The Power of Partners

Working with and through the local experts

As directors of Stichting Laudara, we spend the last month for a few weeks with the communities in Ndegeya, Uganda, as our mission is to work closely with the local people to increase the empowerment of communities. During our visit last year, we spoke with the elders of six of the nine village in and around Ndegeya to understand the main challenges in their own unique villages. These elders are respected leaders and act as a bridge between the residents and the local government at the LC1 level.

The elders represent the villagers in official government institutions, ensuring their interests and concerns are heard. Their role is crucial in translating the community’s needs to policymakers and creating support for government programs. Through their authority, they also ensure the legitimacy and acceptance of initiatives within the village. We support the elders with training and capacity building so they can act more effectively as representatives and key figures in village development.

Our local team member and leader, Apollo Katuusi, (in orange shirt) tirelesslly translated between english and Lluganda, the local language, and helped with explaining the different possibilities.

From our discussions emerged the idea to set up a maize milling business, driven by and for the community itself. Last month, we were very pleased to be able to invite all village elders to come to our clinic in Ndegeya to discuss the outcomes and all the ideas en projects we have been working on. Beside setting up an association of local members for the milling business, we also talked about a community farm, beginning with the village that has already provided one acre of land. This farm will serve as a model project to encourage other villages to participate. With this, we aim to strengthen the triangle of health – education – income in the community.

Special attention is given to involving young adults, a group identified by the elders last year as particularly vulnerable due to challenges such as unemployment, limited opportunities, and lack of support. These young adults struggle to find work due to limited education and prospects. Social and economic factors further complicate their situation. We believe it is important to actively include this group in the projects, motivate and support them to build their own future and that of the community.

With this approach, we strengthen local ownership and resilience. The elders remain our key figures as connectors between community and government and driving forces behind initiatives for health, education, and income. By explicitly involving young adults, we work towards inclusive and sustainable community development.

These projects and our collaboration with the elders show how empowerment is put into practice: respecting local structures and creating sustainable change through cooperation and inclusive engagement.

Meet the elders: