Facilitating the Visionary Approach through the Systems Approach to Development in Rural Ugandan Community

Abstract

African Rural University is an all women University that provides a transformative education, and trains women in transformative, creative and innovative technologies that enable them to enhance their capabilities in transforming rural communities, thereby bringing about transformation. This is partly done under the Bachelor of Rural Development (BRD) degree programme whose curriculum is 40% practical and 60% theoretical. In order to implement the practical component of the curriculum, students are subjected to project work, a one-month village practicum, and a one-year internship. The implementation of the 40% practical requires students to conduct participatory action research and community action planning. This report presents the results of the one-month practicum. The practicum was under taken from 1st to 31st April, 2023 in Kakooga Cell trains women in transformative, creative and innovative technologies that enable them to enhance their capabilities in transforming rural communities hence bringing about transformation. The practicum was implemented in the period of one month from 1st to 30th April 2023 in Kakooga cell, Nyantonzi parish, Kyaterekera Town Council, Kagadi district. The intern was placed in the family of Mr. Kisembo John and Mrs. Kunihira Florence. The intern worked with both the females and males at family, group and community level whereby the intern facilitated the process of reviewing the visions, demonstrated technologies, improved sanitation and hygiene and mobilized different meetings during the one-month practicum. The methods and techniques used in the practicum include visionary approach, community action planning, appreciative inquiry, observation, participatory action research, frames, interview and structural tension chart. In conclusion, the intern enabled the community members to foster effective rural transformation through collective and participative learning hence creating a strong and functional boundary between African Rural University and the rural community members