In the period from March to August 2024, the Partnership for Development Capacity Consult (PDCC) developed a comprehensive business plan for the Alwi Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd. This initiative was part of a larger program aimed at enhancing development governance.

The project was sponsored by AWO International and took place in Atara Village, Payila Parish, Alwi Subcounty, Jonam County, Pakwach District, located in the West Nile region of Uganda. The primary goal of this project was to facilitate the creation of a three-year business plan for the cooperative society.

The area in question, situated in north-west Uganda, faces significant challenges due to the impacts of climate change. This includes wilting crops, flooding, and dry wells, which threaten the food security and livelihoods of a population heavily reliant on agriculture. To tackle these challenges, AWO International, in collaboration with the Ugandan partner organization AFARD (Agency for Accelerated Rural Development), launched a project in October 2022. The project aimed to integrate food security, environmental protection, and disaster risk reduction strategies.

The Climate Action Model Village (CAM) Project, as it was called, focused on vulnerable smallholder households in the West Nile region, specifically in the districts of Nebbi and Pakwach. The project’s activities included:

• Establishing 15 Climate Smart Champion Groups
• Providing training on climate-adaptive agriculture, gender equity, collective marketing, and savings and credit methods
• Conducting health outreach and raising awareness on sanitation, hygiene, COVID-19, and nutrition
• Promoting environmental conservation and biodiversity
• Setting up community and school forest gardens, as well as demonstration and learning sites
• Establishing and strengthening an agricultural cooperative

A total of 3,190 beneficiaries were targeted by this project, reflecting its broad impact on the local communities.