SNYSF Study Tour to Okere City Report

24th-26th Jan 2023

Observations:
A lot was physically observed but also more learning was obtained from the summit, its discussion
sessions since it had participants from different sectors that we saw we could adopt and make
Sserulanda Nsulo Yobulamu Foundation a better place and to make it easier to full fill our aims
and objective as Spiritual Foundation.
In this report ,we try to show a little of what we physically observed and more of what was
captured and learned from the discussions in the summit.
As requested by the Living Omulandansibo Bbalansimo; What is the plan for Going forward and
changes in administration initiatives.
Communal and External Hospitality
Better reception and care were observed at Okere City: we were warmly welcomed and the rooms
were very well organised to make guests comfortable
❖ Plan going forward on this is, we need to identify and slowly but steadily establish a guest
wing area to cater for guests and visitors. Put Fair guest rooms, beds, and personal
hygiene areas like toilets and wash areas.
At Okere General timely meals for all community members and guests were available
❖ Plan going forward: Our observation was that we are way far ahead since we feed more
people on a daily basis. However, we noticed more elements while there. At our common
kitchen we need, if possible, to serve a richer breakfast daily and not just mere porridge.
To emphasise timely meals always and to ensure proper healthy meals are cooked at the
common kitchen.
Ground Layout and Cleanliness:
The general Okere city has about 50 acres and about 7 acres is developed. This so far gives
Okere city an advantage of compact development with a proximity advantage of each aspect.
This also gives Okere city security and show off impact on any development.
For us, our most advantage is our most challenge (wide area for development) we call it an
advantage since we have a lot of space to do all what we need on a bigger scale however, a
challenge on the other hand, that it has and will continue requiring us time to fill it all to show
compact development though we are in no rush.
With that we propose to keep on developing our area steadily in a zoned approach. Create more
zones that we need in our area i.e., the children’s park, conference park, recreation park,
production park or zone, innovation park etc.
Also, we need to be punctual in demarcating compounds and levelling them as we maintain
slashing them regularly. This shall give people a sense of respect towards our green space and
more respect for us the community as developers of these green areas. We need also to insist
on the use of Paper bags and put notice on roads and pathways informing members/ non-
members, residents and non-residents not to drop plastic anywhere or polythene and put a fee-
fine for those caught doing so. we also report ourselves to police through our LCI that we are
going to be carrying out this bi-law.
We need to install more trash within the community especially in areas we think are trash
collecting zones. Our target should be for each house to have at least two trash bins and to install
bins along every pathway in Buntakke and Keevumbe. We need to appoint members who are
responsible for emptying the trash bins

Branding and Publicity

What we noticed was that, Okere city has good visibility through branding its self-online and on
all main social-media channels. Yes, we have done some branding of the foundations, but our
pages or sites are not managed and updated. In this way, this is how Okere has managed to
access funding entities from prospective bodies.
We need to compile and package online all our areas of activity and impact to people that
promotes our values, aims and objectives as a spiritual community. In this we mean aspects that
also address endeavours to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Utilities (Clean Water, Solar and Electricity)

Access to clean water is still a challenge given the rapid growing, so there is need for Okere City
to create access to natural deep waters and not the seasonal hard water (especially for health
purposes at the hospital)
❖ At Sseesamirembe, we already have a public clean water system that has been running
for the last 3 years. However, we need to distribute this water to more areas around the
community, precisely to distribute water to reach HIG’s office for the Second phase.
❖ We can either propose to use the deep water wells of Ma. Anjupita, and Ma. Ensikire to
connect piped clean water across to Mama Aveeno, Ma. Nabutoole areas and the sides
of Mama Nkwine on the opposite and to Mama Teniya, Ma. Merige, Ma. Nitajje and
BCWIC areas.
This calls for more pipes and pipe work, more storage units and more electricity bills while
pumping water to be distributed.

