GRG’s goal is to facilitate the reintegration of former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) ex-combatants in northern Uganda, and promote long-term reconciliation and development through holistic, culturally appropriate and locally designed projects.
Our approach
GRG firmly believes in a bottom-up approach where solutions to local problems lie with those who face the problem. Through this approach GRG has achieved its objectives by supporting groups to identify and implement their own solutions to local problems making the beneficiaries agents of change in their own communities.
The people we serve
With the 20 year long war against the Lord Resistance Army (LRA), northern Uganda experienced extreme levels of violence in the form of abductions, displacement, deaths, and the destruction of towns, families ties, and livelihoods. Though the LRA has not been active in northern Uganda since 2006, people affected by the war continue to return to their ancestral homes. With their continued return there is a huge manifestation of high levels of trauma coupled with a lack of sustainable forms of livelihood. GRG through its approach facilitates the reintegration and reconciliation of this vulnerable demographic by engaging them in livelihoods, trauma support, Community Theater, and community microfinance among other projects to foster reconciliation.
Our activities
From the bottom-up approach, our activities are categorized in five program areas
Livelihoods
We support groups with inputs for a range of agricultural and non-agricultural activities, along with training and market linkage facilitation. The group approach to livelihoods ensures that in addition to increased income and skills, group members have the practical opportunity to learn cooperation, collaboration, and problem solving.
Community microfinance and Entrepreneurship
Village savings and loans schemes provide group members with a safe place to save and access to investment capital, while building trust and cooperation.
Trauma support
We support groups in a range of locally designed trauma support initiatives, including one-on-one counselling, group trauma psychoeducation, and the facilitation of traditional cleansing rituals.
Cultural activities
Activities such as traditional dance, sport, or adult education have been used to respond to community problems like alcoholism and cultural decay, while promoting confidence and cooperation.
Functional adult Education
Owing to the LRA war, a generation of people grew into adulthood without the opportunity to pursue education. GRG facilitates adult literacy programs to help community members start and operate small scale businesses.
Reconciliation
Through its beneficiary groups, GRG has helped community members to confront on-going legacies of conflict, and other social problems as they arise. This has been achieved through group therapy on stigmatization, sensitization about issues like land conflict, and community theatre to promote empathy and the development of conflict resolution skills
By the facilitating groups of 20-40 people to work on the above activities, GRG continues to contribute to reintegration and reconciliation in northern Uganda.
