It’s that time of the year once again!! As a young woman or man, have you ever seen yourself taking charge in addressing issues of your country at the East African level? Well, the 5^th East African Youth Parliament (EAYP), also known as the Vijana Assembly, is here to give you that platform on the 14^th – 15^th of November 2022. EAYP is an invented regional policy advocacy space that brings cross-sector youth leaders to the East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA) and the East African Community (EAC) Headquarters annually in Arusha, Tanzania. It amplifies youth voices in high-level key decision-making spaces bridging national boundaries to allow cross-border advocacy, mobilisation and lobbying for young people-centred policies and seeking inclusion in democratic processes, service delivery and coordinated governance mechanisms, among other issues key to all youth across gender and all forms of their diversities.

This year, the Vijana Assembly is under the theme; “Intergenerational solidarity: Creating a World for All Ages and Inclusion with descent livelihood amidst the threat of Climate Change in the post-pandemic era.” Cross-cutting issues integrating the theme discussion are gender inclusivity, diversity, human rights, peace and security. The 5^th EAYP seating is expected to have both online and physical young men and women participants. Young people between the ages 18-35 from youth and student council structures, civil society, entrepreneurs, political youth leagues, influencers, opinion leaders and cross-cutting sectors from the East African Region are to participate.

Direct invitations to apply to existing youth structures mentioned above have been made, but here is an opportunity for you to APPLY AS WELL; use the link here https://bit.ly/eacyouthparliament22. Please note it’s limited space; hence, only a few participants will be considered for online and only exceptional ones for physical participation, prioritising the structures and categories above.

Faraja Africa Foundation has organised this year’s sitting in partnership with the East African Legislative Assembly, European Union, Action Aid, Akina Mama Wa Africa, the Parliament of Uganda, East African Civil Society Forum, East African Youth Network, Westminster Foundation for Democracy, Success Hands Tz, Tunaweza, Voice of Youth Tanzania, and other partners. The EAYP is about using the space for advocating for inclusive youth policies and amplifying voices in informing and influencing policy formulation in the East African Community and her partner states. Therefore, all our voices matter; let us use all available avenues on social media and other digital platforms to reach this goal alongside the physical presence.

EAYP Organizing Team

 

 

About Faraja Africa Foundation
Faraja Africa Foundation is youth-led Non-profit International Organization founded in 2013 with a team of youth entrepreneurs and leaders enthusiastic about changing Africa, while strategically placing itself in government structures in empowering youth for development.

Our mission is to prepare emerging leaders to initiate, develop and sustain youth community and economic initiatives; while our vision is, producing informed economically empowered and socially engaged youth-led society with 21st-century skills dedicated to building the African continent.

Faraja (Swahili word for comfort) Africa Foundation empowers and provides young people with the needed skills to succeed. Currently, our focus is on youth leaders in areas of social entrepreneurship, leadership & civic engagement with the strong use of technology and digital tools. Providing ongoing training and coaching for youth (as future leaders) in both civic engagement and entrepreneurship, in achieving sustainable development, and their needs across Africa.

Do you desire to add unmeasurable value to lives of youths?
We’re seeking volunteers who can use their experiences ad skills to add unparalleled value to the sustainable development of today’s youths who will be advocating the future of Uganda (and Africa).

Working in the relaxed office of Faraja (and sometimes in the field), as a volunteer you will find yourself working with a small group of participants or providing one-to-one upskilling to vibrant youths across the landscape of Uganda.

You will support the Programmes team to manage relationships and activities with overseas partner NGOs. Hence, lead on the delivery of the research and development elements of excellent development programmes
You will be part of the team overseeing program development, seeking grants and proposals, and managing youth projects.

You will partake in building and maintaining partnerships and relationships that interacts with other organizations, such as other NGOs, community organizers, and international donors/stakeholders.

You will usually be proactive, creative, outspoken, and optimistic with a preference for achieving outcomes in collaboration with others. You will have a result-oriented approach and propose ways to innovate and continuously improve our communications products, practices, channels and messaging.

