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Urudo Strategic Plan
Introduction
Urban Rural Development Organization-Uganda (URUDO-Uganda) has been an operational Community Based Organization (CBO) in Uganda since 2009. Over years, URUDO-Uganda has made a significant contribution to civil society and the communities it works with respect to promoting education of the vulnerable girls, vocational skills among the youth, environmental protection and conservation practices, water, sanitation and hygiene.
URUDO-Uganda was founded for the specific purpose of strengthening community resilience through biodiversity conservation, education and vocational skills development. URUDO-Uganda believes that empowering girls through education, youth vocational skills and conservation of nature are key to creating sustainable communities.
This strategy will therefore build upon URUDO-Uganda’s success in strengthening the practices so far disseminated and charting a way forward considering the trends in the overall set up in which they operate. This strategy recognizes the need for URUDO-Uganda to replicate this work and demonstrate its impact, knowledge and learning to support communities and create socio-economic change. URUDO-Uganda has recognized that in order to support communities to be responsible for their own development, she must deliver impact and ensure long term viability of interventions.
This strategy will lead to the growth of URUDO-Uganda’s staff, activities and impact. The Board, staff and supporters have embraced the need to transform URUDO-Uganda to achieve a higher level of performance in supporting communities if they in turn are to fulfill their role in the transformation of communities and society.
This strategy document has three aims:
- To focus on what are the most important things to achieve our goals
- To communicate our strategic decisions in a visual style to help engagement
- To understand how the priorities will be achieved and how we will know we have been successful to support community management and development.
The key strategic steps are presented below:
- Vision, Mission and Values
- Drivers and Goals
- Balanced Scorecard
- Strategy Map
- Scorecard
- Implications
Vision, Mission and Core Values
URUDO-Uganda has established the three fundamental elements for a strategy: a vision, a mission and values. These three elements define the strategic space URUDO-Uganda works within.
- Our vision is the positive long-term strategic outcome the organization seeks.
- To achieve this vision URUDO-Uganda has a mission or core purpose- that is the way it achieves this vision.
- Our vision and mission must be achieved according to our values or core principles or beliefs.
Our Vision is:
An ecologically sustainable environment offering good living conditions for the communities.
Our Mission is:
To strengthen community capacity to eradicate poverty through education, vocational skills development and dissemination of environmentally sound practices.
Our Values are:
Transparency and Accountability. URUDO-Uganda ensures that its assets and resources are used exclusively for the achievement of its mission and consistent with its values. We are open in all our transactions and accountable for our expenditures and impact.
Concern for a healthy and clean environment. URUDO-Uganda promotes technologies that build upon indigenous knowledge and resources, while regenerating and protecting the environment, ensuring people’s health and safety.
Respect for the innate potential, dignity and ability of all people to remake their own lives. URUDO-Uganda works with respect for the beliefs and wisdom of all our partners and applies participatory approaches that build upon existing knowledge and skills, and ensure ownership and control of outputs remains with them.
Community participation and Learning: URUDO-Uganda ensures that community participates at all levels of the project cycle. She functions as a learning organization and lessons learnt are progressively documented and replicated into programme management.
Gender: URUDO-Uganda promotes gender equity and ensures that it is mainstreamed in all aspects of her work.
Drivers and Goals
URUDO-Uganda’s macro and micro environments have been reviewed and the issues prioritized in terms of the impact and risk to URUDO-Uganda. Through this process, we identified the key drivers our strategy must address. Drivers are the key factors and forces affecting our work.
These Drivers produce specific Goals to counter the implications and consequences for URUDO-Uganda . Our Goals articulate what we want to achieve over the next three years. They are broad and general to allow us flexibility in determining how we will achieve them.
Strategic Drivers | Strategic Goals |
Community access to knowledge and appropriate technologies. Too frequently, communities do not have the knowledge, capacity or experience to undertake what is important. These are all fundamental to effective development. | Empowered communities responsible for their development agenda – URUDO-Uganda will play a key role in building capacity at all levels of society. |
URUDO- Uganda’s performance, reputation and space. URUDO-Uganda’s credibility is undermined if it cannot demonstrate that it is effective in its work and accountable to stakeholders. This is particularly important at this time of change. | Credible URUDO-Uganda’s support to communities to deliver a development agenda – URUDO-Uganda will play a key role through its community based programmes, networks and organizational development work to strengthen the capacity of communities to achieve socio-economic change. |
Current legislation, regulatory frameworks, standards and codes for environmental protection do not adequately support the development of effective strategies and means to ensure an effective agent of social change. | An enabling environment for URUDO-Uganda. URUDO-Uganda will play a key role in legal reform and advocacy by strengthening collaboration and engagement with civil society and government. |
The Balance Scorecard
The vision, mission, values and strategic goals are the foundations of the URUDO-Uganda strategy. These present the impact on society URUDO-Uganda aspires to achieve. We have identified how it will deliver the strategy by developing a balance scorecard.
