Voice.Global website

  • Organisation

    SORAK Development Agency is a registered Ugandan Local grass root based NGO with registration number 8726 .In 2003, the organization beginnings were motivated by a study conducted on the Gender based violence and HIV/AIDs among rural women in Mubende. At least 90% of the women interviewed had been battered and lived in abusive marriages. SORAK started by addressing issues of gender-based violence and HIV/AIDS.
    SORAK is a women led and focused organisation that started as a research and capacity building organisation from2003 to 2010.
    SORAK begun implementing community and vulnerable persons focused programmes in 2010 and has since then implemented about 14 grass root focused projects. These target women, girls, youth, children, PWDs and a few men. SORAK cherishes participatory approaches to programming with emphasis to mainstreaming gender, HIV and AIDS, key population as well as disability.

    2. ACHIEVEMENTS
    What have been the principal results in the past three years that contribute to significant, structural, sustained and positive improvement in the lives of men, women, girls and boys suffering from poverty, injustice, insecurity and exclusion?

    SORAK with support attained from various partners in the past three years has had the following key achievements between 2015- 2017.
    1. Trained 6 women, 3 men, 09 boys and 21 girls in reusable sanitary pad making, sex and gender education to 600 girls 300 boys. This has increased opportunities to disadvantaged girls to remain at school during theirmenstruation period.
    2. Constructed a 100,000 litre capacity Ferro cement roof water harvesting tank at Precious child learning centre. This has improved access to safe water for 443 orphans and vulnerable children at SORAK founded infant and primary school. The neighbouring community of men, women and girls also get water from this tank hence reducing the incidence of enteric diseases in the community.
    3. With funding from USAID UGANDA and UK aid built the capacity of 150 women, 150 youths and 120 PWDsin local government budgeting and planning process; sensitized 450 women, 450 youths and 120 PWDs on their
    role in ensuring good governance, accountability and transparency. This has kept local leaders including technical service providers and policy makers on their heels to ensure that they deliver accountable service delivery.
    4. With Positive Action For children Fund UK (PACF) funding SORAK has provided HIV and SRHRs information to 14000 in schools adolescents, 5000 out of school adolescents and 6000 adults via participatory theatre. Another 80 HIV Positive and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers havebeen supported with start-up grants to enhance their adherence to PMTCT.
    5. Established an OVCs primary school that has provided access to educationto805 children ( 60% girls 40 boys ) between 2011 to date
    6. Acquired networks and alliances with Dutch SRHRs funded partners among others.
    7. Joined partnerships and networks with national level advocacy organizations in the field of budget, health andSRHRs advocacy.
    8. SORAK was in 2016 acknowledged as a key player and development partner in Mubende district local government. With support from AmplifyChange, her contribution was documented in the 2017/18 development planning and budgeting process.
    9.SORAK programme staff were admitted in the district head managed WhatsApp group comprising of more than 100 key stakeholders inclusive of political, technical, religious, security ,justice ,law and order sector, private and NGOs/CSOs leaders at local, district and national level. This provides an opportunity to share concerns and issues at a click and all responsibility holders are put in the knowwithin less than a day.
    10. SORAK registered an infant and primary schools that advocates for children rightsthrough a demonstration model. OVCs including children affected by HIV and Children living with disability are hosted at the school. The school has improved access to education 835 OVCs at SORAK founded Precious child learning center-nursery and primary school.
    11. SORAK has become a household name in Mubende district. It also a member of Civil society budget advocacy group and is a coordinator of over 17 CSOs in Mubende district.
    12. Amplified voices of over 20,000 #in school# adolescents raising awareness in the dangers of child marriage .In relation SORAK has reached 2532 boys and 2731girls with SRHRs promotion protection information; Another 650 women and 108 commercial sex workers were also reached building their capacity and attaining enhancedability to report and prevent SRHRs abuse.
    13. Managesa teen led Participatory theatre group known and recognized district wide for her ability to engage through infotainment.
    14. Promoted safe sanitation and hygiene practices with the chlorine generatorinnovation invented by untapped shores to 12340 persons including 11030 school children via participatory theatre.
    15. Introduced lemon grass production and established a lemon grass essential oils distiller currently benefiting 125 households comprisedof80 vulnerable women headed households, 20, elderly and 25 youth headed households. Introduced the commercialization of lemon grass growing for essential oils distillation to 80 women-PHAs, widows and single mothers.

    16. Our advocacy effortscontributed to policy change towards TB/HIV in Mubende District.
    (www.stoptb.org/global/awards/cfcs/grants.asp).