Responsibilities and Duties (Skills):
You will usually be expected to engage in the below responsibilities as at when needed.
1. Support programme evaluation, research , and daily management of programmes
2. Support the implementation of the programmes’ policies, and processes
3. Contribute to the development and improvement of systems for managing the evaluation data and sharing of learning between partners
4. Support collection & dissemination of project information, including analysis of existing data
5. Support the standardising of reporting and information processes across all programmes
Contribute to the development, implementation and continuous improvement of excellent monitoring, reporting and evaluation processes.
6. Possess creative problem-solving, effective communication, & stakeholder engagement skills
7. Possess effective interaction with all levels of the organization, and senior management.
8. Possess exceptional ability to remain calm, in control and good humoured even under pressure and tight deadlines.
9. Possess some standard of computer competency and literacy and experience of using Microsoft Office packages.
10. Preferably, be educated to Bachelor’s Degree level in social sciences, legal studies, other related/relevant disciplines, or a measurable level of experience in same/similar field.

To Apply:
Please send your CV and covering letter outlining your suitability for the volunteering position to uche@farajaafricafdn.org on or before the deadline stipulated above.
If you have any queries, please contact Uche on uche@farajaafricafdn.org

The year was 2005, when 23-year-old Dorcus Inzikuru, the “Arua Gazelle” won a gold medal at the inaugural women’s 3,000 metres steeplechase event at the World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. Uganda had waited for over 33 years to get a gold medal from a competing athlete at the international level and such a huge milestone was worth celebrating. Praises and prizes were showered unto the smiling Inzikuru who inspired other young women athletes that they can also make it in the sports industry.

Inzikuru became an instant sports celebrity in Uganda and even the President gifted her with a house in Arua which she has been living in since 2007. It was all sunshine and rainbows for the long-distance runner until when she started receiving threats that the land on which her house stands is not hers and she needs to secure a land title which she has been chasing from the Ministry of Education and Sports, the Parliament and the Ministry of Lands and Urban Development until now and she’s still not yet successful. Even in her retirement, Inzikuru last got her monthly stipend of Ugx 5 million in 2017 which she had been promised to be getting every month each year.

Inzikuru’s story is a perfect example of how the government urges athletes to work hard but doesn’t fully appreciate and compensate them for all the hard work they invest in training and even after retiring from sports. Uganda has always shown peaks of sporting excellence and as staunch patriots, we have always shown love and support to our national teams that have competed on the international level and as Ugandans, we are very proud. Most of the athletes that represent Uganda are young people who are energetic and have a passion for what they do and they invest countless hours in training trying to make sure that they don’t disappoint their country.

However, the challenge comes in with the tokens of appreciation that these athletes are supposed to receive from the government which can be pending until when they’re forgotten. The next thing you hear is news headlines of sports personalities crying out to the government to build them a house or pay for medical bills and yet as citizens, we think these people are well-off which is not the case.

In the 2022/23 Uganda national budget, Ugx 47.81 billion was allocated to the sports industry meant to fund sports activities such as supporting national teams for international events like the Olympics, commonwealth games, continental championships and the East African community games. Despite all this sum of money invested in sports, you won’t be shocked to find out that sports teams still have inadequate funding, ramshackled training facilities, and poor administrative systems.

You ask yourself where all the money goes, seeing no signs of improvement in the sports sector but the major sports stakeholders will always claim that they’re supporting the sports industry and seeing a bright future of stars. The future is now and yet sports personalities are still earning peanuts as compared to how much time and effort they dedicate to representing their country.

The sports industry just like any other industry in Uganda is a profitable industry which sports personalities can earn an enormous amount of money from and also provide commercial investment opportunities for Uganda. With the right exposure as a result of better administrative systems, major sports personalities can even become brand ambassadors of various brands that support sports not only in Uganda but in other countries as well.

The major sports stakeholders should set policies in place that can lead to the self-sustainability of athletes even when they retire from sports. For instance, the one-off tokens of appreciation may not be sufficient enough but rather setting up high-performance athlete centres can be a great source of employment for retired athletes who can train and educate upcoming athletes while being paid handsomely for it.

It’s high time that sports personalities are recognized in Uganda because they are in a multi-billion industry known all over the world and the government can make it possible for them to reap fruits from it.

