Coronavirus hits CSOs hard — officials

COVID-19|CSOs

Over dependency on donor funding has affected the capacity of civil society organisations (CSOs) to implement various projects in the country.

Emily Katarirawe, the country director at JHPIEGO-Uganda, said countries that have been giving them money have shifted their efforts to meet the needs of their people.

"We need to team up and form a strong CSO consortium since our development partners have been heavily shaken by COVID-19," she said.

Katarirawe made the remarks during a dialogue on sustainability of CSOs in the age of COVID-19 organised by Communication for Development Foundation Uganda (CDFU) at the Kampala Sheraton Hotel last week.

Katarirawe advised CSOs to consolidate, build internal capacity and resilience in order to survive during these hard times.

"Due to COVID-19, some CSOs have shut down, while others have laid off their staff. As CSOs, it is vital to do risk assessment and raise resources internally in order to survive within such high-risk environments," Katarirawe said.

For proper sustainability, Nankunda Babihuga, the executive director at CDFU, recommended nongovernmental organisations to realign their priorities and be able to describe their business model in order to remain relevant.

The Rev. Can. Evatt Mugarura, the executive director of Africa Youth Organisation, said: "We need to manage the remaining resources properly. We should tap into the private sector since they are willing to support us as long as the purpose of our work relates to their business." 

Richard Kabanda, the commissioner of health promotion, education and communication in the heath ministry, said: "We need to use the existing environment to advance what we do in terms of reporting, planning, engagement and collaboration."