Mawogola North is a predominantly agricultural community with significant challenges of value addition and resource mobilization for smallholder farmers.
In collaboration with Uganda Coffee Development Authority, parish coffee coordinators received a series of trainings aimed at equipping them with skills in improving their yield, controlling diseases, marketing, fertilizer application, tree spacing, and the overall deployment of better agronomic practices. These leaders have since amplified this message and have gone back and taught their fellow farmers in their respective communities how better to improve their farming practices.
Women in livestock farming in Sembabule were trained on vaccine access and proper administration for both animals and poultry. This facilitation was undertaken to address the gaps in livestock health and its effects to mostly women farmers who are uniquely vulnerable. This effort was spearheaded by Professor Mugani Anthony from Makerere University and MAAIF alongside Dr. Elizabeth Kiwalabye. They focused on veterinary doctors from all the sub counties of Mawogola North who serve smallholder farmers in disease control and management through vaccination. They also provided vaccines and fridges for their storage allowing for sustainability in the long term.
As the director and proprietor of Mbabule FM Ltd, Shartsi has ensured a strategic communications shift that has seen the media house become a farmer-oriented station. From its programming which caters to the amplification of extension services to the news which seeks to amplify the plight of grassroots communities on issues regarding their livestock and crops. The political aspect of the media house has also been extended to programming which seeks to follow up on the execution and progress of government programs such as the mandate of district veterinary and production offices.
In partnership with the Office of the Prime Minister, Shartsi has ensured that numerous farmer cooperative groups are able to receive quarterly funding in the for of government grants as capital injections in their different ventures. These grants, in hundreds of millions of shillings, cut across all farming activities and are given on a rotational basis with the supervision of the district development office.
In collaboration with MAAIF, there has been a deliberate effort to lobby for additional support and an increased number of FMD vaccines for the Ring Vaccination exercises that take place following the nearly quarterly outbreaks of this deadly disease. Coupled with vigilant surveillance of the vaccination process, there has been addition effort to raise this issue on the floor of parliament for an expedited solution.
In Partnership with Vitamin Angels USA, there was an effort to train health workers from all the health centers in Mawogola North Constituency. The training was aimed at empowering these professionals to be able to effectively and consistently administer a critical range of supplements appropriately. A team from the ministry of Health was also present in this training and were also able to visit the district health office.
In collaboration with the district education department, the office of the MP has committed itself to conduct an annual sympoium which brings together all education stakeholders in Mawogola North. This presents an opportunity to establish the
challenges and opportunities for improvement regarding universal primary and secondary education. The office of the MP has been able to obtain scholarships from the following institutions and countries; Turkey Scholarship Program, Chinese Scholarship Council, Metropolitan International University, Kawanda SS, Uganda Martyrs Kikoma SS, Sembabule church of Uganda SS. These scholarships have served to provide an alternative avenue for gifted children with tuition challenges in Mawogola North.
With the benefit of an existing National Water and Sewerage Corporation production plant in Sembabule, the office of the MP has successfully lobbied for resources from the central government for purposes of grid intensification and expansion. Sembabule town council alone now boasts of over 3000 households connected to this safe water. In addition to these efforts, Mawogola North has since become a beneficiary of the Exim-India funded Solar Water Project under Ministry of Water and Environment which is currently taking place in three of the more remote subcounties; Rugushuru, Mijwala and Mitima. This will see 54 villages in 12 parishes get clean and piped water