On Friday, the 20th, we successfully concluded a training workshop for the district PDM core team for all the sub counties in the Gulu district. The workshop roll-out event was officuated by myself, joined by other senior District Executive Committee leaders led by the Chairperson LCV Mr Opio Atekere and his Vice Ms Atim Vicky.
Below, I present the main take homes from the workshop;
According to the ministerial statement, the Parish Development Model (PDM) is a strategy for organizing and delivering public and private sector interventions for wealth creation and employment generation at the parish level as the lowest economic planning unit.
The parish will be the epicentre of multi-sectoral community development planning, implementation, supervision, monitoring and accountability. The LC2 chairman and parish chief shall be responsible for political and administrative stewardship in the implementation of the parish model in their respective parishes with support from the sub-county and district technical planning committee (STPC and DTPC).
With its implementation set to start in the new financial year 2021/2022, here’s everything you should know about the Parish Model;
The parish development committee chaired by the parish chief will coordinate the implementation of the parish model.
Every parish is expected to mobilize and organize its productive youth, women and men into a parish production and marketing cooperative association.
Every parish cooperative association is expected to prioritize and plan for commercial agriculture, fishing, livestock, trade and other commercial activities they would like to engage in for income generation.
Every parish cooperative society is expected to start a SACCO to save and invest in strategic commodities in which members have comparative and competitive advantages with a ready market.
The central government will supplement the locally mobilized funds with central government revolving funds to undertake planned productive projects. The YLP (Youth Livelihood Programme), UWEP (Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme), Emyooga and DEEG funds will be channelled to the parish to implement the parish model.
To increase production and productivity every parish will have access to tractor services and improved seeds and breeds.
Production extension staff are expected to provide extension services to farmers, fishermen and livestock keepers.
Every parish will be provided machineries such as cassava chippers, flour and oil millers among others to process, package and brand their products.
Members of the parish cooperative association will be supported to have access to local, regional and export markets and to set up a parish market /trading centre.
Support the construction of a parish resource centre with offices and a hall for community meetings.
Set up a parish database for evidence-based planning and programming.
Provide other social and community development services including games and sports facilities for youth.
Have the plan to develop the parish centre into an urban growth centre.
Plan for extension of community access roads, water and electricity services to the parish centre.
Prioritize recruitment of parish chiefs, community development assistants and extension workers to implement the parish rural transformation model.
All community-based organizations, NGOs and FBOs to align and harmonize their activities to the Parish Model strategy.
It should also be noted that there is a plan to orient all key stakeholders in the planning, implementation, supervision, monitoring and reporting on the performance of the Parish Model.
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