We are pleased to announce the finalization of a partnership agreement with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) to implement our Rural Entrepreneur Access Project (REAP) in Karamoja, Uganda.
BOMA is a subrecipient under CRS (prime recipient) in a Development Food Security Activity (DFSA) awarded under the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/Food for Peace (FFP) program. The project, which is being branded as “Nuyok”, meaning “it is ours” in the local language, Karimojong, is implemented by a consortium comprised of CRS, BOMA and six additional organizations:
- Caritas Kotido and Caritas Moroto: local implementing partners
- International Institute for Cooperation and Development: technical leadership in water supply and youth vocational and technical skills building
- Communication for Development Foundation Uganda: technical partner on community-based social and behavior change communication
- Veterinarians Without Borders: technical lead for livestock activities focused on improved animal health
- Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University: research and learning partner
- YouthBuild International: technical lead in programming that will target youth with opportunities for education, leadership and employability
The goal of the project is to help build resilience to shocks, enhance livelihoods and improve food and nutrition security for vulnerable rural families in four districts of Karamoja – Abim, Nakapiripirit, Nabilatuk and Napak—through interventions in Maternal and Child Health/Nutrition, Agriculture and Livelihoods, and Civil Society and Disaster Readiness
BOMA will be providing technical assistance to Caritas Moroto to implement REAP on the ground for 1,635 women to help them achieve food security, better nutrition and health, gender equity, and overall resilience, and working closely with CRS and Caritas Moroto on program design and measurement.
“Our partnership with CRS is part of our larger strategic plan to scale our model across the drylands of Africa through government adoption and partnerships with NGOs,” says BOMA Executive Director John Stephens. “This will be BOMA’s first activity in a country outside Kenya, and we are very excited to take this next step toward achieving our goal. Both BOMA and CRS are committed to creating transformative change in the world’s most fragile and marginalized regions, and we share key values, including a belief in human dignity and the ability of all people to thrive.”
As a gender-focused program that targets women living in extreme poverty and gives them the skills and resources they need to earn an income, establish savings and build resiliency, REAP has proven to be an effective, life-changing approach to achieving four of the United Nations’ most urgent Sustainable Development Goals: ending extreme poverty, ending hunger, combating climate change impacts and achieving gender equity by 2030. According to its rigorous impact evaluations, an average of 93% of participants have “graduated” from extreme poverty at the end of the two-year REAP program, based on BOMA’s strict criteria related to food security, sustainable livelihoods, shock preparedness and human capital investment.
“BOMA’s commitment to innovative, sustainable solutions for ending extreme poverty and ensuring that vulnerable and marginalized people—especially women and girls—can live with dignity makes them an excellent partner in this project,” says Niek de Goeij, CRS Country Representative in Uganda. “We look forward to achieving significant impact in eastern Uganda together.”
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Photo: David duChemin