Australian NGO: ActionAid Australia
Local Partner: ActionAid Uganda
Project Title: Women's rights in agriculture
2011-12 funding: $97,391
Gender inequality remains a significant development challenge for many countries in the world. Nations are unable to reach their full potential when half of their citizens are excluded from important leadership and economic opportunities. Three of the ten development objectives of An Effective Aid Program for Australia specifically address gender equality and the empowerment of women.
In 2011, ANCP assisted ActionAid to work with communities in Kapchorwa, a district in eastern Uganda, to empower local women and support them to access land for vegetable cultivation. National laws in Uganda set out women's rights to own land, but in many cases, traditional customs make it difficult for women to retain ownership or control over land.
By establishing community groups that encouraged collective reflection and critique, ActionAid worked with men, women and traditional leaders to increase awareness of women's rights and national land policies. As a result of the increased awareness, 300 landless women, who were displaced due to conflict between Government and local cattle herders, have been granted access to collective land for vegetable cultivation.
Sulaika Kissa (pictured) is the Chairperson of one such community group. She told ActionAid that before the project started, land ownership and the control of land use, including proceeds from selling produce, were controlled by men. Because of ActionAid's work, Sulaika and other women in her community have greater access to land and have control over the produce and income from it. Sulaika commented that the women in the community 'feel liberated since we are able to decide what to do with what we have'.