Makerere University
"Turning a hopeless situation into life"
Prof. William Kyamuhangire, senior lecturer in the Department of Food Science and Technology, characterizing the sustainable livelihoods approach
Interns on a VEDCO project
Three Makerere University interns joined ISU students in a service learning course on a VEDCO project in June 2006. The Makerere students reported More...
Charles Kanobe
Intern on the Review of Innovations (SARI) project, 2004
"When I heard about the SARI project, I knew it was Ugandans, specifically my people from Kamuli district that were going to benefit directly from the project. Participating in the project was an opportunity for me to become part of a team, out to make a lifetime contribution to change lives of thousands of poor people in Kamuli district."
"I also came to learn that the development needs of farming communities are far more complex than the ideal situations the students are exposed to in colleges and universities."
"Most of the time, universities and research institutions rely on meager funds either from their governments or donors. They do not have sufficient capacity to reach the very needy farmers for whom they should be developing technologies? Collaborations with specialized rural development oriented organizations and institutions like VEDCO and ISU-CSRL, respectively, are crucial for national institutions, not involved in main stream rural development activities, to gain an insight into the problems faced by the extremely marginalized communities for whom they should be struggling to uplift. It is also a chance for the students, e.g. the interns, to appreciate the complexity of the needs of the communities that they are likely to serve, come their graduation. On the other hand, through such collaborations, the development organizations (e.g. (VEDCO) have an opportunity to tap into the technical expertise of the institutions (e.g. Makerere university) at minimum cost."
