From the 15th of August to the 19th of August 2022, the CivFund team undertook a field visit to their grassroots partners in West Nile and northern Uganda. CivFund believes firmly in allocating funding to grassroots organizing groups given that a large percentage of traditional development aid goes to high-profile Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) yet grassroots organizations use collective action to address several societal limitations and cause significant social impact. CivFund, therefore, seeks to enable these organizations to be directly involved in implementing innovative and sustainable solutions through its participatory and flexible grantmaking fund practices.
The CivFund team used the opportunity of the weeklong field visit to observe and appreciate the work that had been done by the various groups in liaison with the communities in which they live. Initiatives such as conserving a river, communal sanitation through the collection of waste, preserving indigenous seeds, and encouraging urban farming to curb food shortages are some of the creative actions being taken by grassroots groups supported by the fund. Beyond that, however, the CivFund team was equally invested in the wellness and well-being of the people tasked with implementing this impactful social change. On the last day of the field visit, the team hosted some NGO actors in Arua at a dinner to engage in the sacred act of eating and sharing.