Arise Katabalanga Foundation was established in 2017 as a community-based organization (CBO) with a primary focus on child protection in Katabalanga ward, Mubende, Uganda. Today, through collaborative efforts with Children’s Rights and Violence Prevention Fund (CRVPF) including a series of capacity-building initiatives facilitated by CRVPF, AKF has is now a registered non-governmental organization, expanding its impact nationally, moving beyond its initial community-centric approach.
In 2019, AKF partnered with CRVPF under the Prevention of Violence Against Children program, operating within the South Division Cluster to address and prevent violence against children and young people in Mubende district, Uganda. CRVPF facilitated mentorship, capacity-building, and managerial practice training for AKF, to enhance its ability to implement violence-prevention interventions and instill confidence to handle broader community issues.
The capacity strengthening initiatives proved useful for AKF during a Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) conference on May 30, 2023, when AKF, then operating as a CBO, presented the ‘Parenting for Responsibility’ manual, a key component of the PVAC program. This manual was developed to address and mitigate violence against children by incorporating targeted strategies to improve parental skills and spousal relationships. AKF’s presentation garnered significant interest from other participating organizations who sought to partner with the organization. However, these potential partnerships were hindered as AKF was not a registered NGO, prompting AKF to seek NGO status. On October 21st, 2023, AKF successfully registered as a non-governmental organization.
Today, Arise Katabalanga Foundation operates as a registered NGO, partnering with several organizations and working on a national scale. The transition from a CBO to an NGO, which AKF credits to the capacity-building training received from CRVPF, has positioned AKF to create impact on a larger-scale. Some of AKF’s notable achievements after registering as an NGO include the registration of eight Parenting Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA) Groups in Katabalanga ward as Parish Development Model (PDM) Enterprise Groups, by the Mubende District Local Government. The Parish Development Model is a government strategy for wealth creation and employment generation at the parish level and aims to support Ugandans in increasing their demand for goods and services.
CRVPF is a regional intermediary organization whose objective is to prevent all forms of violence against children and young people. We do this by building the capacity of our partners, to enable them to effectively implement strategies and interventions focused on preventing violence against children and young people. By strengthening our partner’s capacities, we ensure sustainable community development even after the partnership concludes. Arise Katabalanga Foundation’s evolution from a CBO to an NGO, coupled with subsequent successes, exemplifies CRVPF’s commitment to building and strengthening the capacity of its partners.
