The Citizens Voice for Rights in Development or CiVoRiDe project of CEGED intends to address the economic marginalisation and imbalances of voiceless youth, people living with disabilities (PWDs), adolescent mothers and women. The goal is to enhance the civic activism of poor and marginalised youth and women to meaningfully enjoy their economic rights for sustainable livelihoods in West Nile region in Uganda. This shall be achieved by providing spaces for the voiceless, to influence the responsible public institutions or duty bearers so they will become responsive to the needs and priorities of the targeted beneficiaries who are organised in self-help groups in three districts of West Nile region. In doing this, the project will explore the opportunities enshrined in the laws of Uganda for the promotion of freedom of assembly, speech and inclusive local governance. The project intends to amplify the voice of 68 rural youth and 55 women groups to influence the governmental entrepreneurship funds to become responsive and inclusive in Arua, Koboko and Nebbi districts by 2018. As a result, the responsible and mandated public institutions and agencies for entrepreneurship funds are providing timely services to marginalised rural youth and women in West Nile region. Further, the project aims to increase governance and management of land-ownership and resolution of land-conflicts in districts of Nebbi, Maracha, Arua West Nile region. As a result, they aim for a 40% improvement in reporting and response by local authorities to cases of land-tenure related land conflicts. And last, the project provide space for engagement of 18 women market vendors associations to engage with duty bearers on business operating environment in the markets of Arua, Koboko and Nebbi districts.

Community platforms provide women with voices to overcome their challenges  

Voiceless youth, persons with disability (PWD), adolescent mothers, women and sexual minorities face marginalization and imbalances that lead to exclusion from the economic development equation in Uganda and marginalisation from the decision making table.  Statistics show that Uganda posted an economic growth of 6.3% per annum for over 2 decades but a majority of Ugandans are not benefitting from this growth.  The majority of those impacted by this exclusion are youth and women who are engaged in subsistence activities and make up 89% of the population employed in the agricultural sector. These activities face many challenges including limited access to government entrepreneurship funds and linkage to growing economic markets, which prevents them from achieving high levels of productivity. Despite the government of Uganda introducing entrepreneurship funds to change this and uplift youth and women out of poverty, high level exclusion of the unemployed PWD, youth and women, especially widows and teenage mothers still limit their participation in such initiatives. This is due to lack of platforms for the poor and marginalised youth and women to influence mandated government institutions and leaders to have their voices heard 

Centre for Governance and Economic Development (CEGED) and Rural Initiative for Community Empowerment (RICE) set up the Citizens Voice for Economic Rights and Development (CiVoRiDe) to enhance the civic activism by poor and marginalised youth and women to meaningfully enjoy their economic rights for sustainable livelihoods in West Nile region in Uganda. This was through amplification of voices of rural youth and women groups to influence pro poor government entrepreneurship funds to be responsive and inclusive in Arua, Koboko and Nebbi districts. It also enhanced governance and management of land tenure and resolution of land conflicts in Nebbi, Maracha, Arua, and West Nile districts.

Subsequently, this platform provided the affected marginalised and poor youth and women with opportunities to access free information and legal services, which enhanced their confidence to speak up, air their issues directly, and seek redress. 

From the women groups, Lands Rights Committees were set up and have helped in sensitising the women and general population on the new land conflict resolution approach, for example, the mechanism of reporting to elders and land courts. As a result, 47 cases of land conflicts were reported to the elders with 15 cases successfully handled while 36 more cases are still being followed up for conclusion. 

The self-help groups identified also built a strong base for a collective voice in sensitising other community members on land rights issues. One of these groups, Goal Keepers Women Group is an agricultural produce farming group in Odupe sub county. It mobilised members for self-help, economic empowerment and increasing household incomes. The group among others is advocating for women land rights and sensitising the community on the same.