F. A. Q. s

1. What is RICE-WN ?

RICE-WN is a local NGO based in Arua district of Uganda and working in the whole of West Nile region. The term RICE-WN is an abbreviation standing for Rural Initiative for Community Empowerment West Nile. It is an empowerment organization focusing on rural communities.

2. What does RICE-WN do ?

RICE-WN empowers communities through capacity building, awareness raising and information dissemination. Capacity building is done through trainings, practical works, counseling and open discussions. Awareness raising is done through sensitization events, radio programs (talk shows, drama, spot messages) and surveys. Information dissemination is done through newsletters, posters,activity reports and research findings. All these are ways of empowering communities.

3. What are the programs in RICE-WN ?

RICE-WN has four departments and ten programs. The departments are community development, community health, development research, organization development and finance administration.

4. Who funds RICE-WN ?

RICE-WN as most other NGOs also depends on external donors and so only projects that have the donor interests are funded. The current projects funded are four and these are; Community Empowerment Programme funded by SNV. Harnessing the potential of oil and gas to contribute to peace and development in Uganda, funded by International Alert ; economic empowerment of women funded by international Alert ; SCIPHA (Strengthening Civil Society for interventions in PHA and OVC interventions) funded by Uganda Health Marketing Group (UHMG) and Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC), Mentor-ship program for Young Environmental Trainees with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). RICE-WN also does routine maintenance of anti-malarial drains in Arua Municipal Council. There are many other projects of RICE-WN that are not funded and they are open for funding by individuals, NGOs and other agencies.

5. How can I help RICE-WN ?

you can help RICE-WN by volunteering, funding a particular activity, funding an asset, contributing ideas on line or by post, visiting the projects and offering any other assistance that may be deemed necessary. You can do this by getting in contact with the Executive Director RICE-WN P.O Box 481 Arua.

Tel. +256 372280576. Mobile : +256 773472234 or +256 712 353669.

Email: ricewn@gmail.com, info@riceuganda.org

6. How does RICE-WN identify her beneficiaries ?

RICE-WN identifies beneficiaries in four ways 1) through research and needs assessment 2) through government directive 3) call-in by needy communities 4) directives by funders.

7. Are there volunteer opportunities with RICE-WN ?

Yes there are volunteer opportunities for both local and international volunteers. The volunteers have terms of reference that can be sent on request and are subject to discussion with the volunteer. Applications are done on line by e-mail. For more information you can refer to the website.

8. Who is the contact person in RICE-WN ?

The contact person for RICE-WN is the Executive director. You can reach him by post, e-mail or telephone. P.O Box 481 Arua Uganda. E-mail: psakari@riceuganda.org or info@riceuganda.org or ricearua@yahoo.com or ricewn@gmail.com Tel : +256 372280576. Mobile : +256 773472234 or +256 712 353669.

9. Are there opportunities for students in RICE-WN ?

Yes there are opportunities for students in RICE-WN both international and local. The opportunities include internship, research and graduate experience. All these experiences are subject to time and selection criteria qualification available on the website.

10. How does RICE-WN relate with the Government and other NGOs ?

RICE-WN relates with other NGOs through partnerships, networking and information sharing. RICE-WN belongs to regional and national networks such as Northern Albertine Network for Environment and Petroleum (NANEP), Civil Society Coalition on oil and Gas (CSCO), Civil Society Network for Peace in Northern Uganda (CSOPNU), Uganda Water and Sanitation Civil Society Network (UWASNET), Development Network for Indigenous Voluntary Associations (DENIVA). RICE-WN works in collaboration with local governments by registering in all districts of operation and involving the technical officers in trainings, information dissemination, supervision, monitoring and evaluation.

11. Are there policies for RICE-WN ?

RICE-WN has policies in place for internal controls and to give direction for interventions. The current policies include Finance Policy, Human Resource Policy, Volunteer Policy, Board Manual and Procurement Policy, ICT Policy. Other documents are the strategic plan 2011-2015, Annual budgets and Annual work plans.

12. What internal controls exist for RICE-WN ?

The policies stipulate internal controls to cub fraud and indiscipline among the staff, volunteers and friends. There are contracts signed by each staff member or volunteer and yearly appraisals for every staff member. There are weekly management meetings, bi-weekly departmental meetings and monthly staff meetings. We also have activity reports, quarterly reports, mid year reviews and yearly joint staff-board retreat and yearly stakeholders’ forum.

13. What does life feel like in RICE-WN ?

RICE-WN feels like a family environment. The family spirit is emphasized to enable unity between all the members of staff, board and friends. There is also team spirit that keeps all the staff on track and stronger. Other life styles are explained by the core values summarized as STRENGTH also available in our website.