“The Balanced Scorecard is a methodology that translates strategy into a framework to change behavior and improve performance”
The four main components of the Balanced Scorecard are:
Objectives:
What do you need to achieve?
Indicators:
How will we measure success?
Targets:
How much do we need to improve?
Initiatives:
What do we need to do to get there?
The objectives were identified using four perspectives. They are both internal and external to ensure the balance is maintained throughout the strategy and its implementation.
To identify the objectives, each perspective asks a specific question:
- Beneficiaries: What must we achieve for our beneficiaries?
- Internal Processes: What must we excel at in order to achieve for our beneficiaries?
- Learning and Growth: Where do we need to invest in order to excel?
- Resources: How will we ensure we are adequately resourced?
Strategy Map
The objectives are presented in the form of a strategy map below.
An ecologically sustainable environment offering good living conditions for the communities.
|
Credible URUDO-Uganda’s support to communities to deliver a development agenda |
Effective Collaboration |
Ensure efficient use of resources |
Increase long term funding |
Expertise in organizational development |
Improve external communication |
Improved capacity of communities |
Improve learning
|
Effective advocates for change |
Increase unrestricted income |
Develop organizational capacities
|
Building networks |
An Enabling environment for URUDO-Uganda |
Empowered communities responsible for their development agenda |
Vision
Goals
Objectives
Strategy Map Narrative
Strategy objective | Description |
Improved capacity of communities | URUDO-Uganda’s capacity building work is its core business and incorporates communities including farmers. However, the priority is to use demonstrable models of best practice and the impact of innovative and effective interventions on communities. |
Effective collaborations | URUDO-Uganda’s strength lies in its extensive use of volunteers and an informal network of partners and peers. URUDO-Uganda will systematically develop initiatives and opportunities to unite communities for collective action. A key element will include encouraging community engagement in designing environmentally friendly practices. |
Expertise in organizational development | URUDO-Uganda’s capacity building reputation is built upon its excellence in organizational development. It must continue to develop this offer and promote its expertise to ensure its place in the market is expanded whether for grant funded work or community owned resources. This is its basis for delivering quality services to communities. |
Building networks | URUDO-Uganda will develop its own network as a forum for learning, discussion, information sharing as well as a platform for collaboration and engagement with civil society with URUDO-Uganda as a leading agent for strengthening service delivery. |
Effective advocates for change
| URUDO-Uganda is positioning herself as an advocate for positive change within communities and their relationships with other stakeholders. Recognizing this capacity and developing it is critical to the success in collaboration, governance and capacity building. |
Improve learning | URUDO-Uganda’s wealth of expertise, knowledge and experience must be harnessed and shared. This is critical to ensuring URUDO-Uganda continues to provide added value and prove its impact to secure future funding. |
Develop organizational capacities
| URUDO-Uganda’s strategy requires the organization to maintain its current capacity and competencies but also to develop new ones. It will require developing the team’s skills and ensuring the organization accesses the expertise and capacity it needs. |
Improve external communications | URUDO-Uganda’s sustainability depends upon its reputation as leading agent for change in promoting biodiversity conservation. It is critical to promote its impact and the benefits it can provide. Its work must be recognized and respected nationally, regionally and internationally. |
Increase long term funding | URUDO-Uganda’s sustainability depends on its ability to secure long term partnership funding that includes a reasonable overhead rate. |
Increase unrestricted income | URUDO-Uganda must increase its own income from services or donations to alleviate overhead costs not covered by grant income. |
Ensure efficient use of resources | URUDO-Uganda will continue to ensure all resources are maximized through their efficient allocation and control. |
Scorecard
The Scorecard defines how each objective will be measured. Each objective has at least one indicator of success. URUDO’s scorecard is below.
Strategy objective | Indicators |
Improved capacity of communities | % of communities improving performance by 25% according to their strategy % of communities scoring 25% higher in URUDO OD assessments |
Effective collaborations | Number of collaborative ventures UUDO actively engages with that achieve their goals Number of networks/initiatives URUDO-Uganda engaged with |
Expertise in organizational development | % increase for funding for URUDO-Uganda organizational development growth Number of communities benefiting from URUDO-Uganda interventions |
Building networks | Number of assistance, support and information through the Networks
|
Effective advocates for change
| Number of changes (to policies) as a result of URUDO-Uganda work Number of advocacy initiatives URUDO-Uganda is involved in |
Improve learning | Number of changes made to our work and programme as a result of the M & E Number of programme reviews undertaken |
Develop organizational capacities
| % of new organizational competencies achieved % of staff enabled to deliver organizational competencies |
Improve external communications | % increase in URUDO-Uganda brand awareness amongst civil society stakeholders Number of external enquiries say on recipients of publications, media mentions |
Increase long term funding | Number of grants over 2 years in duration with full cost recovery Number of donors recognizing URUDO-Uganda as a strategic partner |
Increase unrestricted income | % of overall budget from unrestricted funding Number of new initiatives to raise income |
Ensure efficient use of resources | % of expenditure on overhead costs % of resources aligned to the strategy |
Implications of the strategy
The implications of the strategy have been identified in key areas:
Staff and Culture
- URUDO-Uganda will expand its current staff team for programme management and core functions.
