Action for Development held a national dialogue in an effort to mobilise women leaders to promote social entrepreneurship. The dialogue which took place on the 28th of October 2011 at Hotel Africana in Kampala was supported by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung.The solemn event brought together a number of stakeholders from politics, civil society and the academia. Several members of parliament were in attendance. The Chairperson ACFODE Board of Directors Ms. Jane Nakintu underscored the importance of having social change agents in society, for their significance in bringing about societal development.
The objectives of the dialogue were to; bring together women leaders and other relevant actors to discuss social entrepreneurship, create an understanding of women leadership and social entrepreneurship and to map out strategies on how women leaders can become social entrepreneurs.
The theme for the dialogue was “Women Leaders and Social Entrepreneurship.” One of the presenters Mr. Titus Kaijura a senior Economist with Ministry of finance, planning, and economic development noted that “Social entrepreneurship is about bringing transformation in systems, ideology or methods of works to make them work better not only to benefit a given class but even those who are disadvantaged.”
He further noted that the focus of a Social entrepreneur is societal needs or concerns (Rights of women to control property, better governance, family planning efforts, natural resource conservation, parenting, prevention of crime, Consumer protection, among others).
Participants showed a lot of interest in the topic and were very appreciative of the participatory approaches employed by all presenters and discussants.
One of the participants Ms. Jessica Matwire, a Human Resource Consultant with FIN-HUM Solutions LTD appreciated ACFODE for organising such forum. She noted that,
“Being part of this dialogue has made me realise that i have been a social entrepreneur for quite some time. I started a candle making project some timer back, and I employ 3 people. The candles are on high demand, so i am able to make a few profits which i use to empower those that work with me on the project. Therefore I urge youths to invest in this because they will be in position to empower themselves, their friends, and communities.”
Another participant Brain Lawrence, a student of Economics from Makerere University noted that, “My attitude towards life has changed so much from what i have learnt today. I am going to apply the skills i have acquired so that i start up something that will not only empower me, but my community as well. This is far better than sitting home and waiting for a white collar job to come along. I also request the organizers to bring such fora in our institutions because i believe every young person out there needs to learn about such current issues. They are very empowering”
Also, during one of the discussions, Connie Galiwango, Mbale Woman Representative said that”attending the dialogue made her realize the importance of being a social change agent as she is a community leader. She hence promised to take it upon herself to identify a social problem in her district, and to come up with innovative solutions to create change that will even benefit the grass root people, most especially women.”
Nassuuna Olive Kayando, Secretary Women Affairs with the Forum For Democratic Change (FDC) was also very pleased with the outcomes of the dialogue. She commended ACFODE for its approach of involving seasoned and inactive politicians like her in its mandate as they still had the power to create social change.
In a synopsis, the dialogue was a success given the tremendous turn up. A total 140 attended and these included; Women Members of Parliament, civil society representatives, academicians, students from higher institutions of learning, political party representatives, representatives from corporate companies, and the media.
Follow link to see how the event was featured in the New Vision: http://www.newvision.co.ug/article/fullstory.aspx?story_id=18772&catid=3&mid=53&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
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