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AGENCY FOR CAPACITY BUILDING (ACB)
Enabling for Better Action
PROFILE INFORMATION
June 2009
PREAMBLE
Uganda is one of the poorest countries in the world, with a Human Development Index ranking of 141 from 162 countries (Human Development Report 2001, UNDP). The establishment of Agency for capacity Building (ACB) and its programmes is in line with the Millennium Development Goals and the government strategies to eradicate poverty.
The decentralization process in Uganda represents a unique opportunity for participatory planning and it is important that every effort made to eradicate poverty should focus on building the capacity of service providers and the local communities. Improved capacity will mean better and more participatory planning and the chance for the priority needs of the poor to be addressed. The potential therefore exists for civil society organizations and local governments to implement appropriate projects addressing the needs of the communities.
ABOUT US
Agency for Capacity Building (ACB) is a Non Government Organization (NGO) formed in November 2005 and legally incorporated in November 2007 to provide services geared towards sustainable development strategies in the poor and vulnerable communities and the private and public sectors that serve the poor in the developing world.
The organization aims at strengthening the capacity of communities and service providers to ensure appropriate mobilization, allocation and utilization of resources, and meaningful participation of communities especially the vulnerable and poorest to address the causes of poverty.
VISION
A nation where all communities enjoy a better standard of living.
MISSION
ACB aims at enhancing the capacity of service providers and communities through:-
1. Building strong organizations that deliver services effectively and efficiently,
2. Designing and implementing people centred development interventions aimed at alleviating poverty.
CORE VALUES
ACB’s core values are:
1. Every one has a right to life with dignity
2. Equity must be valued
3. Meaningful participation leads to relevant and sustainable development
4. Transparency and accountability must always be observed
5. Commitment to excellence must always be observed
6. Good governance accelerates development
7. Self sufficiency is what we strive for
ACB’s GOAL
Strengthened capacity of service providers and communities for appropriate mobilization, allocation and utilization of resources, and meaningful participation in the development processes.
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES:
1. To improve the livelihoods conditions and promote the rights of poor and vulnerable groups especially women, youth and children through implementation of HIV/AIDS, Reproductive Health and Economic Empowerment projects.
2. To improve the health conditions of poor communities through implementation of water and sanitation projects.
3. To strengthen the capacity of community groups, civil society organizations, government institutions and local government structures for improved service delivery.
ACB’S SERVICE AREAS
ACB implements a capacity building programme that encompasses two components of services namely:
i) Capacity building for service providers
ii) Capacity building for community development projects
i) Capacity Building for Service Providers
Under this component ACB implements Capacity Building Services to service providers through Training, Monitoring and evaluation (research) and Organizational Development, and the target is the:
Government sector
Public and Private sector
Civil Society Organizations (NGOs & CBOs)
Community
a) Training:
ACB delivers training that is aimed at developing and enhancing the capacity of:
1. Service providers to make them more effective and efficient in delivering services.
2. Community members to enable them participate in the development processes to address their needs.
ACB delivers profession development resources and training that includes:
• Effective Administration and Management
• Partnership development and management
• Gender and HIV/AIDS mainstreaming
• Project planning and management
• Business planning and management
• Financial planning and management
• Monitoring and Evaluation
• Savings and Credit Management
• Conflict resolution and Peace building
• Strategic planning
• Advocacy and lobbying skills
• Human Resource management
• Research (Participatory research)
Also ACB conducts training needs assessment to identify the training gaps, then designs and implement the appropriate training.
b) Monitoring and Evaluation
Under research ACB has a monitoring and evaluation department which monitors activities and evaluates them.
M&E provides a better means of learning from past experience, improving service delivery, planning and allocating resources, and demonstrating results as part of accountability to key stakeholders.
ACB designs M&E tools, methods and approaches, including several data collection methods, analytical frameworks, and types of evaluation and reviews. Some of them are outlined below:
• Performance indicators
• The logical framework (logframe) approach
• Theory-based evaluation
• Formal surveys
• Rapid appraisal methods
• Participatory methods
• Public expenditure tracking surveys
• Impact evaluation
• Cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis
ACB also conducts:
Evaluative Research (impact studies and tracer studies)
Policy Research
Action Research (Feasibility studies, situation analyses, needs assessments, targeting assessments and baseline surveys).
