Sprouting Nonviolence with the Changemaker Youth Grant

A picture of Group A leaders cleaning up the set nursery bed.

A picture of group B leaders also cleanings and organizing the seedlings.

A picture of the members transplanting seedlings to the main nursery bed, inserting the seedlings in their respective package.

A picture with our mentor, Mr. Remigio Muhwezi an expert in coffee nursery beds taking us through the transplanting process.

12th May, 2022

Bridget Nsimenta is one of our nine Changemaker Youth Grant Awardees in 2022. These small grants are designed to empower creative changemakers to make a difference in their local communities. Given to youth ages 12-24, the project should put forward a creative solution that addresses violence. (Find out more here and join us on Sat, June 25th to celebrate the completion of the projects.) Ms. Nsimenta’s proposal put forward the idea that coffee trees could help Ugandan families break the cycle of domestic abuse by alleviating poverty (which is also a form of violence).

Here is Ms. Nsimenta’s second report on the establishment of the coffee beds with the two local community groups.

The Second Report: Showing Our Progress in Addressing Domestic Violence through Coffee Planting

#EndPovertyNow

We officially started the second part of the coffee nursery bed project on 5th May, 2022. This effort aims to reduce domestic violence by addressing poverty through coffee planting. Together with the community members of Kirugu village Rubirizi District (both Group A and Group B), we transplanted and transferred the seedlings from the seedbed to the main nursery bed after the 45 days as directed by the trained personnel. We are working with an expert from the Uganda coffee development authority about the whole process of growing quality coffee seedlings and how to take care of them till they are ready for distribution and planting. As a team, we have been fully mentored, advised and guided on all the steps to follow. Previously we had anticipated two nursery beds but we have managed to raise one nursery bed that is standing strongly enough and fitting in our budget. We still maintained our two groups (A and B) to monitor the community members in an organized way until the end of the project.

We are grateful for your support as we practice our nonviolence campaign and help the community.