RCT and its MERCURY Middle Management Development Programme

As part of Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council’s MERCURY Middle Management Development Programme, the Council is seen to be offering a hands-on approach to “making poverty history” with the intent of establishing a robust Coalition Against Poverty within the district of Mbale.

As part of this MERCURY programme a project group has been set up with the aim of linking professionals in RCT with their counterparts in Mbale, thus forming working relationships, which will bring mutual benefit to those involved. The project presents an opportunity to save lives, money and reduce risk by looking to tackle underlying factors such as poverty and discrimination.

Although the project is still in its infancy stages, there has still been some notable work that has been undertaken:

July 22^nd 2008 – Several of the project group members attended an open public meeting at the Muni Arts Centre, Pontypridd regarding ‘How Climate Change is Affecting Africa.’ This meeting was used to gather background information on some of the problems faced by areas such as Mbale and the project group took a lot from the speeches by Jane Davidson and Edith Wakumire, as well as from the hard-hitting video on climate change and the effects it has.

August 1^st 2008 – Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council arranged for Edith Wakumire and Apollo Mwenyi to meet with the Leader and Chief Executive of the Council as well as the project team members. A formal welcome by the Chief Executive was given, with a brief about how the Council would be committed to sharing our knowledge and experiences within RCT but also learning from our counterparts in Mbale.

Also present in the meeting were representatives from PONT and the Education Committee involved. This meeting was used to gain valuable knowledge about the problems Mbale face, together with what initiatives were currently being undertaken to combat them. The project team spent quality time with both Apollo and Edith discussing the various initiatives they planned to put forward, and took the opinions and views of Apollo and Edith on board.

September 2^nd 2008 – Initial project team meeting whereby the issues raised by Edith and Apollo were discussed further. In this meeting it was decided that two themes would be focused upon for the project – one environmental and one of a social aspect.

It was agreed that the ‘environmental’ initiative would incorporate litter collection and recycling with overriding themes of carbon setting and environmental health.

The ‘social’ initiative to be investigated would center on alcohol misuse, domestic abuse and gender equality.

These initiatives were selected based on the fact that they would both be mutually beneficial to RCT as there were currently major legislation and priorities underpinning both.

The remainder of the meeting was used to divide the group into roles and responsibilities whereby research would be undertaken to look at what was already being done both within Mbale and RCT and then what was being undertaken in other areas which suffered less from these problems (i.e. models of best practice).

September 13^th 2008 – Several of the project team will be attending the PONT Conference on 13^th September at Pontypridd High School, where Jane Hutt and Jane Davidson will be attending. Team members will use this conference to discuss existing projects within Mbale and how their project work can help.

September 17^th 2008 – The second project team meeting has been arranged for this date whereby the team will share any information they have collected and discuss further direction for the project.

RCT workers visiting Mbale as part of a PONT team :

Rhondda Cynon Taff reaches out to Africa

Monday March 20 2006

Rhondda Cynon Taf Council has extended the hand of friendship and partnership to Africa, following a cross-party agreement to support the Make Poverty History campaign by twinning with a town in Uganda.

Its new friendship with the African town is not twinning in the traditional sense, but is a pledge by the Council to Make Poverty History and join forces with people across the world who are struggling to make ends meet.

The Council has thrown its support behind the valleys-based organisation PONT (Pontypridd Overseas Network Trust) following a motion tabled by Cllr Clayton Willis and Cllr John David.

PONT formed in 2000 in order to provide practical solutions to Make Poverty History and began its work to join professional organisations in Pontypridd with their counterparts in Uganda’s Mbale District.

Since then, 50 people, such as medics, teachers and community workers, have visited their partners in Mbale to share good practice and work to combat poverty. Twenty three people from Mbale have visited Pontypridd. Four Pontypridd schools have partner schools in the Mbale district.

PONT’s campaign to create more professional partnerships continue, with Rhondda Cynon Taf Council joining the movement this.

Its stunning location set among rolling hills is not the only similarly Mbale has with Pontypridd. Both regions have a strong cultural heritage and the family and community values run throughout. Blackberries and music are also popular in both towns!

As a result of the work of PONT, 120 goats have been sent to children in order to provide them with food and an income, 3000 mosquito nets have been brought, preventing the deaths of an estimated 1,000 people from Malaria.

Cllr Willis, who is Cabinet member for Childrens’ Services, Council Business and Human Resources, said: “This is a way for us as a local authority to show our solidarity with the people of Mbale in Uganda. The Make Poverty History Campaign has really captured peoples’ imagination and this is a practical way of showing our support.

“It’s about recognising what people in Mbale have achieved and moving away from the idea of just sending small amounts of aid.”

Cllr John David, Cabinet member for Social Care, added: “The gap between the world’s rich and poor has never been wider. Malnutrition, AIDS, conflict and illiteracy are a daily reality for millions.

“Most people in Mbale go without health care and around 150 children out of every 1,000 will die before they reach the age of five. PONT is all about giving people the opportunity to empower themselves and twinning up with all levels of society.“

Mbale is Uganda's third largest town, set in the foothills of Mount Elgon in the east of the country. It is about three hours drive from the capital, Kampala.