Faraja Africa Foundation conducted this year’s first regional Youth Parliament in Masaka district on June 20, 2022, at Muteesa 1 Royal University. The attendance of youth leaders in this region showed eagerness to fully participate in the motions that were to be debated on. All the regional Youth Parliaments were funded by the European Union and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH under the German government.

The Youth Parliament couldn’t proceed without first electing a speaker. The nominees were Zahara Nalubyayi and Festo Kato. After a tight election process, Zahara emerged as the winner with a total of 35 votes defeating Festo Kato who garnered only 14 votes. With the Speaker elected, the house dived straight into its first motion which was “Urging the government to facilitate skills development for young people in order to solve the problem of unemployment.”

The motion caused a heated debate in the house because one of the major issues facing the youth in Uganda today is nothing other than unemployment. As stated by Festo Kato, “Over 40% to 60% of the youth in Uganda are unemployed.” Our education system focuses more on theoretical knowledge and when the youth finally graduate from university, they don’t have the confidence to apply the knowledge they acquired in school. That’s something that the government can look into so that young people can gain more practical skills while in school and be able to apply those skills in the workplace.

Some of the participants who gave in their submissions during the debate claimed that it’s not the government’s problem for the youth to be unemployed. They argued against the motion saying that it’s the youth’s sole responsibility to be job creators rather than job seekers. The youth shouldn’t wait for the government to give them jobs but should instead be proactive enough to use their creativity, talents, and skills to come up with business ideas that can enrich them.

However, other young people in the house supported the motion by saying that government should give them jobs because they pay taxes and the government should use that money to create jobs for them. They went further by saying that due to the current high costs of commodities in the country, the taxes to be paid have increased and yet most of them are still unemployed.

The big question from the youth to the government was, “Where does our money go?” Of course, some of the youth were complaining about how government officials simply use the citizens’ money to enrich themselves. A recent example that was given was the Ugx 40m that was given to Members of Parliament in an economy where the average Ugandan is crying of high commodity prices.

The debate showed how brilliant these young people are and also speaking matters from the heart. We believe that majority of the youth being unemployed in Uganda is part of the government’s responsibility because young people are the leaders of today and tomorrow and if they’re not provided with the necessary skills that can put them in positions of power and curb unemployment, then where is the Pearl of Africa heading to?

 

Faraja Africa Foundation will be hosting the 5^th National Youth Parliament on 5^th August 2022 with support from the Civil Society in Uganda Support Programme which is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH with funds from the European Union and German government under the Creative Youth Inclusive Policy Engagements and Legislation (CYIPEL) project. This National Youth parliament is a platform for young leaders to express their political, social, and economic views as representatives from the grassroots. This year’s seating is under the theme Intergenerational Solidarity: Creating a world for all Ages.

Faraja Africa Foundation is collaborating with other partners that include, the Parliament of Uganda, the East African Community, ActionAid, Centre for Policy Analysis, Uganda Parliamentary Forum for Youth Affairs, National Youth Council, the Rose Namayanja Foundation, Advance Afrika, Interparty Youth Platform, Uganda National Students Association, Westminster Foundation for Democracy and Restless Development Uganda among other partners.

Faraja Africa Foundation is calling upon the youth to engage themselves in advocating for their inclusion in national policy-making processes and the policy implementation under the National Youth Parliament. The motive behind this seating is to have the youth issues addressed like; poverty, unemployment, and social injustices. The resolutions that are discussed in the National Youth Parliament constitute a petition that is tabled for discussion in the Parliament of Uganda for action and policy implementation.

Therefore, we call upon youth leaders of the National Youth Councils, Student Guild Councils, District Youth Councils, and local councils across the four regions in Uganda to apply for participation in this year’s National Youth Parliament that will take place at the Parliament of Uganda as we use the top-bottom approach to have the voices of the youth echoed at the top.

Application Procedure

Check your eligibility – do you fulfill the following Prerequisite?

A young Ugandan (female or male) between the age of 18 – 30 years as of December 31st, 2022?

