Ugandan villages win Korean self-drive awards

By Betty Amamukirori

Total of seven villages across Uganda have been awarded with the South Korean Ambassador’s cup awards for transforming their communities through voluntarism and cooperation.

During the awarding ceremony held at Protea Hotel, Kampala on Saturday, Busanza village in Kyenjojo district took the grand prize of sh10m for initiating several developments and income generating activities without receiving any external help.

The village was lauded for the significant improvement in the living conditions it achieved through building 40 'smart homes' with enhanced hygiene and maintaining six wells.

They were also recognized for widening three village roads, easing transportation and access to the markets.

The second prize of sh7m went to Kiboha Village in Kabarole district for making impressive efforts in involving the community primary school in rural development initiatives and teaching children the importance of self-reliance and cooperation.

They were also upheld for being remarkably clean.

Naguru village, Kampala district took the third position with a prize of sh3.5m for their active cooperation with the local government leadership and having a systematic waste disposal mechanism.

The other villages that won awards are Bukirya in Sironko district, Ogwang Apur and Ibu in Oyam district, and Rukungiri in Rukungiri district.  Each got sh2.4m, 1.7m, 1.7m, and sh1m respectively.

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South Korean Ambassador, Park Jong-Dae poses for a group photo with representatives of the villages that won in the National Saemaul Undong competition

Early in March this year, the South Korean Embassy in Uganda launched its first National Saemaul Undong (SMU) competition, requiring all Ugandan villages to submit in their rural development action plans using the SMU model.

A total of 190 villages from 31 districts participated in the competition. 

The participating villages were evaluated in terms of the ambitions and actual achievements stated in their SMU action plans.

According to the South Korean ambassador to Uganda, Jong-Dae Park, the villages were asked to demonstrate how best they can transform their communities without external financial assistance.

He said the first seven villages with the best proposals and implementations were to be awarded in order to encourage the initiative and self-help using the SMU model.
SMU is a South Korean model of rural development founded on three principles of diligence, self-help and cooperation.

It can be likened to a Ugandan village movement locally referred to as 'Bulungi bwansi' where people volunteer to work for the good of the community.

The model was born in 1970 and it played a pivotal role in transforming South Korea from a lowly country to one of the richest countries in the world.

Commenting on the SMU model Park said, "SMU is a mindset reform and wellbeing movement wherein the people themselves shape their future development and villages engage in mutually reinforcing competitions."

Park also said that he launched the competition in order to stimulate Ugandan villages to initiate their own self-help movements, copying from the rural development model, SMU that was used to transform South Korea.

"Competition and voluntarism are some of the best practices that can be used to transform rural dwells from being dependants to a happy self-reliant community," he said.

SMU if embraced in the Ugandan rural settings, he said, can help in implementation and maintenance of government projects and programs.