- URUDO-Uganda’s structure will be aligned to the interventions during the strategic period that is environmental protection and climate change adaptation, sustainable agricultural production, micro-enterprise development, youth vocational training, and WASH.
- The adoption of the strategy is expected to challenge existing norms and behaviors in the organization.
All staff will be required to adapt and identify changes they can make to improve performance.
Governance
- Board development is an integral part of the organization’s evolution and continued success.
- The Board will provide oversight to the strategic management of the organization and develop their role in achieving organizational and financial sustainability.
Funding
Currently, URUDO-Uganda’s focus is community contributions. During this strategic plan period, all funding streams will be developed and greater balance established between them. URUDO-Uganda is committed to developing partnerships and long term relationships with selected donors and development partners, to diversifying its donor base and to placing emphasis upon increasing its unrestricted income. A resource mobilization strategy/ plan will be developed and implemented to establish new income streams.
Core Programme Areas and strategic actions
- Environmental protection and climate change adaptation
- Tree planting
- Environmental protection bye laws
- Radio talk shows
- Nursery bed establishments
- Promotion of energy saving stoves
- Sustainable agricultural production
- Land use and management
- Soil and water conservation
- Trainings in select enterprises
- Kitchen gardening
- Promotion of agro forestry practices
- Compost making
- Micro-enterprise development
- Develop model farmers for select enterprises
- Youth vocational training
- Attach out of school youth to practicing local artisans
- Establish a vocational training center
- WASH
- Water harvesting
- Sanitation and hygiene campaigns
- Waste disposal management
Strategic action plans will be developed as per funding availability per year for each programme area.
Implementation work plan
To ensure effective implementation of this Strategic Plan, a set of actions have been identified.
Implementation work plan
Program level objectives | Objective | Activities | FY 2016 | FY 2017 | FY 2018 | ||
Institutional capacity development | To strengthen the institutional capacity of URUDO-Uganda to effectively and effectively manage projects. | Train leaders in good governance | |||||
Review and upgrade policy documents | |||||||
Train Board and management in project cycle management | |||||||
Train Board and management in project proposal writing and resource mobilization | |||||||
Develop and implement a resource mobilization strategy and plan | |||||||
Establish and maintain networks and partnerships | |||||||
Hold AGMs | |||||||
Conduct periodical monitoring and review | |||||||
Micro-enterprise Development | To enhance the competitiveness and viability of micro-enterprises among target beneficiaries. | Identify pilot and model farmers | |||||
Promote undertaking of select enterprises | |||||||
Train select farmers in entrepreneurship and business management skills | |||||||
Establish market linkages | |||||||
Youth vocational skills | To equip out of school youth with employable skills | Identify and screen out of school youth | |||||
Conduct talents and interests identification | |||||||
Conduct market survey to identify profitable vocations | |||||||
Conduct meetings to orient youths on TVET cope | |||||||
Train youths in business skills and life skills | |||||||
| Conduct onsite orientation of local artisans on project scope and modules | ||||||
Develop a curriculum for courses | |||||||
Enroll youths to artisans | |||||||
Set up a job and business mediation center | |||||||
Water, sanitation and hygiene | To increase and improve access to safe and clean drinking water accompanied by hygiene promotion in communities | Promote appropriate technology for water catchment and protection | |||||
Protect natural water sources | |||||||
Provide Information Education and Communication materials on hygiene promotion and sanitation | |||||||
Training in community to improve understanding of disease transmission and value of hard ware’s like VIP-pit latrines, dying racks, kitchens and animal houses | |||||||
Train community on appropriate waste disposal and management | |||||||
Get sanitation and hygiene promotion models and competitions into households | |||||||
Train households on water handling, water source maintenance | |||||||
Empower local government leaders to disseminate safe water messages | |||||||
Sensitizing on Public Health Act especially for local leaders and affinity groups | |||||||
Environmental protection and climate change adaptation
| To establish sustainable land use management practices that mitigate land degradation and green house gas emissions | Collect and provide early warning information to communities | |||||
Undertake tree planting exercises and campaigns | |||||||
Capacity needs assessment towards low carbon and climate change resilient development
| |||||||
Establish community nurseries | |||||||
Promote energy saving technologies | |||||||
Development of a capacity development action plan | |||||||
Development and implementation of a limited number of training and awareness raising activities for decision makers and general public on climate change risks and opportunities | |||||||
Advocacy for development of environmental protection byelaws at community level | |||||||
Sustainable agricultural production | To promote diversified and sustainable agricultural production | Network and partner with research organizations to uptake appropriate agro-technologies. | |||||
Establish demonstrations centers and multiplication sites | |||||||
Promote undertaking of Agroforestry practices | |||||||
Conduct learning visits | |||||||
Train farmers in improved agricultural methods | |||||||
Train farmers in kitchen gardening | |||||||
Train farmers in organic agriculture | |||||||
Urudo Uganda
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