Then

1. Complete the application form.
2. Tweet or post on the National Youth Parliament on any of the social media platforms with hashtags #YouthParliamentUG
3. Follow National Youth Parliament and Faraja Africa Foundation; Twitter – @FarajaAfricaFdn | Facebook – Faraja Africa Foundation | Instagram – @farajaafricafdn

(Mention or tag National Youth Parliament and Faraja Africa Foundation in your post or tweet)

 

Deadline: 25th July 2022 at 11:59 pm EAT.

For more information, email info@farajaafricafdn.org

Click the link here to fill out the form: [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1jqpb9BTOMYKMh944uBKOFltS3UjppbmeaR4s9Uc5bRI/edit?usp=sharing]  and follow the instructions to be part of the National Youth Parliament 2022.

For more information, please email info@farajaafricafdn.org

 

As secondary schools were opening up for the second term in early May this year, science teachers around Uganda went on strike deciding not to teach until when the government intervened and increased their salaries just like other scientists which had been the initial plan of the government. This put a lot of pressure on the government because it meant that students wouldn’t be studying and school operations would be disrupted.

To address their problem, His Excellency President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni agreed to increase their salaries by 300% in the national budget 2022/23 and this will be effective starting July 2022. Having been promised the increment, the secondary science teachers who are graduates would be getting Ugx 4m per month but the government said that it would only afford to pay them Ugx 2.2m per month. The diploma science teachers would be getting Ugx 3m but the government said it could only afford to pay them Ugx 1.4m per month.

From the national budget 2022/23, Ugx 95 billion was allocated to the salary increment of science teachers excluding arts teachers. The salary increment angered arts teachers who blamed the government for being unfair and discriminatory. On June 14, barely a week after reading the national budget, The Uganda National Teachers’ Union (Unatu) called the budgetary decision a discriminatory policy that saw more than 100,000 secondary arts teachers going against the government’s decision.

The national chairperson of Unatu, Zadock Tumuhimbise, and the secretary-general Filbert Baguma had a meeting with the president on June 18 at State House but the two parties failed to reach a decision. The president insisted that he was going to first concentrate on the science teachers and the arts teachers would be sorted later on in the next financial year.

President Museveni urged the arts teachers to stop striking and go back to work which angered them the more. The President further instructed the Ministers of Education, Public service, and Finance to look into Unatu’s issue and find a way to handle the arts teachers’ salary push. In 2018, Unatu signed a collective bargaining agreement with the government which stated that all the salaries of teachers would be increased but when the government came up with an innovation strategy that would enhance the salaries of all scientists, science teachers also wanted to be included in that plan which left out the arts teachers.

Filbert Baguma said that the government has all the power to increase the salary of arts teachers and all it has to do is come up with a supplementary budget that caters for arts teachers as well because it would be unfair for an arts teacher teaching in the same secondary school with a science teacher who will be getting more salary than him at the end of the month.

Baguma argued that arts teachers have the same workload and operate in the same working environment as science teachers so it would be unfair for the government to discriminate against them. The country also needs arts people who can become politicians, economists and lawyers to mention but a few and they can also lead to the transformation of the country. Will the government hear the arts teachers’ plea and increase their salaries? That’s a topic that needs to be handled by the people at the top.

On Monday 29^th November.2021, Faraja Africa Foundation is celebrating 5 years of youth work as well as unveiling our new strategic direction for the years 2021-2025 at Silver springs hotel Bugolobi.

Since 2016, we have been driven by our mission of “molding young African leaders who are socially and economically empowered” and vision of ”facilitating the process of youth empowerment by creating platforms for meaningful economic, social, and political engagement”, which has led us  to the enormous growth and success above all.

The  purpose of this event is to celebrate our organizational achievement and successes over the past 5 years, gain strategic positioning, and share our new strategic direction to both existing and developing partners. In the same spirit, we shall be Launching Faraja Television, a broadcasting company that focuses on exposing young people on matters of social justice and youth engagement. This is however an addition to Faraja social enterprise.

Join Us Celebrate !!!