    3. INSTITUTIONAL PURPOSE
    The Vision: SORAK is guided by the Vision: Improved quality of life for vulnerable women, youth and children in Uganda;

    Mission Statement: And the mission; to improve lives of vulnerable women, youth and children through strategic and sustainable livelihood, health, education and human rights interventions in Uganda

    Mission: What is the current purpose of the organisation?
    Our efforts are concentrated on vulnerable populations and critical issues affecting the health and education systems and women empowerment in Uganda particularly targeting women, children, orphans, minorities, Persons living withTB/HIV/AIDs, persons with disabilities, and issues surrounding rights and living conditions with participatory programming on ;Women Economic Development; TB/HIV, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Environment, Water and
    Sanitation; Advocacy, Good Governance <(>&<)> Disability rights; Education; Research and Learning

    Institutional objectives: What are the principal changes the organisation seeks to achieve over the long term? SORAK#s areas of focus include; Women’s Economic Development; TB/HIV, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Environment, Water and Sanitation; Advocacy, Good Governance and Disability rights; Education; Research   Learning.  SORAK’s overriding strategies include; Serving the community, running the organisation and developing employees; with the Strategic objectives;
    # To improve women, youth conditions;
    # To reduce stigma <(>&<)> discrimination among PHAs, key population and PWDs;
    # To improve SRHRs of vulnerable persons;
    # Improve <(>&<)> strengthen Education, Promote women, child <(>&<)> PwDs rights and Promote good governance

    Field(s) of activity: What are the principal thematic and geographic areas in which the organisation works? Who are the social actors that benefit from the work?
    SORAK#s areas of focus as per strategic plan include; Women Economic Development; TB/HIV, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Environment, Water and Sanitation; Advocacy, Good Governance and Disability rights; Education; Research and Learning.
    SORAK efforts are concentrated on vulnerable populations and critical issues affecting the health and education systems and women empowerment in Uganda, particularly targeting women, children, orphans, minorities, Persons living with TB/HIV/AIDs, persons with disabilities, and issues surrounding rights and living conditions.
    These activities are implemented in Uganda with the current focus in Mubende and Kampala district, with occasional activities across the country. This is possible through partnerships.

    • Organisation

      SORAK Development Agency is a registered Ugandan Local grass root based NGO with registration number 8726 .In 2003, the organization beginnings were motivated by a study conducted on the Gender based violence and HIV/AIDs among rural women in Mubende. At least 90% of the women interviewed had been battered and lived in abusive marriages. SORAK started by addressing issues of gender-based violence and HIV/AIDS.
      SORAK is a women led and focused organisation that started as a research and capacity building organisation from2003 to 2010.
      SORAK begun implementing community and vulnerable persons focused programmes in 2010 and has since then implemented about 14 grass root focused projects. These target women, girls, youth, children, PWDs and a few men. SORAK cherishes participatory approaches to programming with emphasis to mainstreaming gender, HIV and AIDS, key population as well as disability.

      2. ACHIEVEMENTS
      What have been the principal results in the past three years that contribute to significant, structural, sustained and positive improvement in the lives of men, women, girls and boys suffering from poverty, injustice, insecurity and exclusion?

