The 2024 Summer School and the International Cultural Boma and AFROHUN Showcase was held on June 20^th, 2024, at the Ruth Keeslings Centre, College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources, and Biosecurity, and for the first time involved CoVAB students.

The Boma was the final event of this year’s CoVAB-Mississippi State University’s (MSU) Tropical Veterinary Medicine and One Health Study Abroad program which started on May 31, 2024. The study abroad course focuses on animal production and health management, conservation medicine, aquatic health, wildlife health, public health, food safety, and security, as well as inculcating One Health principles while suffusing multicultural experiences.

During the presentations, the participants expressed what they enjoyed most while on the program and this included observing the human-wildlife interactions, working on wildlife and the identified difference between the US and Uganda, the animal welfare champion, as well as having Ugandan students included on the program.

The Principal, Prof. Frank Nobert Mwiine officiated at the event characterized by sharing the student’s experiences through presentations made before academicians, researchers, and students.  In his remarks, he said the Boma was a great avenue for sharing information and learning from each other drawing from the experiences of the students while out in the community and the wild. Prof. Mwiine commended Mississippi State University for the long relationship they have had with CoVAB and appreciated the inclusion of the Uganda students into the program. He expressed optimism that the summer school will grow into problem-solving partnerships in research, training, and community development.

During the three weeks excursions in Uganda, participating students from Mississippi State University together with their counterparts from CoVAB engaged in experiential field trips with hands-on experience at the interfaces between animals, humans, and the environment.

The Team from Mississippi University appreciated CoVAB for the lead role in organizing the Summer School that brought the students into contact with new areas with most of them being in Africa for the first time.  He said the summer school was opening up opportunities for further collaboration in areas like student exchange programs as well as graduate research.  It was a great experience for the students to move out of their area to the unknown and the exposure left lifelong in print on the student’s academic, practice, and outlook towards life, said the representative of Prof. Stephen Reichley, the team leader.

Dr. Celsus Sente the Summer School coordinator and lecturer in the Department of Wildlife and Aquatic Resources (WAAR) said the three-week expedition was a great field experiential learning opportunity using one health approach.  Students went to different places including Gaba Fish Landing Site, the Murchison conservation area, Mbarara Abattoir where they interacted with the meat inspectors, Kibaale conservation area where they observed wildlife practical activities like birds, undertook activities involving cattle, and goats as well as the feel of the interface between the environment, humans, and animal health, the one health approach at the fishing villages there.

The Boma as a concept in an African context means a meeting that allows learning and a two-way exchange of information between elders and youngsters. African culture involves the transfer of wisdom and knowledge from wise, knowledgeable, and highly experienced elders to the young who are mentored into responsible community members. The concept was therefore used to allow the opportunity to share knowledge from all stakeholders as experienced in the course of learning.

A consortium of Seven Sub-Saharan countries is implementing a 5-year intervention aimed at building the capacity of improved, sustainable, and locally–led management of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).

AMR is a public health problem that poses the largest threat to human health, causes death, and threatens economies especially those of developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

In Uganda, the project is implemented by Makerere University in the College of Health Sciences (CHS) and the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (CoVAB).  Prof. Dr. Damalie Nakanjako, the Principal CHS, and CoVAB’s Assoc. Prof. Julius Okuni are the Principal investigators.

The other sub-Saharan African states in the consortium include Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, and Sudan, while the other participants like Leipzig University are drawn from Germany.

At the project kickoff event held at Protea Hotel in Entebbe on Monday 12^th May 2024 attended by all implementing partners, it was explained that the five-year project will investigate and sustainably develop the local capacity to identify and intervene with a diverse range of biomedical and sociocultural factors impacting human, animal, and environmental health in sub-Saharan African settings to better control AMR and NTDs.

Through a One Health Approach, the project will work with several stakeholders including Behavior scientists, Data scientists, veterinarians, Human health workers, and policymakers in developing the capacity of anti-microbial stewardship in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The project’s main tasks will include screening of AMR in humans, livestock, and poultry using surveillance and genetic mapping; investigating the relationship between helminthic infection and drug resistance bacteria to better understand the co-infection between pathogens; developing capacities for point of need diagnostics on AMR and NTDs using mobile tests for field use; identifying any changes in antimicrobial use and AMR incidences; controlling communicable disease transmission and building capacity for sustainable leadership.

