Some 120 participants from 7 countries met in the beautiful city of Kampala, Uganda, for the 4th Annual Meeting of the We are Able! (WaA!) consortium from Monday July 17th till Friday July 21st 2024. Like earlier meetings in Nairobi (2021), Bujumbura (2022) and Addis Ababa (2023), the event allowed for much needed face to face discussions. Under the leadership of Robert Igalo, the consortium welcomed many Ugandan participants not only from Kampala, but also from Acholi and West-Nile regions, where the WaA! Uganda project is being implemented. Other participants arrived from South Sudan, Ethiopia, Sudan, Burundi, DR Congo and The Netherlands.
Experts Speakers
The topics discussed ranged from national lobby and advocacy to shift of power and the sustainability and exit strategies. The meeting started off on Monday with a panel debate led by Pamela Ebanyat on policy advocacy, with external expert speakers such as Agnes Kirabo of the Food Rights Alliance and Doreen Kobusingye of the National Land Coalition. Among others, the panel discussed the review of the 2003 Food and Nutrition Security policy in Uganda that allows inputs from Organizations for Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) to improve the disability inclusiveness of such important national policy frameworks. So that persons with disabilities also get to benefit and their food security will be enhanced
Interactive Policy Symposium
On Friday, the event closed with a policy symposium led by Julius Musinguzi with speakers from local governments, the Ugandan parliament, the Ugandan ministry of agriculture and the Dutch ministry of foreign affairs, represented by Mirjam Horstmeier.
Personal Testimonials
After this, we heard from several persons with disabilities how the project changed the lives of their families and communities. For example husband and farmer Alfred, who’s story was recently published in the Dutch magazine #ViceVersa.
Looking Ahead
During the other days, the participants explored with Peter Das and Reinier van Hoffen the design and planning of the end evaluation, following the project’s close in December 2025. The meeting also discussed options for a possible next phase of the project beyond 2025. The strategies for sustainability and exit, as well as for shifting responsibility and accountability to local OPDs, were refined so that local actors will be able to continue the activities starting from 2026.
