Bugema Community Child Based Organization

The Elevate Prize will be used to create safe environment through biodiversity conservation. This will involve tree planting in degraded areas; training of communities in production of charcoal from animal dung and crop residues for domestic use as a substitute for charcoal obtained from forests; training of communities in utilizing locally available materials such as papyrus, reeds and poles for roofing houses as substitutes for timber obtained from forests through lumbering and logging; training of communities in utilizing ash mixed with soils and animal dung for building houses as substitutes for sand and clay mining from swampy areas as well as training of communities in zero grazing system as a substitute for overgrazing.

In addition to this, The Elevate Prize will be used to increase accessibility to quality education in hard-to-reach communities by constructing four schools-Primary School, Secondary School, Technical School and a School for Children with Special Needs (the lame, the blind, the deaf and the crippled), and  equipping them with competent teachers, teaching and reading materials and resources.

Finally, The Elevate Prize will be used to foster accessibility to healthcare. This will involve training of communities in the production of face-masks, sanitizers, hand-washing soap, to address COVID-19 pandemic.

         My name is Mutyaba Paul, Executive Director of Bugema Community Child Based Organization (BCCBO) –UGANDA. BCCBO was incepted in 2021 by a group of professionals to reach out to communities by promoting accessibility to quality education, healthcare as well as creating opportunities for children and other community members who are traditionally lag behind and focusing on real issues that affect communities and finding out solutions to these issues through skills development.

       BCCBO is a fully registered non-profit Community Based Organization with the Government of Uganda under Certificate Number CD-017.

        My vision is to achieve mitigation and adaptability to climate change, establishment of supportive environment that fosters prosperity among indigenous communities, fully accessibility to quality education, and healthcare for all people in both urban and rural communities.

      My purpose is to make the society a better place to live in.

      My future goals are to see increased opportunities for all people, especially those who are traditionally left behind to access resources and services in the society, having the capacity to develop sustainable solutions to most pressing problems, difficulties and challenges of the society as well as living a life driven by changed attitudes, beliefs, traditions and behavior especially among young people.

According to NAKONTE, environmental degradation through informal agricultural practices, human settlements, lumbering, charcoal burning, sand mining, stone quarrying, bricklaying in swampy areas, waste dumping into water bodies significantly contribute to climate change by 89%. In additionally, animal poaching  is also a threat to biodiversity sustainability.  

      Furthermore, According to Luweero District Information Office, 67% indigenous communities are illiterate and ignorant serious problem which puts the society in a potential danger.

      Finally, poor health is a serious problem among the people especially in rural communities.   The most affected people include: infants, children, expecting mothers and the elderly. According to PISCOD-UGANDA, 31% of people suffer from and die of diseases that would otherwise have been treated.

Currently, BCCBO in collaboration with her partners is addressing environmental by planting trees 5,000,000, tree seedlings in degraded area

BCCBO is constructing a health facility in Butalejja District to provide better healthcare to the residents.

BCCBO is  training of communities in production of charcoal from animal dung and crop residues for domestic use as a substitute for charcoal obtained from forests.

training of communities in utilizing ash mixed with soils and animal dung for building houses as substitutes for sand and clay mining from swampy areas

Our work is innovative in nature. In this, we use locally available resources and materials to solve challenges and problems that exist in the society.  

Our new innovative approaches are:

 Communities are producing charcoal from animal dung and crop residues as substitutes for charcoal produced from forests.  

 Communities are using papyrus, reeds and poles and branches of coconuts for making furniture both for sale and home-use as substitutes for timber obtained from forests.  

 Communities are using ashes mixed with soils and animal dung for building houses as a substitute for sand obtained from swamps.  

Communities are rearing fish using locally constructed ponds and harvested rain-water instead of being fully dependent on fish supplied by lakes and rivers.  

Communities are growing vegetables in locally produced containers for home consumption as a substitute for meat consumption hence providing a sustainable solution to animal and bird poaching.  

Communities are producing face-masks, sanitizers and hand washing soap both for sale and home-use using locally invented machines powered by solar energy in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19.  

Communities are making farm fertilizers from collected garbage using locally invented machines hence providing a solution to garbage dumping into water bodies.

Bugema Community Child Based Organization (BCCBO) is taking the following steps to achieve planned impact:  

        BCCBO carries out research, case studies, surveys and needs assessments to find out the real issues, challenges and problems affecting communities. This helps us to clearly understand the real causes or sources of the challenges and problems.    

        BCCBO analyzes data from conducted research, surveys, needs assessments and case studies, and presents the findings to community members through community meetings, focus group discussions, seminars and workshops. This makes the communities become aware that identified issues, challenges and problems do exist.  

          BCCBO involves community members, community leaders, local authorities and other partners in designing, developing innovative and creative plans, strategies and approaches to have identified issues, challenges and problems fully addressed in communities. This is because when we work as a team, we achieve greater success in community transformation and development.  

         BCCBO in collaboration with other partners equip communities with innovative and creative practical skills, knowledge and experience through education and training to solve simple and complex issues, situations, challenges and problems. This is because skills acquisition and development is very instrumental for fostering a significant positive community change.