Ireland has pledged its continued support in helping the government to consolidate peace and development in Karamoja through education and the health sector. Mr Kevin Colgan, the Ambassador of Ireland to Uganda made the pledge in Moroto District during the ceremony to mark 20 years of Ireland support to Karamoja in areas of education and health. Karamoja, which has been vexed a lot by insecurity, continues to rely on the support of donors through government partnerships in order to improve on service delivery and poverty levels. The envoy said under their current embassy strategy, they will continue to support Karamoja with a strong focus on building on the previous gains, adding that this strategy emphasizes gender, climate action, peace and conflict resolution to increase the resilience of the Karamojong against future shocks and crises. “I also know that the Ugandan government has its eyes set on the future, and we look forward to aligning our work with the fourth national development plan,” Mr Colgan said. Mr Colgan said that their connection with the region dates to the 1970s stating that the Irish missionaries and NGOS have worked in Karamoja since, with their first official small project having been the rehabilitation of Kangole girl’s school.
The Ambassador said that they began their development programme in Karamoja in 2004, building on our long term commitment in the sub region in areas of universal post primary education, training programme, building school infrastructure, supplying materials, training teachers and bursary support for students. “Our presence has grown over the past two decades to include more than ten programmes today across multiple sectors, focused on empowering communities and enhancing human rights,” Mr Colgan said. He said that education and skilling is the centerpiece of Ireland’s interventions globally, which is reflected in their prioritization of education in Karamoja, adding that this stems from their own powerful education journey in Ireland, and their recognition of its potential to break cycles of poverty and uplift entire communities. “Through Ireland’s support to pre and primary, secondary and vocational education, and scholarship for the most vulnerable, thousands of children and young people have been given a chance to go to school and develop their skills and livelihood opportunities,” he explained. Through this scheme, Mr Colgan said that since 2006, 7000 young people, mostly girls, have had the chance to get an education upto university level.
To the run to the 20 years anniversary, he said that they have had a number of health interventions in Karamoja, the latest being the construction of the neonatal intensive unit at St Kizito Matany hospital in Napak district, the other being the establishment of Karamoja first ever blood bank at Moroto regional referral hospital which meets the blood of 80% of the population. Ms Jane Frances Amongin Okili, the RDC Moroto district thanked Ireland for fitting into the government policy, and rightly executing mandates that are in line with the government needs. She said that the so many primary schools, the so many secondary schools that Ireland has built, the feeding programme at schools, the scholarship programme have bridged the gap. “Education is life because it changes a number of aspects in society,” Ms Okili said. The RDC praised Ireland for establishing a blood bank in Karamoja, adding that the demand for blood is so high, “You have done so much in skilling and helping our runaway girls be at school,”
The minister for Karamoja affairs, Peter Lokeris, said Dublin has continued to support the government in uplifting the welfare of the elderly through the Social assistance grant for the elderly (SAGE), which initiative was directly started by the government of Ireland in Uganda.
Mr Lokeris said that the job that Ireland has done in the last 20 years in Karamoja has had an impact on many children from Karamoja, hundreds of whom are now employed in the various fields within the region and across the globe.
