British Consultancy Charitable Trust (BCCT)

PROJECTS:

Agoro International Vocational Institute (AIVI), Lamwo District, Northern Uganda

After 20 years of neglect the land allocated had reverted to back to bush and required major clearance

Short Summary of AIVI development
“The largest project BCCT has undertaken has been in the post conflict zone of Northern Uganda where BCCT has created a vocational training institute designed to help ‘Internally Displaced People’ (IDPs) re-create a local economy.

Due to the violent war with the Lord’s Resistance Army in which untold numbers were killed and children abducted, approximately 1.8 million people were relocated from their villages into protected camps where they remained for up to 20 years, fed by the World Food programme. No work or requirement for skills engendered a total dependency culture. At the outset of BCCT’s involvement in 2009, most of the population had returned to their villages and homelands but there were some 470,000 people (IDPs) still in the camps and a state of near utter poverty prevailed.

In the Agoro, Kitgum District, BCCT was originally asked to design a process that would assist some 6,000 of those living within the Agoro community and immediate hinterland by teaching new skills that would re-create the local economy and lead to sustainable employment.  As a result, BCCT established the ‘Agoro International Vocational Institute’ which is now meeting that need.

September 2008 -2011:  BCCT started with a ‘Pilot Project’ to establish viable practices through which to empower ex-IDPs with skills in sustainable agriculture and building. The results were a stone wall classroom and store room; an Interlocking Stabilized Soil Block (ISSB) classroom/ dormitory; latrine; bore hole; ISSB water tanks; demonstration orchard with 200 fruit trees; an horticultural unit (run by local women); the start of a softwood forest nursery; a training banda surrounded by 700 decorative trees and bushes as a windbreak and a pleasing learning environment.

Interlocking Stabilized Soil Block (ISSBs) classroom built in 3 weeks by IDPs, as part of an AIVI ISSB and carpentry course. ISSBs are mud bricks mixed with c5% cements and with a press made into rectangles for buildings or curves for water tanks. No firing needed

Another charity working with BCCT, Tools for Self Reliance UK supplied 1,005 masonry and carpentry tools.

In the first two years 42 ex IDPs, (including young boys and girls) were trained to be self-employed builders and carpenters, building dry-stone houses for two new teachers as their first commercial venture. By September 2011, 332 had been trained in building and 879 in agriculture.

In parallel, the Institute’s Board of Trustees recreated an Elders’ Clan Parliament and discussion groups to harmonize society with rights and advocacy. In 2010 AIVI achieved formal approval as a center for youth training, acting as a satellite to the Northern Uganda Youth Development Centre (NUYDC).

In June 2011, BCCT completed an Initial Marketing Survey to determine potential demand of various produce that is or could be grown in the region. These results are now being incorporated into the ‘outreach’ programme.  AIVI is also aiming to work with a number of external commercial projects occurring in the area. 

Next Step - Outreach & Expansion Programme – 2012 to 2015:

BCCT is delighted to be working both with Challenges and a major International Development charity on the implementation of the outreach programme to commence in early 2012.

This will include:

  1.  creating more formal curricula and qualifications and the training of new trainers in order to run many more courses
  2. business, logistics and leadership training including the handling of micro loans in order to inspire the creation of SMEs.

Other Areas Identified for Further Development:
Expansion of the current ‘tree nursery’ and development of agro forestry over the next 3 years in conjunction with the International Tree Foundation

The building of a crèche to provide an early learning facility for young children permitting their mothers to participate in full-time training.