I admire Saemaul Undong- Ssekandi

By Cecilia Okoth

Vice President Edward Ssekandi has voiced his support for Saemaul Undong, a village model South Korea used to transform to a developed economy.

Ssekandi was speaking at the 3rd National Saemaul Undong Leaders Convention in Kampala over the weekend, attended by over 11 districts. 

"Uganda enjoys excellent bilateral relations with South Korea as we have a lot to learn from their community based model of development, which I admire very much because it lifted South Korea out of poverty," Ssekandi said, commending South Korea's  efforts in imparting  the knowledge and practice of  Saemaul Undong in Uganda.

Vice President Edward Ssekandi takes a group photo with Park Jong-Dae and other staff at the law development centre.  Courtsey photo

At the same event, Ambassador Park Jong-Dae of South Korea revealed that Uganda is among the countries getting special attention from South Korea in the implementation of Saemaul Undong. This, he said, was sure to lead to greater technical assistance for the Saemaul movement in Uganda.
           
"I am encouraged to see a number of new districts embracing Saemaul Undong. A great deal of progress has already been made in Uganda and I would like to encourage the revival of the community spirit in Uganda locally known as Bulungi Bwansi," Jong-Dae said.

Citing the existence of Saemaul Undong in Uganda for the past seven years, the secretary general of Saemaul Undong center in Korea, Jo Myung Su, said it was time to localize Saemaul in Uganda's context. 

Over 120 Ugandans have so far visited South Korea and trained in the principles of self-help, diligence and cooperation which underlie Saemaul Undong.

Over 140 villages countrywide participated in the Saemaul Undong National Competition for 2015; winning villages are due to be awarded prizes and The Ambassador's Saemaul Cup in Kampala, on 7 November.