The New Vision - Supplements

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New president, Napolitano.

New ambassador, Plaja

Italian directorate finances Uganda's projects

By Jean-Marie Nsambu

COOPERATION between Italy and Uganda is implemented through bilateral projects. It caters for projects financed entirely by the Directorate General for Development Cooperation (DGCS) under Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The funds are managed by the Local Technical Unit of the Italian Cooperation (UTL), where a project coordinator monitors and facilitates implementation of planned activities.

Health Sector Strategic Plan (HSSP) 2000-2005 in northern Districts:
This is the main multi-bilateral project of the Italian Cooperation with a budget of Euro 10,264,122. It is implemented in association with Unicef, through the Italian NGOs of AVSI and CUAMM. With an objective of reducing mortality and improving health conditions, the project supports implementation of the Minimum Health Care Package (MHCP). Dr. Giuseppe Braghieri, the health programme coordinator, 2006, says the support to HSSP integrates and coordinates the various activities carried out in the sector by Italian organisations in the North.

“It concerns also the decentralisation, through technical assistance in the eight districts. The team of Italian doctors to DDHS is a good opportunity for an exchange of competences and support to institutional development and capacity building.” He says according to the integrated approach of Uganda’s PEAP and to the strategy of SWAp, it coordinates various activities like the health sector, concerning all the levels, to improve living conditions of the population.

Support to Public Private Partnership in Health (PPPH) - phase II:
This is of an historical importance to the cooperation. It has a budget of euro725,652 implemented with the Uganda Catholic Medical Bureau (UCMB), Uganda Protestant Medical Bureau (UPMB), Uganda Muslim Medical Bureau (UMMB), Private Health Practitioners (PHP), Traditional and Complimentary Medical Practitioners (TCMP) and Private Midwives Association (PMA). It intends to improve availability, quality and effectiveness of health services through better coordination between governments, development partners and Private sector (Private Not For Profit - PNFP, Private Health Practitioners - PHP, Traditional and Complementary Medicine Practitioners - TCMP).

Comboni Bro. Dr. Daniele Giusti states, “We decided to join forces with the Protestant and Muslim hospitals. The Italian Cooperation supported the first national conference of the Uganda Catholic Medical Bureau to address the financial problems facing every sector. We discussed with Uganda’s Health Ministry and government saw the need to provide funding for subsidising services for the poor. It was Antonio Aloi, who had the idea to set up a project to help the Ministry deal with the public private partnership issue. The Italian Cooperation was the catalyst and initially support for PPP came directly from the Italian Government."

The Emergency Programme:
Implemented by the Italian Cooperation in conjunction with local district administrations, subcounties and the civil society, it is budgeted at euro 1million, to facilitate the protection of adolescent girls from sexual abuses in IDP camps of Pader, Kitgum and Gulu Districts. The Italian Cooperation has had emergency interventions in Uganda since inception. The programme, with an important network of local and international counterparts, has tackled problems of some of the most vulnerable people.

It is concentrated in the three districts, with activities that include technical support to Education District Offices; creation of a system of information; prevention and monitoring of violence and psycho-social support in IDP camps; bettering access to education for girls with disabilities; and creating a Social Vocational Training Centre in Kalongo. A voice of one woman in an IDP camp laments, “The girls sell their bodies for their basic needs. Usually money and goods received are kept for personal use, but some girls do it to help their family, but they get pregnancies and/or HIV.”

Northern Uganda Data Centre (NUDC):
This has a budget of euro150,000. It is implemented by the Italian Cooperation with the Office of the Prime Minister, to develop a system for collecting, analysing and disseminating data and information relevant to development information in the North. NUDC strengthens the management of information for development. It is a development from the Karamoja Data Centre (KDC), a project initiated by the Italian Cooperation in 2001 and whose methodology is applied in Arua, Adjumani and Yumbe districts of NUDC.

GuluNap: It is a development of the Faculty of Medicine at Gulu University. It runs on a euro750,000 budget, implemented by the Italian Cooperation with collaboration of the University of Naples, in Italy. It aims at strengthening the institutional capacity of the faculty, to train medical doctors with a special curriculum that responds to the specific needs of the local disadvantaged community.

“The opening of this Faculty would not have been possible without the funds provided by the Italian Government,” notes the dean of the faculty, Professor Jasper Ogwal-Okeng.

“We have 120 students on role, 100 of whom are sponsored by government. Some applications have also come from neighbouring countries.” By funding the faculty, the Cooperation intends to strengthen Lacor Hospital and Gulu Regional Hospital, in their training and clinical capacity, to be teaching hospitals. This initiative will promote psychiatric and psychosocial services.

A new project is being studied to strengthen the local health system in Gulu. The Italian Cooperation seeks to strengthen the health services, promote decentralisation of the health service delivery, enhance the referral system and increase access to specialised medical services. In view of the peace process and of the reconciliation and reconstruction, the project aims at developing centres of excellence for teaching, research, prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

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