#FarajaAt5

#FarajaDtvLaunch

Katika kuelekeza nguvu kazi ya kutatua changamoto za vijana kwa njia ya uwasilishwaji wa hoja za kimantiki katika njia ya bunge, vijana kutoka Tanzania chini ya mradi wa Bunge la Vijana Afrika Mashariki siku ya leo tarehe 15^th Oktoba 2021, walikutana chou kikuu Dar es salaam na wengine kwa njia ya mtandao, hususani watu wa mkoani kam Geita, Kagera, Chato, Tanga, Simiyu , bukoba nk. Kumchagua spika wao wa Mkutano na makatibu wenye dhamana ya kuendesha mkutano na kukubaliana kwa maadhimio ya uwasilishwaji wa hoja kwa ajili ya matekelezo katika Bunge la Vijana Afrika Mashariki.

Mradi Huu, ukiwa Chini ya  Taasisi ya Faraja Africa Foundation wakishirikiana na Bunge la Afrika Mashariki na taasisi zisizozakiserikali kama success hands na Tunaweza. Mheshimiwa spika mteule wa mkutano huu aliyeshinda kwa kura 94% ni Mhe.Novatus Marandu akifwatiwa na naibu spika aliyeongoza kwa kura 87% Mhe. Khayman Yakuti.

Katika Mkutano huu,Hoja tatu zilijadiliwa na kufikiwa makubaliano ya kuwasilishwa katika Bunge la Vijana Afrika Mashariki mnamo tarehe 11-12 Oktoba 2021. Hoja zilizojadiliwa ni kama zifuatazo:

1. Hoja ya Azimio ya Vijana ya kuiomba serikali kuondoa sheria ya makato ya tozo za mialmala ya simu kwa kuwa si Rafiki kwa watu wakipato cha chini, vijana wa vyuo vikuu na wanaoishi vijijini.
2. Hoja ya Azimio la kuiomba serikali kushughulikia changamoto za unyanyasahi wa kijinsia wa nyumbani na ukatili wa kijinsia zinazowakabili Watoto, wasichana na wanawake katika wakati wa janga hili wa UVIKO-19.
3. Hoja ya kuiomba serikali kuunda benki ya maendeleo ya vijana kwa ajili ya kuwasaidia vijana ambao hawakopesheki na taasisi za kibenki na kupata mkopo wa riba nafuu.

Hoja hizi kwa ujumla wake, zilijadiliwa na mapendekezo yalitolewa katika mstakabadhi ya namna sahihi, changamoto za vijana katika ngazi hizo kuu tatu zinaweza kutatuliwa.

Pamoja na makubaliano yakimkakati yaliyojadiliwa katika siku hiyo nchini Tanzania ni Pamoja na;

1. Serikali kutengeneza mazingira Rafiki katika swala zima la kurepoti matendo ya unyanyasaji wa kijinsia hususani huongezeko la mda wa kazi mpaka masaa 24 kwenye dawati la jinsia.
2. Serikali kutengenza mazingira rafiki katika uombaji wa mkopo kwa vijana kutoka ngazi ya halmashauri mpaka ngazi ya kutengeneza kitengo cha benki ya maendeleo ya vijana.
3. Serikali kuangalia kwa jicho la tatu swala la elimu hususani yenye kukidhi mahitaji ya karne ya 21 kwa kuimairisha teknolojia na elimu.

Kama Taasisi, Faraja Africa Foundation Pamoja na wadau wamaendeleo tunaamini  katika Nguvu ya kijana kutatua changamoto zake mwenyewe kupitia Nyanja sahihi ya Uongozi uliowekwa kwa njia ya mazungumzo.

By Thekla Axel Schulte

Country Coordinator Tanzania

 

 

The East African Youth Parliament is a cross-border advocacy flagship program initiated by Faraja Africa Foundation in partnership with, European Union, Action Aid, Westminster Foundation for Democracy, the East African Legislative Assembly and other partners that started in 2018. It aims at having youth voices in the key decision-making processes, right from our national to regional legislative processes, inspiring a coordinated regional governance framework. The East African Youth Parliament not only offers an opportunity to unite the youth in the region but also build their capacity in leadership, policy, and cross-border advocacy. Most importantly give them a platform to engage with key policymakers; Members of Parliament, Ministers, and Heads of State towards making responsive youth/people-centred policies.  

