Summary:
- During the initial community assessment on December 9, 2024, in Palam Sub-County, Katakwi District, Patience Rebeca Mutonyi, the Program Coordinator at ICON, stated that the organization is committed to empowering families through leadership, entrepreneurship, and academic support.
KATAKWI: In a bid to improve the standard of education in Katakwi District, the non-governmental organization ICON, in collaboration with the KAZI NI KAZI Foundation, has initiated community engagement with Katakwi District and the sub-county authorities of Palam.
This partnership aims to expand activities in leadership training, entrepreneurship skills imparted through mindset change, and primary school support in Palam.
ICON was founded in Uganda in 2014 following an earlier incubation period as a hybrid Women and Young People’s Leadership Academy, which began in 2009. The organization is led by a team with over 50 years of combined expertise in community development, agriculture, women’s leadership, education, business entrepreneurship, social enterprise development, advocacy, training, and youth and women’s empowerment.
During the initial community assessment on December 9, 2024, in Palam Sub-County, Katakwi District, Patience Rebeca Mutonyi, the Program Coordinator at ICON, stated that the organization is committed to empowering families through leadership, entrepreneurship, and academic support.
John Imaikorit, the LC1 Chairperson of Palam Village and Chairperson for all LC1 leaders in Palam Sub-County, commended the partnership. He noted that it would significantly enhance development and improve the living standards of the Palam community.
John Michael Okodi, the Head Teacher of Palam Primary School, revealed that the school is willing to donate six acres of its 56-acre land to ICON to support the initiative and strengthen both the school and the wider community.
David Choki, Coordinator of the KAZI NI KAZI Foundation, encouraged residents to prioritize education by ensuring they provide basic necessities for students and urged teachers to fulfill their responsibilities in collaboration with stakeholders.
Additionally, Daniel Mulalu promised, through a message delivered by Choki, to repair the broken borehole at Palam Primary School.
Rotarian Isaac Ojok, a teacher at Mother Care Preparatory School in Bunamayo and a Palam resident, facilitated the connection between ICON and the Palam community.
He emphasized that the community has faced numerous challenges, including teenage pregnancies and inadequate feeding of schoolchildren, which have hindered development.
Ojok affirmed that through coordinated efforts with the KAZI NI KAZI Foundation, they aim to address these issues and assist the community, which has also been affected by natural disasters and food insecurity.
Angela Akengo, Secretary for Health in Katakwi District, represented Geoffrey Omolo during the engagement meeting. She highlighted that Palam Sub-County deserves the project due to the natural disasters it has endured. Akengo affirmed the district’s support for the partnership with ICON to aid Palam’s residents.
