to identify and analyze critical advocacy issues, creation and promotion of spaces and platforms at local, district and national levels for vulnerable youth and women to advocate on these issues, monitor and document successful advocacy cases by the community 

The project reached over 100,000 people both directly and indirectly in the pastoral communities of Ntoroko and Kasese districts with 80% being women and 42% being youth. From this, 60 passionate and devoted gender champions were identified and trained to advocate on the identified issues with the community and leaders. Through these advocacy efforts, the team triggered the District Procurement team to complete the tendering of the seed secondary school after it had stalled for one year.