The kickoff meeting was addressed by stakeholders from different sectors who made proposals aimed at ensuring a successful project implementation. Hon. Dr. Charles Ayume, the Chair of the parliamentary health committee, while addressing the forum urged the implementers to consider involving the political wings of the respective countries and to ensure that the politicians get to appreciate the concerns on Anti-Microbial Resistance and the Neglected Tropical Diseases.   He said that in the case of Uganda, the process of the formation of the Parliamentary Forum on AMR was in the initial stages and observed that several politicians were not well informed about the challenges of AMR.  He said bringing the politicians on board would help the project implementers and stakeholders lobby for financial allocations towards AMR or else refer to it as unfunded priorities because they do not appreciate its magnitude. Dr. Ayume regretted noting that although innovations were game changers, Research and development were underfunded and mostly anchored in the hands of the donors.  He said regarding the success of the project, research was important because of the need to domesticate AMR, by taking it down lower to the communities.

Dr. Ayume said he was cognizant of the fact that there was a lot to do citing the example of the poor state of abattoirs regarding lack of adherence to public health regulations, poor sanitation as well and non-adherence to public health regulations. Legislation is important because several laws like the Public Health Act although amended do not cover AMR, he observed. He cited the recently enacted Animal Feeds Bill, as one example through which the Government can be held accountable.  He expressed commitment to further spread the AMR message through the Parliamentary Committees of Health from Africa, where he is a member.  For most of the issues that affect the region, he said there was a need to get together, and that this can be a way of domestication of AMR.

The Deputy Principal, CoVAB, Prof James Acai – Okwee who spoke on behalf of the Principal Prof. Frank Nobert Mwiine acknowledged and welcomed the partners from other countries and the German Federal Ministry of Education for the project support. He said Makerere University aspires to translate into a research-led institution including research in AMR.  He explained that there was a significant animal factor in AMR, where infection in animals will always be shared in the human population because of the extensive microbial use in animal production.  Anti-microbial use is becoming the normal practice in production and therefore 75% of the infections originate from the animals that’s why we appreciate the one health approach in addressing AMR, the environment, food production, and public health he said, while appreciating the need for a multi-sectoral approach in addressing the challenge at hand. He expressed the colleges’ commitment and readiness to work with the project team led by Assoc. Prof. Julius Okuni.

Other presenters at the meeting included a representative of the Director General of Health Services, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Water and Environment, among others.

Later on Wednesday 15^th May 2024, the project team visited the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources, and Biosecurity where they interacted with the leadership and staff and took a guided tour of some of the laboratories.

_{By Harriet Musinguzi & Jacinta Nakaye}

The Roots Africa University Clubs’ exhibition and mentorship engagement was held at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources, and Biosecurity bringing together several stakeholders that held a discourse centered around youth involvement in addressing critical issues such as poverty and hunger.

The event which also marked the launch of the Wakiso District Human Rights Report for the year 2023 was held on May 11, 2024, and was hosted by The INNOVETS which is a student-driven initiative based in the CoVAB. The initiative is dedicated to empowering students with hands-on skills, fostering critical thinking, and cultivating research expertise, as well as enabling the development of innovative ideas that have the potential to transform the livestock sector in Uganda.  

The discourse convened with support from Roots Africa, a non-profit organization based in the USA, attracted the participation of several sectors including students, agriculturalists, academicians, human rights experts, policymakers, members of the Uganda Police, and business professionals. It was aimed at highlighting pressing challenges and the actions needed to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1 and 2 – No Poverty and Zero Hunger, respectively.

Under the theme, “The right to food: Africa doesn’t need charity, it needs changemakers,” participants engaged in insightful discussions that teased out actionable solutions including entrepreneurship, leadership, and building sustainable agriculture business models.