It also translates the findings into educational initiatives and messages.
c) Organizational Development and Management
ACB supports different organizations in:
Conducting human resource recruitment, reviews and restructuring
Conducting staff appraisals
Supporting organizations, institutions and companies to develop policies and systems, develop strategic and business plans.
d) Advocacy
ACB provides technical guidance in:
Identifying advocacy issues, formulating Advocacy themes developing Advocacy strategies and action plans.
Providing information on relevant Advocacy networks and approaches.
ACB’S STRATEGIC APPROACHES
1 Capacity Building
2 Partnership Building
3 Networking
4 HIV/AIDS Mainstreaming
5 Gender Mainstreaming
6 Rights Based Approach to programming
ii) Capacity Building for Community Development
Target group: The poor, marginalized and vulnerable groups communities with in Uganda and other developing countries.
Under community development component ACB focus is on facilitating communities to identify their problems and planning and implementing projects to address priority problems. Facilitation involves strengthening the capacity of community members, community groups/organizations and community leaders to manage their own development process. Under community development programs, ACB focuses on the following:
a) Water and Sanitation
ACB’s key focus under water and sanitation is mainly to increase access to safe and clean water and increasing accessibility to good and low-cost sanitation facilities such as improved public latrines/toilets, improved drainage and refuse management to vulnerable communities in various parts of Uganda including Kampala Urban slums.
ACB supports communities:
• to set up community based management systems;
• to promote better hygiene practices using Participatory approaches
• by providing and installing facilities that improve water and sanitation conditions in their areas
• Emphasis is also put on facilitating communities to carry out gender analysis to identify how the water and sanitation projects implemented increase or reduce gender disparities and developing strategies to address the identified gaps.
b) HIV/AIDS and Reproduction Health
HIV/AIDS
Under HIV/AIDS, ACB’s focus is to deliver services in the areas of care and support, prevention of infection, impact mitigation and HIV/AIDS mainstreaming. ACB provides financial and technical support to orphans and other vulnerable groups, and people living with HIV.
The areas of support are; nutrition, income generation initiatives and psychosocial support, information update on HIV and AIDS, promoting adherence to ARVs and referrals.
Reproductive Health
Under Reproductive Health, emphasis is put on providing guidance and counselling to the youth and adolescents including young mothers and fathers by providing information on family planning, referral services and increasing awareness on prevention of STI/Ds and HIV/AIDS.
ACB has adopted and supported various strategies to increase awareness such as supporting youth peer education, using music dance and drama, using Information, Education, communication (IEC) materials and film shows to pass on the messages.
HIV/AIDS Mainstreaming
ACB uses HIV/AIDS mainstreaming as an approach to ensure that all implemented programs put into consideration HIV/AIDS issues at all levels of project cycle (problem identification, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation).
In mainstreaming HIV/AIDS, ACB also ensures that all programs implemented by the organization and its partners to address community needs put into consideration how they contribute to prevention of further infection and reducing suffering of those already infected.
c) Economic Empowerment
ACB has a niche in providing training and skills to self help groups at community level to plan, start, manage and improve their Income Generating Activities (IGAs). ACB focuses on enabling community groups to establish viable IGAs by carrying out market surveys, business feasibility studies and developing viable business proposals/plans. ACB provides guidance and skills in group formation and management of group projects.
Vocational skills training
ACB designs and implements specialized vocational skills training in partnership with selected local skills providers and apprenticeship centres to out of school youth and low income women in the target communities. These are programmes designed to uplift the social-economic conditions of the vulnerable groups through provision of practical skills in specific trades.
Career guidance and counselling is emphasised in enterprise development programmes implemented by ACB.
Agriculture
ACB also supports initiatives that promote improved farming practices to enhance food security at household and community level especially those that are in line with government initiatives under Plan for Modernization of Agriculture.
ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN
a) Training:
• Trained students for Echo Social Workers Association of Kampala (Mukono University) in Peace building and Conflict resolution (November 2008)
• Trained the staff of Build Africa Uganda in HIV/AIDS Mainstreaming (Funded by Build Africa Uganda)-2008.
• Trained AEE supported Youth in Entrepreneurship skills (May 2008)
• Conducted needs assessment in business planning and management among commercial sex workers supported by African Medical Research Foundation (AMREF) Uganda and trained them in business planning and management to address the identified gaps. ACB facilitated the Commercial Sex Workers to develop business plans and followed them to provide guidance in implementing the plans (Funded by AMREF)-2007-2008.
