The Ambassador of Italy Domenico Fornara has visited the West Nile regione to take part in the commissioning of important Italian NGOs projects.
In Jabara (Koboko district) Ambassador Fornara took part together with Refugee Minister Hillary Onek in the commissioning of the JAVIK agricultural school (Jabara Agricultural and Vocational Institute Koboko) built and managed by ACAV.
JAVIK was founded by ACAV in 2008 with funds from the Italian Cooperation and was further developed with the financing of the Autonomous Province of Trento.
Over the years, also thanks to an agreement with UNHCR, the school has trained over 10,000 Ugandans working in agriculture and refugees (mainly from the DRC), half of them women. The Institute has now been handed over the Ugandan Authorities.
The “Koboko Model” responds to innovative cooperation criteria. It harmonizes the importance of the humanitarian-development nexus and puts together governmental and decentralized cooperation. The model also positively involves the private sector and gives particular attention to the transfer of the Trentino cooperative experience to the local population: both aspects are stimulating a gradual transition from subsistence agriculture to commercialized agriculture.
ACAV’s work was praised by the Ugandan Authorities. In particular, Minister Onek has underlined how the JAVIK project has assumed an important role in the refugee management in West Nile, allowing them to integrate optimally into the local society according to the lines of the RE-HOPE program but also guaranteeing them a training which will permit a sustainable return home when this will be possible.
The Ambassador also visited Rhino refugee settlement where he participated in the commissioning of the WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) component of the project funded to the consortium Intersos / Amref by the Italian Cooperation under the call AICS-AID 10876 (Emergency action in health, nutrition, agriculture and protection of minors in favor of refugees and displaced persons victims of the humanitarian crisis in South Sudan).
In this context Intersos has implemented sanitary facilities in various areas of the refugee camp that will serve a population of almost 35,000 people.
For more information see:
– ACAV press release
– ACAV website
– Media – Flyer
– pictures of the events