At Okere City, we noticed that they don’t have hydro power, so they fully rely on solar power and
a diesel-powered generator. This gives the city a big challenge on availability of power on low
temperature days and more importantly the technical faults.

❖ Given we already have hydro power which need to be extended to broader area of
Sseesamirembe, we understood that we need to establish a solar firm that can be
developed on a phased approach. This shall help a lot on the new small scaled projects
that we are soon starting for the youth and women empowerment.
 ❖ Also, if this solar energy grid is installed, it can be registered on the district mini-grids list
that if we have any surplus, we can connect to nearby areas of Ndolo and others
Education:
Okere city is in need to create a better and standard academic environment, but we need to point
out that as, Kirabo P/S are existing for many years and for Okere school is less than 2 or 3 years.
How come then we still struggle with paying teacher’s salaries, running day activities at the school
and having new structural development?
For the question above, we propose that we focus on streamlining our management and put
emphasis on collecting more school fees from the parents as we provide quality education as
well. The whole school management system is crippled or developed by those three main aspects
i.e.; (1) Proper/strong and united Management. (2) Strict Fees collection and proper use of funds.
(3) Quality teachers for quality education

Health Facility:
• Also, a need to plan and acquire a CT-Scan opportunities to create more value for the
entity however, we should endeavour to complete the maternity ward.
• Introduce different/ alternative treatments (traditional, ayurveda) at the centre this
improves numbers
• We should also produce stickers to advertise the health Centre
• We also propose to organise an annual Kabira health workers conference at SHC: We
give it themes for discussion among health workers of Kabira or Kyotera district (we need
to think more and polish this idea)
Social enterprises and Programs
• Plan better, and implement timely projects that are available, (carpentry, beading,
essential oil productions. Etc (detailed below)
• Schedule more weekly, monthly proactive sports for children, youth and the elderly team
• Schedule monthly general yoga sessions for the community.
Infrastructure: Roads
• Continue timely paving of community roads, open up more roads especially to other
places of the community
Hygiene and Primary health care
• Plan a robust installation of more dustbins well placed along side street light and within
access off the road.
• Schedule trash pickups and dumping for general sorting and composting
• Maintain proper cleaning of all our sanitary rooms withing the community, this could be
through placing a water drum and cleaning tools near the toilets for any one to clean after
use.
Environment and Vegetation
 a. Encourage planned tree planting and care of the planted trees
b. Look for highly medicinal rare trees to be planted and taken care of
c. We need to select a team of about 5 members to be responsible of taking care of the
established and natural green parks in Sseesamirembe

Women Empowerment Programme:

At Okere city we observed that since they have an advantage of a type of soils that favour the
growth of the Shea Butter tree, they took it upon themselves to add value to the Shea Butter
seed to produce Shea Butter cooking oil and Shea Butter for the skin. This has immensely
brought in a lot of income for them and are now opening up outlets in Lira and Kampala city. They
also have a school for training sawing to the young girls of the community
We propose to have commercial production from our Women’s Centre. However, we need to first
have training on how to produce these products.
We propose to have Sseesamirembe branded products below;
a. Powdered Katunkuma (very well processed, branded and packaged)
b. Mats (good unique designs)
c. Professional Crotchet Products: baby gear, women’s and clothes etc
d. Honey
e. Designer branded clothes i.e., we buy white t-shirts and brand them)
f. Original processed coffee
The advantage we have here is we locally have all the raw materials that are needed for
production of all the above and the best of all, we have experienced people that can train and
teach all the above to our youth. And it’s very affordable and practical.
Sseesamirembe Awareness Programme
In the discussions at the summit at Okere city, we learnt the importance of a talking environment.
With this, we make posters that inform members and none-members, residents and no-residents
of Sseesamirembe of the core values of our spiritual foundation, society well-being, cleanliness
campaigns eg. No room for domestic violence, thou shall not kill, what you sow is what you reap,
topics about early sex abstinence, precepts of the spiritual Path, massages promoting health
leaving massages promoting service to others etc.