The Rose Namayanja Foundation, in partnership with the Basajjassubi Development Initiative and Nakaseke District, has donated farm inputs, livestock and agricultural tools worth Shs160 million to Practical Training Centres established under the Parish Development Model programme.
The Government of Uganda introduced the PDM to improve household incomes, create sustainable livelihoods and transform communities at parish level. Under the programme, each parish is allocated Shs380 million. However, inadequate practical training has remained a challenge for some beneficiaries, limiting their ability to effectively utilise the funds and invest in viable enterprises.
To address this challenge, the Government established PDM Practical Training Centres as hands-on learning facilities where beneficiaries can acquire practical skills from successful farmers, entrepreneurs and other experienced practitioners in enterprises selected by their communities.
Many of the centres, however, have lacked the farm inputs, livestock, equipment and tools needed to provide meaningful practical training.
It is against this background that the Rose Namayanja Foundation have launched the initiative under the theme, “ Skills Before the Shilling, Equipping the Parish to Deliver the Model.”
Under the initiative, the Rose Namayanja Foundation donated 100 goats, 64 pigs, 3,000 chickens, 3,200 banana tissues and 8,000 coffee seedlings to 96 parish training centres and 40 farmers’ groups in Nakaseke South Constituency.
The foundation also provided 1,500 kilograms of fertilisers and assorted farm tools. The livestock, inputs and equipment were valued at Shs160 million.
Speaking at the handover ceremony held at Nakaseke International College playground in Nakaseke Town Council, Rt. Hon. Rose Namayanja Nsereko, Executive Director of the Rose Namayanja Foundation and Deputy Secretary General of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), said the initiative is intended to ensure that beneficiaries are adequately prepared before receiving public funds.
Namayanja said the PTCs will equip PDM beneficiaries with practical knowledge in agriculture, livestock rearing, enterprise development and household income generation.
“The approach is simple: beneficiaries should first acquire the knowledge and practical skills necessary to manage an enterprise before receiving PDM funds. This will enable them to make informed decisions, minimise the risk of misusing the funds, and invest in productive and sustainable ventures,” Namayanja said.
She added that the support is intended to strengthen the training centres and enable beneficiaries to learn through practical demonstrations and direct participation.
“We believe that the next cohort of people in Nakaseke South who are going to receive PDM funds will first go to the Practical Training Centres and learn first-hand, using both their hands and their heads, so that they know exactly what to do with the money they are going to receive,” she said.
Practical Training Centres under the PDM are local, hands-on learning hubs established at the farms or enterprises of successful model farmers and entrepreneurs.
Nakaseke District LC5 Chairman Ignatius Koomu Kiwanuka commended the Rose Namayanja Foundation for supporting the PTCs, saying the intervention would help the PDM perform better than previous government programmes that failed to make a significant impact.
Koomu said district extension workers had participated fully in the selection of beneficiaries for the inputs and livestock and pledged that they would continue providing the necessary technical support to ensure the PTCs operate effectively.
Charles Basajjassubi Nsereko Kawuma, the Member of Parliament for Nakaseke South, said the Basajjassubi Development Initiative, working with the Rose Namayanja Foundation, had provided the items to supplement President Yoweri Museveni’s efforts to transform communities through the PDM.
“President Yoweri Museveni is deeply committed to the success of the Parish Development Model, and as the Basajjassubi Development Initiative, we are equally determined to ensure that the programme delivers tangible benefits to the people of Nakaseke South. I will continue to lobby for additional inputs, equipment and other resources to strengthen the Practical Training Centres and ensure that our beneficiaries acquire the skills and support they need to make the most of their PDM funds,” Basajjassubi said.
The PDM beneficiaries, led by Jane Nankya of Kitoto Village in Semuto Sub-county and Mary Nabbowa, commended Namayanja for extending the support to their Practical Training Centres (PTCs), saying the lack of adequate practical skills had contributed to the poor utilisation of PDM funds in the past.
“Yes, the majority of PDM beneficiaries had not received adequate practical training, and as a result, many struggled to use the funds in line with the enterprises they had selected. We are grateful to Rt. Hon. Namayanja for identifying this challenge and extending support to our Practical Training Centres. This support will give beneficiaries the practical knowledge and skills they need to properly utilise the funds and invest in productive enterprises,” Nankya said.
The Government has disbursed Shs29 billion to Nakaseke District under the Parish Development Model programme.
