Okere City is a community where rural development, future aspirations, and cultural connections are consciously uplifted... a place to take a deliberate pause to think about a reimagined and thriving African countryside. We believe that by creating such a space. we can improve rural livelihoods and conditions and inspire a radical rural transformation beyond the borders of our village. We are more than a rural development project. We are both an experience and an experience of reimagining traditional traditional rural development in Africa. More to our work and partnership with the people people of Okere, we are also a destination for artists, researchers, activists, writers, thinkers, and dreamers who believe in the potential of the African countryside.
OKERE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
(Okere City)
OVERVIEW
Okere Community Development Project (Okere City) is a community development and social enterprise providing a collaborative and holistic ecosystem to promote integrated rural development in Okere parish, Adwari sub-county, Otuke District, Northern Uganda. Okere City project seeks to be an enabler for the rural community in the parish to be more imaginative, cooperative, creative, innovative and enterprising as pre-requisites to make them more successful and be champions of rural poverty reduction. Okere City project is registered as a community based organization (CBO) by Otuke District Local Government. Okere City’s initiatives are driven by actual community needs and the implementation of project activities are led by community members. Overall, Okere City strives to be a community organization and social enterprise that creates multiple opportunities for agrarian reforms and rural transformation in Okere Parish by encouraging open and forward thinking, mobilizing, organizing and training the rural population through a series of innovative projects, activities and techniques so that they are able to develop practical solutions to the day to day challenges they face.
Founder
OJOK OKELLO
“Our inspiration is that in years to come, our rural transformative journey will be a lesson to the whole world because we took a leap of faith, risked a lot and invested in our people because from the beginning, we knew it was the only way out of the poverty trap that enmeshed us. And that when we look back at that time with our wrinkled faces, we shall rejoice and be glad well knowing that we did all that was within our means to empower our people to exploit as many opportunities as possible and realize their fullest potential on the road to economic and social freedom.”
STRATEGIC GOALS & OBJECTIVES
1. Local Economic Development (LED)
Running rural farm and off-farm enterprise projects to create employment opportunities and business with forward and backward linkages. Improving access to market information through both digital and physical market information systems. Providing opportunities for market linkages to better buyers of agricultural products. Creating platforms to add value to agricultural products e.g. establishing bulking centers and/or small warehouses, grain silos, as well as setting up processing facilities among others. Increasing access to financial services through the formation of a Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) and ensuring the effective and efficient functionalization of it. Creating and promoting Smart-tech agricultural opportunities. Establishment of social businesses that provide basic products and services to the rural population.
2. Capacity Building through Education and Skills Training
Running Functional Adult Literacy (FAL) programmes and establishing an Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centre. Running vocational programmes in elementary skills training. Establishing primary, secondary and tertiary educational programmes.
3. Environmental Management
Promoting afforestation by establishing the Okere Tree Multiplication Centre and supporting the establishment of household woodlots and community forest parklands. Carrying out massive sensitization and awareness campaigns among the population and engaging in environmental advocacy.
4. Sports and Social Co-Creation
Sports Development - Establishment of various community sports training grounds for different sporting activities. This will include tennis courts, basketball courts, volleyball courts and a football pitch among others. Offering training and coaching lessons to the talented people in these fields. Organizing social events, sports tournaments and creative artistic competitions.
5. Public Health Service
Promoting better access to various medical facilities and health services. Running sensitization campaigns to improve nutrition and better sanitation practices. Drilling and servicing community boreholes to provide access to safe and healthy water for drinking and household use.
