July 2010 - July 2011 report from Projects, Research and Development Department

The department has achieved alot over the year, it has been the focal department in the implementation of  “The Broadcasting for Entreprenuership Development in the Rwenzori region” project which is supported by both Stem Van Afrika (SvA) and Toro Development Network (ToroDev). The projects goal is to ensure that rural small scale entreprenuers (women and youth) utilise the services of the widely accessed channel of communication (FM radio’s) in Rwenzori region to easily access markets for their produce and services, access to improved seeds and access to appropriate technology among others for better socio-economic development.

The department successfully oversaw the carrying out of survey across the Rwenzori region districts in 2010 which was assesing the needs of rural small scale entreprenuers from rural FM radio stations. The survey has helped rural FM radio journalists, managers and proprietors appreciate the involvement of radio listeners in the programming and designing of radio programmes.



Solomon Akugizibwe (right) monitoring a participants project



To help in fundraising, public relations and networking, the department achieved alot in developing and strenthening ToroDev social media in 2011. It started a facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Toro-Development-Network-ToroDev/208441649166138  where latest articles, videos, audio about ToroDev published on online media are posted to keep all stakeholders abreast with the organisations activities. In addition to the existing multimedia website http://torodev.kabissa.org/, the organisation has also set up a blog http://torodev.blogspot.com/ to keep, strengthen and build a strong loyal internet community.

Since the organisation is transforming into a research institution, a youtube page has also been created http://www.youtube.com/user/torodev  so that research work doesnt only stop at being documented in text, for lobbying and advocacy purposes especially in the fields of ICTs and Entreprenuership policies, text researches will be complemented with video documentaries which will be skillfully designed and disseminated to the loyal ToroDev online communities.

In this finacial year (2011/2012), the department is planning to have a fully functional video editing section to strengthen ToroDev advocacy and lobbying  capacity in the country.

The department staff will also receive more on-job trainings in research to ensure that the organisations activities and research work are published on on-line academic journals to influence policies even at the international levels based on empirical evidence from the region.

The year 2010/2011 has been a great year for the organisation because it has led to the establishment of a strong network of all FM radio journalists on all the nine (9) Rwenzori region based FM radio stations and triggered the creation of eight (8) rural radio listenership clubs across the Rwenzori region districts. Continued sharing between rural FM radio journalists and rural small scale entreprenuers which was extremely very limited before the implementation of rural broadcasting for entreprenuership development in Rwenzori region has helped trigger healthy information sharing for improvement of grassroot household incomes.

Solomon Akugizibwe - Head of projects, research and development department

“NGOs should also help to mobilize resources so that our staff can be fully facilitated as they go to do research in the remotest communities...” Victor Kahuma

Pastor Victor Kahuma

Radio manager - Kyenjojo Development radio (KDR) 

Kyenjojo District

Different staff of KDR attended ToroDev workshops and trainings and those who attended were able to come and train those who were unable to attend.

All that was achieved during the training were discussed about and put in practice, our radio program packaging has improved, our data capturing is collected deeper and we have two programs which run on our radio station to help farmers improve on their skills.

Now most of our staff knows what entrepreneurs need and how to broadcast their needs on radio like information on costs of advertisements on air.

KDR has also tried to do on job training for its staff for better broadcasting; we are still facing problems of limited resources for research especially in the most rural communities where access is in most cases difficult. 

We call NGOS like Toro Dev to call for more training for our staff for better Entrepreneurship development broadcasting.

NGOs should also help to mobilize resources so that our staff can be fully facilitated as they go to do research in the remotest communities where accessibility is difficult.

For better community development broadcasting in the Rwenzori Region, there is need for a radio staff forum to ensure better information and knowledge sharing and access.

Radio stations have not done much to help rural farmers

Mr. Katwire Mukama

Fish Keeper and Herbal medicine farmer

Kamwenge District

Radio stations are so useful but they haven’t done much to help rural farmers improve their skills and Businesses. I attended the workshops that were organized by ToroDev on Rural FM radio broadcasting for entrepreneurship development and a lot of issues and useful ideas were discussed that were so vital to both the farmers and the radio staff.



Mr. Katwire Mukama (right)



Reasons as to why most farmers do not fully participate on programming and design is because most of them were started to achieve certain political or religious goals since most of them are either owned by politicians or religious institutions.

They focus on political and religious issues other than programs which will help the rural business people market their products and hence improve on their incomes.

ToroDev should talk to the proprietors of radio stations so that more issues concerning the farmers and entrepreneurs can be discussed deeper to enable radio stations change their broadcasting for the benefit of small scale rural farmers.