Keynote speaker, Hon. Fred Kyakulaga Bwino, The Minister of State for Agriculture, passionately advocated for commercial perennial crop agriculture, emphasizing the potential of cash crops like Coffee and high-demand food crops like vegetables. He said it was time now that the country intensify efforts towards addressing the greatest challenges faced today which he said, were associated with feeding the fast-growing global population, exacerbated by climate changes and the associated consequences such as environmental, and natural resources degradation, natural biodiversity loss all of which affect food security.

Prof. Frank Mwine, the Principal of CoVAB, while welcoming the guests to the college highlighted the importance of mindset change in communities to ensure food safety and security,.  He urging changemakers to take proactive steps towards educating communities about their rights and for the academicians to embrace the role of the ‘university in communities.’

The ceremony was graced by Mr. Kamadi Byonabye, Director of Research, Education, and Documentation, who represented the Chairperson of the Uganda Human Rights Commission, Mariam Fauzat Wangadya. 

He shared that the agenda for human rights in Uganda has been evolving for some time. In 1995, it was streamlined both through a legal framework and an institutional framework. He reported that it was observed that the Uganda Human Rights Commission alone couldn’t promote and protect human rights everywhere in Uganda.

“Promoting and protecting human rights cannot be done by a single entity, it requires several departments and agencies to achieve this,” he noted. He further reported that the Ministry of Local Government directed all districts to establish district human rights committees, and this was effected in a few districts including Wakiso. However, some districts still lack this committee because of inadequate resources.

Mr. Byonabye said the right to food, health, other social services, and human rights were cross-cutting, interdependent, and interrelated. Whereas there is a legal and institutional framework, there’s individual observation of these rights because they are violated at the individual level. Therefore, the proper application of these requires a mindset change, he observed.

Notable speakers, including the Wakiso District Chairperson, Mr. Matia Lwanga Bwanika, and representatives from civil society organizations like the Center for Health, Human Rights and Development (CEHURD), shared valuable insights on health rights, community engagement, and the protection of vulnerable groups. Mr. Bwanika recognized and commended the involvement of Makerere University as a key partner in advocating for human rights. “Makerere University, having hosted the event, proves that a rights-friendly environment was an initiative that academicians were also advocating for, said the Wakiso District Chairperson.

He said several districts were still lagging in establishing human rights committees due to demands for facilitation and commended the voluntary service rendered by the team that put together the 2023 Human Rights Situation report for Wakiso.

The Deputy Executive Director- Programmes at The Centre for Health, Human Rights and Development (CEHURD), Noor Nakibuuka Musisi, reported about the health rights situation in some parts of Wakiso. She petitioned policymakers to extend services to rural areas, citing Bussi Island as one of the areas with no health facilities which was a key challenge for expecting women. 

The Wakiso District Human Rights Committee Chairperson, Mr. Elly Kasirye also gave an address, affirming that human rights realization is achievable when structures are established while engaging people at the grassroots. 

The event also involved panel discussions where several concerns were shared. Participants brainstormed ideas on the promotion and protection of human rights, which focused on community engagements, paying attention to rights for children with disability, issues concerning human settlement in wetlands which also affects human rights through causing floods, triggering questions on health and food security, and the need to build networks of powerful organizations, people, social movements as a notable solution to address these challenges. 

What is Roots Africa?

Founded by Mr. Cedric Nwafor, Roots Africa is a non-profit organization registered in the USA dedicated to combating hunger and poverty in Africa through innovative academic partnerships, bridging the gaps between academic institutions and experts in the United States. In Uganda, Roots Africa is working with students’ clubs from Makerere University (INNOVETS-CoVAB), Gulu University, Bukalasa Agricultural College, Uganda Christian University, Uganda Martyrs University Nkozi, Bishop Stuart University, and Mountains of the Moon University. 

Who are the INNOVETS? 

The INNOVETS is a student-driven initiative based in the CoVAB. It is dedicated to empowering students with hands-on skills, fostering research expertise, and enabling the development of innovative ideas that have the potential to transform the livestock sector in Uganda.