• Trained 90 care takers of AIDS orphaned children supported by AMICAALL Uganda in the management of Income Generating Activities in Bombo, Hoima and Busia town councils of Uganda(Funded by AMICAALL Uganda)-2007.
• Trained 113 women and men in gender and advocacy in relation to water and sanitation issues in Kawempe Division, Kampala District, Uganda(Funded by AMREF)-2007.
• Trained 30 PLWHAs supported by Integrated Community Efforts against AIDS (ICEA) in specialized hand crafts making in Luwero District, Uganda(Funded by ICEA)-2006.
• Trained ICEA’s clientele organizations and resource persons who provided psycho-socio support to vulnerable children to enable them cope with difficult situations and other challenges of life especially those affected and infected with HIV/AIDS(Funded by ICEA)-2006.
b) Monitoring and Evaluation (Research)
• Conducted End of Project Evaluation for the APAC Program in Jinja, Busia and Sironko Districts of Uganda (Funded by CCF Uganda)-2009.
• Conducted an urban child poverty study in Kampala District (Funded by CCF Uganda)-2008.
• Conducted End of Project Evaluation for the Psychosocial Support and Economic Empowerment of HIV/AIDS Affected Orphans and Youth Project in Luwero District Uganda (Funded by CCF Uganda)-2008.
• Conducted End of Project Evaluation for KACHEPA and ASHD for Concern funded projects from 2005-2007 (Funded by KACHEPA and ASHD) – 2008.
• Carried out clients’ needs assessment on the desired assets and animals among the women accessing loans from MCDT which was used to inform and improve programme design and service provision (Funded by MCDT)-2006.
• Carried out a Baseline Survey on the Socio-economic livelihoods of single parents Association in Rubaga Division (Funded by SPAU)-2006.
c) Organizational Development and Management
• Conducted training needs assessment for KCEP partners’ staff and facilitated them to develop training plans (Funded by Concern Kampala Community Empowerment Project)-2007.
• Develpoped training needs assessment for Butabika Hospital.
d) Advocacy
• Conducted a training in Advocacy Skills for the District People Living with HIV/AIDS (PHA) Leaders in the two regions of West Nile and Karamoja of Uganda (Funded by NAFOPHANU)-2008.
• Facilitated ICEA and its stakeholders to identify HIV/AIDS advocacy issues in their area of intervention (Funded by ICEA)-2006.
• Made an analysis of advocacy Issues and trained ICEA staff and stakeholders in advocacy (Funded by ICEA) 2006.
e) Community Development Projects
• Installed a ten thousand litre rain water harvesting tank at Kampala Dispensary and Maternity centre (Funded by Diageo Foundation through East African Breweries Limited)-2008.
• Constructed a seven stance toilet and two washrooms in Kisenyi III Parish, Kampala Central Division. Facilitated the formation and built the capacity of the facility management committee. (Funded by French Embassy in Uganda)-2006-2007.
FINANCIAL CREDIBILITY
ACB has a sound financial stand and adheres to good financial management systems. ACB has an active bank account with Bank of Baroda Kampala.
Fundraising;
ACB solicits funding by submitting proposals to potential donors to fund projects that address the needs and rights of the poor, marginalized and vulnerable groups and communities.
ACB also generates funds from:
Membership and subscription fees and
By offering profession development resources/ consultancy services in areas as outlined above.
MEMBERSHIP
The Organisation has 11 professional members who came together to address the causes of poverty in a sustainable way. However Membership is open to all Ugandan professionals with sound mind, highly skilled and committed to address the needs and rights of the Poor, marginalized and vulnerable groups and communities.
MANAGEMENT
ACB is governed by five (5) Board Executive members, democratically elected from amongst its members through an Annual General Meeting.
The Organisation has a Technical Team of highly skilled staff and resourceful persons (consultants) headed by a Program Director. Find attached three consultants CVs who are to undertake this NPA assignment. (See pages 6 – 13 for the three (3) Resourceful Persons with their qualification and experience)
CONTACT ADDRESS
Agency for Capacity Building (ACB)
P.O. Box 12773, Kampala, Uganda,
Plot 190, Balintuma Road, Nakulabye,
Tel:0414-271579
E-mail: agcabu@utlonline.co.ug |
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