      SORAK with support attained from various partners in the past three years has had the following key achievements between 2015- 2017.
      1. Trained 6 women, 3 men, 09 boys and 21 girls in reusable sanitary pad making, sex and gender education to 600 girls 300 boys. This has increased opportunities to disadvantaged girls to remain at school during theirmenstruation period.
      2. Constructed a 100,000 litre capacity Ferro cement roof water harvesting tank at Precious child learning centre. This has improved access to safe water for 443 orphans and vulnerable children at SORAK founded infant and primary school. The neighbouring community of men, women and girls also get water from this tank hence reducing the incidence of enteric diseases in the community.
      3. With funding from USAID UGANDA and UK aid built the capacity of 150 women, 150 youths and 120 PWDsin local government budgeting and planning process; sensitized 450 women, 450 youths and 120 PWDs on their
      role in ensuring good governance, accountability and transparency. This has kept local leaders including technical service providers and policy makers on their heels to ensure that they deliver accountable service delivery.
      4. With Positive Action For children Fund UK (PACF) funding SORAK has provided HIV and SRHRs information to 14000 in schools adolescents, 5000 out of school adolescents and 6000 adults via participatory theatre. Another 80 HIV Positive and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers havebeen supported with start-up grants to enhance their adherence to PMTCT.
      5. Established an OVCs primary school that has provided access to educationto805 children ( 60% girls 40 boys ) between 2011 to date
      6. Acquired networks and alliances with Dutch SRHRs funded partners among others.
      7. Joined partnerships and networks with national level advocacy organizations in the field of budget, health andSRHRs advocacy.
      8. SORAK was in 2016 acknowledged as a key player and development partner in Mubende district local government. With support from AmplifyChange, her contribution was documented in the 2017/18 development planning and budgeting process.
      9.SORAK programme staff were admitted in the district head managed WhatsApp group comprising of more than 100 key stakeholders inclusive of political, technical, religious, security ,justice ,law and order sector, private and NGOs/CSOs leaders at local, district and national level. This provides an opportunity to share concerns and issues at a click and all responsibility holders are put in the knowwithin less than a day.
      10. SORAK registered an infant and primary schools that advocates for children rightsthrough a demonstration model. OVCs including children affected by HIV and Children living with disability are hosted at the school. The school has improved access to education 835 OVCs at SORAK founded Precious child learning center-nursery and primary school.
      11. SORAK has become a household name in Mubende district. It also a member of Civil society budget advocacy group and is a coordinator of over 17 CSOs in Mubende district.
      12. Amplified voices of over 20,000 #in school# adolescents raising awareness in the dangers of child marriage .In relation SORAK has reached 2532 boys and 2731girls with SRHRs promotion protection information; Another 650 women and 108 commercial sex workers were also reached building their capacity and attaining enhancedability to report and prevent SRHRs abuse.
      13. Managesa teen led Participatory theatre group known and recognized district wide for her ability to engage through infotainment.
      14. Promoted safe sanitation and hygiene practices with the chlorine generatorinnovation invented by untapped shores to 12340 persons including 11030 school children via participatory theatre.
      15. Introduced lemon grass production and established a lemon grass essential oils distiller currently benefiting 125 households comprisedof80 vulnerable women headed households, 20, elderly and 25 youth headed households. Introduced the commercialization of lemon grass growing for essential oils distillation to 80 women-PHAs, widows and single mothers.

      16. Our advocacy effortscontributed to policy change towards TB/HIV in Mubende District.
      (www.stoptb.org/global/awards/cfcs/grants.asp).

      3. INSTITUTIONAL PURPOSE
      The Vision: SORAK is guided by the Vision: Improved quality of life for vulnerable women, youth and children in Uganda;

      Mission Statement: And the mission; to improve lives of vulnerable women, youth and children through strategic and sustainable livelihood, health, education and human rights interventions in Uganda

      Mission: What is the current purpose of the organisation?
      Our efforts are concentrated on vulnerable populations and critical issues affecting the health and education systems and women empowerment in Uganda particularly targeting women, children, orphans, minorities, Persons living withTB/HIV/AIDs, persons with disabilities, and issues surrounding rights and living conditions with participatory programming on ;Women Economic Development; TB/HIV, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Environment, Water and
      Sanitation; Advocacy, Good Governance <(>&<)> Disability rights; Education; Research and Learning

      Institutional objectives: What are the principal changes the organisation seeks to achieve over the long term? SORAK#s areas of focus include; Women’s Economic Development; TB/HIV, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Environment, Water and Sanitation; Advocacy, Good Governance and Disability rights; Education; Research   Learning.  SORAK’s overriding strategies include; Serving the community, running the organisation and developing employees; with the Strategic objectives;
      # To improve women, youth conditions;
      # To reduce stigma <(>&<)> discrimination among PHAs, key population and PWDs;
      # To improve SRHRs of vulnerable persons;
      # Improve <(>&<)> strengthen Education, Promote women, child <(>&<)> PwDs rights and Promote good governance

      Field(s) of activity: What are the principal thematic and geographic areas in which the organisation works? Who are the social actors that benefit from the work?
      SORAK#s areas of focus as per strategic plan include; Women Economic Development; TB/HIV, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Environment, Water and Sanitation; Advocacy, Good Governance and Disability rights; Education; Research and Learning.
      SORAK efforts are concentrated on vulnerable populations and critical issues affecting the health and education systems and women empowerment in Uganda, particularly targeting women, children, orphans, minorities, Persons living with TB/HIV/AIDs, persons with disabilities, and issues surrounding rights and living conditions.
      These activities are implemented in Uganda with the current focus in Mubende and Kampala district, with occasional activities across the country. This is possible through partnerships.

    • Project

      Teens up now project seeks to clearly lift the power of teens through participatory strategies and processes to; influence newly elected leaders’ policies, practices, and behaviours to consider teens as equal citizens. It will create a platform where teens have opportunity to engage, advocate and demand for what belongs and suits them.

