EAST AFRICA: Participants of the 2011 EASSI Gender/SALW Institute Conduct Skills Transfer Training in Kapcohrwa, Uganda

In the month of August 2011, EASSI completed her second month-long training on the gender dimension of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) that targeted the countries of Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia and Southern Sudan. Six of the 8 beneficiaries of this year's training were drawn from the five EAC Focal Points on Small Arms which are government institutions mandated to implement programmes aimed at combating illicit proliferation of SALW.

The participants were nominated by the respective NFP secretariats in consultation with the EAC office on Peace and Security. The other two participants from Ethiopia and Southern Sudan were recommended for the training on grounds that the two countries also have ongoing SALW issues.

The objectives of the training were to enable participants: appreciate the concept and scope of gender mainstreaming in SALW Programs; recognize that SALW interventions can be more effective if they integrate a gender perspective; develop strategies that ensure that integration of gender dimensions take place in their various levels of SALW interventions; and develop action plans for the way forward in mainstreaming gender into SALW programs.

This year, on completion of their own training, the Institute's participants conducted a skills transfer training in Kapchorwa district in Uganda after the their training. The training was carried out to enhance the capacity of DTF members in Gender & SALW mainstreaming. The replica training - organized by the Uganda National Focal Point secretariat with the support from EASSI - was a follow up on the 2011 training of NFP representatives from the 5 EAC Partner states, Southern Sudan and Ethiopia on Gender and SALW mainstreaming.

During the training, the 2011 SALW Institute Participants applied their acquired knowledge and skills to unpack Gender & SALW mainstreaming concepts to the DTF members in Kapchorwa.
The objectives of the training were largely achieved due to adequate preparations that were made prior to traveling to Kapchorwa. It was also an opportunity for participants to interact and share their experiences with the District Task Force of the NFP in the Kapchorwa region on implementation of SALW programs.

Participants in Kapchorwa included the Magistrate, Resident State Prosecutor, the Resident District Commissioner, the District chairman, the chief administrative officer and his deputy, the district Police Commander, and the sector commander of UPDF among others. The press was also represented by Vision voice and other local media houses from the region.

The training was officially opened by the chief guest Hon. Kuka Jane Frances, the RDC for Kapchorwa who is also the Chair person of the DTF. Thereafter, a brief background on the work of EASSI was presented during which Eric Tumwesigye (a staff member OF EASSI) highlighted the key programme areas that EASSI deals with and the projects spearheaded by the organization whose mandate is derived from Beijing platform of Action.
He mentioned that one of the three thematic program areas of EASSI is Women in the Peace Process under which the training in Kapchorwa was organized. He informed participants that EASSI works closely with international, regional and national partners in policy formulation issues and has been at the fore front of lobbying for the issues of Gender & SALW mainstreaming.

He finally mentioned the other programs of EASSI including Women's Reproductive Health and Sexual Rights, and Women's Rights and Gender Equality about which he mentioned some of the activities that are being implemented. In reaction, the chief guest (Hon Jane Frances Kuka) requested for EASSI's support of her anti FGM campaign programs in Kapchorwa region.

The GENDER/SALW Institute participants proceeded to facilitate various sessions during the skills transfer as follows:

Presentation on Uganda NAP Structures & Its tenets

Facilitated by Mr. Anthony Nakhaima (a 2010 Gender SALW Institute Alumni) from the Uganda National Focal Point on Small Arms (NFP). He highlighted the National focal point structures and its composition said that the National focal point is an interagency body that coordinates the activities related to control and reduction of SALW in Uganda and implements various activities through its structures right from the National to the local levels.

Discussing Basic Gender Concepts

Facilitated by Brenda Sana - Assistant Women Superintendent of Prisons from the Uganda NFP on SALW. Participants were taken through different Gender concepts besides demystifying the perception of Gender as a concept that only refers to women. This session aimed to enhance the capacity of the participants in understanding what gender is and what it is not.

Contextualizing Gender, SALW & Development

Facilitated by Ms Tulibake Mnondwa - Superintendent of Police from the Tanzania NFP and Francoise Niyonzima from the Burundi National Focal Point on Small Arms. They discussed the concepts of SALW and their impacts on development. The objective of the session was to help participants to understand SALW and how their proliferation impacts negatively on gender and development.

Understanding Gender Mainstreaming & Gender Analysis

Facilitated by Mary Alobei from Kenya and Saba from Ethiopia.
This session aimed at ensuring that participants understand gender mainstreaming and Gender analysis and how to identify key gender issues and link them to SALW programmes. The session also aimed at ensuring that participants are able to carry out gender analysis in their programmes. The session involved a plenary session where participants were able to carry out a gender Analysis on gender roles and coming up with a gender mainstreaming programme for Kapchorwa.

International, Regional & National Instrument on Gender & SALW Mainstreaming - once again facilitated Anthony Nakhaima from the Uganda NFP. Participants were taken through some of the instruments that call for for gender mainstreaming into SALW activities. In his presentation Mr. Anthony noted that these instruments are at global, regional and local including the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, 1820 and the UN Program of Action, IAANSA Gender mainstreaming guidelines, CEDAW, and the RECSA gender policy among others. He also discussed different sections of the above instruments. Finally, he urged all responsible stakeholders to ensure that Gender is mainstreamed at all levels in SALW interventions.

The sessions were followed by key recommendations for EASSI thus: EASSI needs to conduct more capacity enhancement programs on gender & SALW for other stakeholders implementing SALW programs in the region and support the NFPs from the EAC partner states in carrying out country level trainings; and EASSI needs to support the local government by building capacity of their staff on gender mainstreaming which was said to be a challenge.

The skills transfer exercise was closed by the Kapchorwa District Chairperson who thanked all participants for attending the training and to the EASSI team for choosing Kapchorwa district for the skill transfer training. He termed the training as very informative, given that it linked gender with SALW. He added that gender is an important component in every programme as it focuses on inclusiveness of all people. He urged the participants to take seriously what they had been taught as it would help them in their work especially that in Uganda no gender blind programmes/budgets are approved today.