Functional Adult Literacy: The Influence on Women’s Improved Health Promotion Behaviours in Apac District, Northern-Uganda

This article is about women’s experiences of Functional Adult Literacy (FAL) as a means to their improved Health Promotion Behaviours in Apac District, Northern Uganda. The qualitative study of 29 participants aimed at examining women’s improved well-being resulting from using their acquired FAL knowledge and skills to participate in health promotion behaviours. The study was informed by Kabeer’s agency theory and Freire’s literacy perspective which argue on the element of conscientisation or awareness by making marginalised non-literate’s agents of promoting health behaviours. The findings revealed that from the practical skills, the women experienced more confidence, increased awareness and understanding on health-related issues and improved well-being. Therefore, the study recommends that the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MoGLSD), International Donors, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Civil Society should ensure prioritisation, support and implementation of FAL training. Keywords: Women, Practical learning, Participation, Well-being DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/11-8-07 Publication date: April 30th 202

Women Beneficiaries of Functional Adult Literacy Speak Out: Opportunities and Challenges for Socio-Economic Development in Apac District, Northern Uganda

Women’s literacy is critical to addressing gender inequality, though, globally, only 88 adult women are considered literate for every 100 adult men. This article is an analysis of challenges faced by Ugandan women based in the Northern part of the country who attempt to acquire and use skills attained from training in Functional Adult Literacy (FAL) to improve their socio-economic conditions. Qualitative data was collected from 45 participants (literate and non-literate) selected purposively. The study was informed by Freire’s literacy and agency theories which argues on the element of awareness by making marginalised non-literates see the reality of the world by using their agency to recognise their impediment to development. Findings indicate that women FAL graduates faced challenges ranging from lack of acknowledgement, belittlement to negative perceptions. It would be helpful for Government, International development partners, NGO’s and civil society to ensure strong support and inclusive planning with FAL trainees to enable them not only to benefit from their training but also to contribute to achievement of sustainable development. Keywords: Practical Learning, Challenge, Socio-economic progres

Towards gender responsive agricultural research : needs, gaps, and opportunities for gender training and institutional transformation in East Africa

The study was undertaken in Uganda and Rwanda and focused on two national research organisations: the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) and Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB) respectively. The report analyzes gender training as it pertains to NARO and RAB. Access to gender training was found to be low. Most of the training efforts were planned and facilitated by other organizations. Both NARO and RAB had limited capacity to conduct gender responsive research. Both countries lack relevant institutional incentives and accountability systems. These factors undermine priorities attached to gender responsive agricultural research

Tracking the gender responsiveness of agricultural research across the research cycle: a monitoring and evaluation framework tested in Uganda and Rwanda

There is widespread need for gender-responsive agricultural research, yet the question of how this kind of research can be implemented and its success measured needs further interrogation. This paper presents a framework, developed on the basis of literature and validated by experts, for tracking the gender responsiveness of agricultural research throughout the research cycle, from the research plan to the dissemination of research findings. The framework was tested in Uganda and Rwanda on 14 research projects considered to be gender-responsive. Scores on the quantitative tool were triangulated with qualitative data from four case studies. Data was collected between June and August 2016, by reviewing projects' documents and conducting key informant interviews. Our findings show that most of the projects investigated were not sufficiently gender-responsive. The easy-to-use framework presented in this paper provides a much-needed tool for guiding agricultural researchers and partners to design, implement, and measure the gender responsiveness of research projects

Gender Roles and the Care Economy in Ugandan Households: The case of Kaabong, Kabale and Kampala districts

This report examines the distribution of unpaid care and domestic work in households in the Ugandan districts of Kaabong, Kabale and Kampala. It seeks to understand the connection between social norms and the gendered division of work, including how much time women, men, boys and girls spend on paid work and unpaid care work in a day, as well as how this time use varies between urban and rural areas and between the districts in the study. The authors look closely at childcare, who undertakes it and why. They also analyse what kinds of services are available in each district that might ease the care workload for women and girls.The report makes recommendations for the Ugandan government and relative authorities on how they can recognize, reduce and redistribute care work through policy changes, labour-saving devices and technology, better infrastructure and the provision of care services.This publication was written by Oxfam partners in Uganda (EPRC, UWONET and the School of Women and Gender Studies at Makerere University), in collaboration with Oxfam in Uganda and the WE-Care team