CADIS International intervention in Uganda started in May 2021 with post-Covid resilience project called “Livelihood support, skills training for youth and health promotion in Musoli, Uganda”.

Musoli village is located in the Mayuge district of Uganda near Lake Victoria. Fishing is the primary source of income for the families settled along the lake. With the government’s current public health safety protocols, particularly to the communities around the lake due to Covid-19 pandemic, many families have lost their means of survival. In general, in Uganda, 36% of the workers are females, and 64% are males. Most of them are employed in the primary industries of fishing, sugarcane farm workers, quarries, restaurants/bars, and the commercial sex industry, which involve a more significant number of girls.

Because of poverty, people often cannot even gain access to health services because of poverty.
The most affected are the youth facing violent and profound changes during Covid-19, with severe consequences for any attempts to reduce poverty in Uganda, particularly in Musoli.

In this particular area, CADIS International promotes the intervention that, for three years, will strengthen socio-economic resilience of 90 youth and improve access to health service in Musoli Village. The project aims to (1) increase job opportunities for 90 youth, (2) increase the youth monthly income, (3) activate youth participation in community development activities, (4) establish micro business for the youth and (5) improve the general health conditions of the people.

The current situation in Mayuge District presents intersecting domains of the problem: the healthcare system's capacity to respond to the health problems of the community and the underlying factors that affect their income per capita. The people of Musoli are directly served by small drug shops and private clinics, which are not easily accessible and affordable to the general population, not to mention the quality of care given, not being able to handle many fundamental services. The clinics are persistently hit by a lack of drugs and other supplies due to inadequate funding and a flawed logistics system. Here, the Camillian Delegation of Uganda has initiated the construction of a health care facility.

The Project is implemented by the Camillian Fathers and Brothers (CFB) in Uganda. CFB has already done the community engagement, presentation of the Project to local public authorities, and the selection of beneficiaries (60 youth for fishing and 30 girls for catering, hairdressing, and tailoring classes) that have been already enrolled in the orientation program and seminars.

The project design envisages continuity by the end of the funding period following different steps:
- Development and creation of alternative skills for self-employment
- Involvement of beneficiaries at all levels with various activities throughout the life of the project
- Training and institution building in productive skills, leadership and management
- Investment in microfinance activities to encourage the sustainability of their finance through small-business trainings
- Community service information collection and analysis to facilitate communities' linkage to essential service providers and information sources at phase-out.

Reported information by
Boniface Walusibmi
For the Camillian Fathers and Brothers