Africa Rising Project Lira

Sponsors and Work: The RYS project came on the foundation of the 1998 RYS project and the recent work of IRFF with rebel returnees from the district of Lira.	Project Participants: 84 participants and staff including sixty specially selected state and national youth leaders from Lira State. Twenty of the staff and participants came from 12 nations, largely from East Africa.
	Professional local training: We worked with a professional teaching training team from NEMA National Environmental Management Association, which taught efficient ways of sustainable agriculture (coffee, bananas, soil protection, and improved seed).
	Project Highlights: This project was very well organized locally and hosted by Canon Lawrence College. The local colleges also send leaders as participants and were exceptional hosts.

The quality of participants was exceptional since almost every person had already had leadership responsibility and training. Youth leaders were especially selected to return and teach the community the methods they learned and they were supplied with seeds and plants.

The June 9th opening meeting at Canon Lawrence College all the key leadership of the state government attended. The media covered the event on national radio and local newsprint. Throughout the project we were visited regularly by Minister Okwir and she also hosted a special lunch at her home for all the international participants.

	The Vice President's of Uganda (Dr. Wandira) talk to the RYS and the youth meeting was a highlight for many of the local RYS participants.
She stirred the participants on to create stability in their region while offering themselves in service.

The day sessions at the college for the RYS training included classroom training on agriculture theory and then practical work in the fields.

Each person had daily opportunities to practice what they had been taught. This training serves to provide a way for the program and knowledge to multiply quickly in the local community.

On June 17th after concluding the successful agricultural training all participants received certificates from the RYS and NEMA in front of four hundred students and local leaders. The event featured performing groups from seven education institutions. Then the International participant did visit some local natural site.

Follow up: The IRFF open a small office in Lira for future projects.