LEARN MORE ABOUT AMA

HISTORY:

Abanya-Rwenzori Mountaineering Association (AMA) was established in the year 1992 by an initiative of a group of community members living adjacent to the Rwenzori Mountains National Park with an objective to uplift the livelihood of the people living on the mountains and other marginalized members of our society.

AMA is a local NGO, registered with the government of Uganda, under the ministry of Internal Affairs. The organisation is working with the rural communities of Bundibugyo, Kabarole and Ntoroko Districts. Its services are based on the areas neighbouring the protected areas of Rwenzori Mountains National Park (RMNP), Semuliki National Park (SNP) and Semuliki Game Reserve (SGR). The surrounding communities of the above national parks traditionally depended on the park resources for their entire lives. They mainly depended on park resources for food, shelter medicine, social pleasure, firewood and for worshiping their gods.

After the areas were declared National Parks, it was hard for them to access their needs. It is for this reason that they thought of other alternative means of sustainable livelihoods. Building the community members capacities in sustainable ways of harvesting national park resources and training them on improved ways of producing required resources out side the national parks was important, calling for an organization to intervene, hence the birth of AMA with the following vision, mission and objectives.

 
 AMA Vision:

Empowered and enlightened the society of the Rwenzori region, so that can ably participate in own development.

  

AMA Mission:

Improve biodiversity conservation, human rights awareness, governance, voluntary actions and collaboration among the local population of Rwenzori Region through resource mobilization, net working, advocacy, trainings and sensitization for sustainable livelihoods.

AMA Objectives

1. To teach practical knowledge and skills to women, youth, PWDs, and rural communities living in hard to reach areas to participate in their social, economic and political development.

2. To promote good governance, human rights and voluntarism for improved networking and collaboration.

3. To promote sustainable use of natural resources for improved livelihoods.

 ACTIVITIES

The organization was formed by the community members after the Rwenzori Mountains was uplifted from a Forestry Reserve to a status of a national park in 1991.  The members then desired to establish an organization which would be mandated to provide them with the necessary education to change their attitude and increase their knowledge to understand the new environment.  AMA was tasked to source, and repackage relevant information necessary to equip the disadvantaged undeveloped mountain community, train them in alternative income generating activities and other life surviving skills and to access improved planting materials from agricultural research organization. 

Handcrafts making to sell to the tourists visiting the Rwenzori Mountains National Park and passion fruits growing were among the first trainings that were conducted. With time, we realized that training alone was not enough. We had to mobilize for more resources to do much more. Later on we secured funding to do more activities, putting in consideration the communities’ demands and needs in the following areas below:

1.    Sustainable agriculture and Agro forestry

2.    Group dynamics

3.    Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA)

4.    Animal transport (Donkey transport)

5.    Developing Market Chains (primary cooperative societies)

6.    Providing farmers with planting materials

7.    Providing farmers with Farm tools

8.    HIV/AIDS Mainstreaming and Control programme

9.    Gender in development education

10. Peace building and peaceful conflict resolution

11. Disaster preparedness and management

12. Sensitizing farmers and rising awareness on Climatic Change

13. Established a Rural Information Systems in AMA office

14. Established eco tourism activities

15. School Health Education

Major Sectors of AMA Work:

• Agriculture / Rural Livelihoods
• Health Education
• Human Rights and Governance
• VSLA
• Tourism
• Peace / Conflict Resolution

Staffing:

7 paid staff and Volunteers; 30 Community Resource Persons (CRPs) and 2 USA Peace Corps

 Approximate Yearly Turnover:

Between Ush 150 Million

 Main source of income:

International organizations as follows:

AMA successfully concluded implementing a project (Rwenzori Agro-forestry Project - RAP) funded by German Agro Action (GAA), which ended March 31st 2006. The total funds allocated to AMA from GAA for funding this project amounted to 156,562.00 euros. After GAA, Oxfam GB supported the implementation of Sustainable Agriculture Training project since 2006 to April 30^th, 2012 Total amount of money that was involved was 94,308 euros. Concern World Wide; Funded the HIV/AIDS Mainstreaming Program for three years.

 AMA also received one-time grants from the organizations below:

-                      North Caroline Zoological Park (NCZP) donated US $ 1000 part of the grant was paid as school fees for the nurse. She completed her studies at Mengo Hospital Uganda.

-                      WWF – RMCDP – (Rwenzori Mountains Conservation Development Project) helped in funding the first training workshop in 1997 for women in basket weaving UShs. 1,098,500).

-                      The zero grazing projects were supported by DED Uganda in 1997 (UShs 3,450,000)

Second source of income:-

 Is from Eco Tourism activities

 Infrastructure:

§  Five (5) Motorcycles and one (1) bicycle were acquired for the projects.

§  2 Permanent house made of bricks & iron sheets and Concrete

§  1 Toyota Double Carbine Pick-up 4WD. Engine No. LN 107 00 16555

§  1 Generator, Yamaha Petrol Eng.

§  1 Safe, Model AS160s

§  Computers 2;

§  COMPAQ computer, Y08N138421

§  COMPAQ computer, Y08N138925

§  1 HP LaserJet Printer, P2015

§  8 Office desks

§  8 Office chairs

§  4 Book Shelve 

 Coverage:

Presently AMA is working in Kabarole, Intoroko and Bundibugyo Districts:-

Kabarole District;

-          Mugusu sub-county and

-          Bukuku sub-county

 Intoroko District;

-          Karugutu sub-county

 Bundibugyo District;

-          Kasitu sub-county

-          Bukonzo sub-county

-          Harugale sub-county

-          Ndughutu sub-county

-          Bubukwanga sub-county

Networking organizations:

-          SATNET – Sustainable Agriculture Net Work

-          UCOTA – Uganda Community Tourism Association

-          CBCS-

-          57 CBOs in Bundibugyo and Kabarole Districts

      -    CBOs/NGO Forum Bundibugyo and Kabarole Districts Local Government.

Achievements:

AMA is on ground working with over 57 rural farmers’ groups in Bundibugyo, Ntoroko and Kabarole Districts.

 We have an office in Bundibugyo town and in Kazingo, Kabarole District.

 Constraints:

-          Difficult mountain terrain

-          Set back in developing our main activity (Eco-tourism) due to rebel activities during the periods of 1997-2003.