OPEN CALL FOR 2 DAY PLENARY – EAST AFRICAN YOUTH PARLIAMENT 2021.

Today, the East African Youth Parliament not only offers an opportunity to unite the youth in the region but also build their capacity in leadership, policy, and cross-border advocacy. Most importantly give them a platform to engage with key policymakers; Members of Parliament, Ministers, and Heads of State towards making responsive youth/people-centred policies. This year, we have yet an opportunity on the 11^th -12^th November 2021 to convene the 4^th East African Youth Parliament at the East Africa Legislative Assembly in Arusha, Tanzania under the theme; “Youth at Crossroads: Quest for descent livelihood amidst the threat of Climate change and the COVID 19 Pandemic.” 

Over 100 young people will be selected to meet physically and 100 digitally deliberate on policy issues, push for ACDEG and social justice issues back in the charter to solve youth challenges directly engaging with the East African Legislative Assembly in the EAC. The two-day sitting will bring national youth councils, student councils, civil society leaders, regional parliaments, ministry reps from the region and EALA. Increasing the advocacy platform for meaningful advocacy, since resolutions and petitions out of the sitting inform discussions at EALA. 

Application Procedure

Check your eligibility – do you fulfil the following Prerequisite?

A young East African (female or male) between the age of 18 – 35 years as of December 31st 2021? Then;

1. Complete the application form CLICK HERE

2. Make a social media post on any social media platform of your choice with hashtags #EAYouthParliament21 

3. Follow East African Youth Parliament and Faraja Africa Foundation; Twitter – @FarajaAfricaFdn | Like Page on Facebook – Faraja Africa Foundation | Follow on Instagram – @farajaafricafdn| and on LinkedIn-Faraja Africa Foundation

(Mention or tag #EAYParliament #VijanaAssembly21 and @FarajaAfricaFdn in your post.

Deadline: 1st November 2021 at 11:59 pm EAT.

For more information and inquiries, email info@farajaafricafdn.org

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

CLICK HERE TO APPLY (LINK)

The Vijana Legislative Assembly-Tanzania is a platform that builds up to the East African Youth Parliament initiated by Faraja Africa Foundation. Vijana is a Swahili word to mean youth, and the assembly is aimed at fostering safe spaces for increased youth participation in parliamentary and legislative processes, civic and political affairs within the EAC partner states.

This is a call for participants in Tanzania to join in and be part of processes that contribute to the strengthening of participatory decision-making that enables pursuits for employment and increased access to empowering social services for the youth in Tanzania on the 15th October 2021. We are proud to partner with Voice of Youth Tanzania, Tunaweza and other partners.

The 2021 Vijana Legislative Assembly Sitting will engage 100 youth in leadership both physical (30) and (70) in Virtually all regions in Tanzania.

The Vijana Legislative Assembly aims at:

▪   Creating a safe and inclusive youth space for decision-making on democratic and political issues.

▪   Increase youth participation in policymaking, developing of youth-focused policies, and increasing youth civic engagement and advocacy.

▪   Draw the attention of key decision-makers to the issues pertinent to young people’s livelihood and affirmative Government funding to minimize the effects of the COVID pandemic on youth.

▪   Ensure follow-up on the progress and actions are taken on issues raised in the 1^st Vijana Legislative Assembly (2020) including an inbuilt accountability mechanism that ensures that issues of the young people have a result-driven focus as well.

1.     Develop strategies for enhancing the quality of youth engagements in political processes at all levels and improving youth development and mentoring opportunities for effective engagements in civic and political decision-making processes

ELIGIBILITY

1.     A Resident of Tanzania aged between 18-35years.

2.     A proven record of leadership and accomplishment in business, entrepreneurship, civic engagement, or public/government service.

3.     Demonstrated knowledge and interest in social justice issues affecting youth in Tanzania.

4. Understanding of the Focus and Goals of the Vijana Legislative Assembly of Tanzania Sitting.

5. Fully tested and are COVID19 free 24hrs to the event (for physical participants)

CLICK HERE TO APPLY (LINK)