      The 2021 general elections in Uganda provides a timely ‘teens up now’ action. Time is now that teens get up to push for tackling discrimination, injustices and unfairness. They ought to challenge the errors and omissions created by leaders with the pretext that they know it all for the teens.

      This demographic bulge of77% aged below 25 years is a time bomb. Worse still these live at the margins of society. Majority of them miss participation in policy formulation and decision making.

      In Mubende district teens are not aware that important political decisions and priorities arederived from community level to district and national level leadership. They rarely participate and never involved in current political spaces. Their peculiar needs are rarely considered in budgets. Policies are passed and delivered without their participation. They need information and knowledge on budgetary, planning and decision-making processes. Their voices are overshadowed by the rich and ‘political elites’ on the pretext that when they question the decisions or contradict the views of the rich, they will lose their advantage and support from the rich.

      Teens up now project will break the silence of teens from village to district level governance accountability participation and performance through building civic consciousness and grass rooting their activism. Teens will be motivated to organise themselves into self-inspired groups ready to demand and task local leaders into teens involvement in political processes. The teens influencing actions will be blended with participatory theatre.

      Teens will further engage elected leaders via; ‘teens up’ festivals that will bring teens faceto face with leaders, community score cards on political performance and inclusion of teens in the political processes.
      Teens will also seek to ‘invite themselves’ in the political spaces arena as well as holding leaders accountable and stay in constantlink through; innovative communication, information and education and design thinking for equalization of opportunities. Teens will be equipped with “a smart app”, not running on any technical device, but on the locally available paper materials-high graphical flash cards with information to arm teens to engage leaders from an informed background. This will have simplified information on laws, the citizens’ responsibilities in promoting good governance and political participation and rights.
      There will be teens and leaders joint; ‘live-on air’–radio dialogues, social media platforms where teens will be in constant reach, communication to share concerns, raise issues that influence and create opportunity for fostering space for teens political participation.

      Teens’ led participation in political spaces will be elicited; pushing duty bearers into teens’ inclusive participation in governance and political spaces. Teens will be awakened to participate in leadership and decision making for a democratic society.
  • Project

    Teens up now project seeks to clearly lift the power of teens through participatory strategies and processes to; influence newly elected leaders’ policies, practices, and behaviours to consider teens as equal citizens. It will create a platform where teens have opportunity to engage, advocate and demand for what belongs and suits them.

    The 2021 general elections in Uganda provides a timely ‘teens up now’ action. Time is now that teens get up to push for tackling discrimination, injustices and unfairness. They ought to challenge the errors and omissions created by leaders with the pretext that they know it all for the teens.

    This demographic bulge of77% aged below 25 years is a time bomb. Worse still these live at the margins of society. Majority of them miss participation in policy formulation and decision making.

    In Mubende district teens are not aware that important political decisions and priorities arederived from community level to district and national level leadership. They rarely participate and never involved in current political spaces. Their peculiar needs are rarely considered in budgets. Policies are passed and delivered without their participation. They need information and knowledge on budgetary, planning and decision-making processes. Their voices are overshadowed by the rich and ‘political elites’ on the pretext that when they question the decisions or contradict the views of the rich, they will lose their advantage and support from the rich.

    Teens up now project will break the silence of teens from village to district level governance accountability participation and performance through building civic consciousness and grass rooting their activism. Teens will be motivated to organise themselves into self-inspired groups ready to demand and task local leaders into teens involvement in political processes. The teens influencing actions will be blended with participatory theatre.

    Teens will further engage elected leaders via; ‘teens up’ festivals that will bring teens faceto face with leaders, community score cards on political performance and inclusion of teens in the political processes.
    Teens will also seek to ‘invite themselves’ in the political spaces arena as well as holding leaders accountable and stay in constantlink through; innovative communication, information and education and design thinking for equalization of opportunities. Teens will be equipped with “a smart app”, not running on any technical device, but on the locally available paper materials-high graphical flash cards with information to arm teens to engage leaders from an informed background. This will have simplified information on laws, the citizens’ responsibilities in promoting good governance and political participation and rights.
    There will be teens and leaders joint; ‘live-on air’–radio dialogues, social media platforms where teens will be in constant reach, communication to share concerns, raise issues that influence and create opportunity for fostering space for teens political participation.

    Teens’ led participation in political spaces will be elicited; pushing duty bearers into teens’ inclusive participation in governance and political spaces. Teens will be awakened to participate in leadership and decision making for a democratic society.
  • News
    blog
    Teens tell their leaders: Consider us as equal citizens!

    Teens tell their leaders: Consider us as equal citizens!

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