WOUGNET recently visited some of the rural villages in Apac district, Uganda. These areas have very limited access to proper infrastructure, health care, education, Information & Technology (ITC) and agricultural tools and information. While other areas of Uganda are in a similar situation, the ancient cultural and social code of the villages visited have put a heavy strain on women. Men assume the position of “head of family,” make all decisions and can dictate what their wives can or can’t do. Women have to both fulfill domestic duties and work-related duties. In Apac, this means a majority of women are farmers who work in the fields 10-12 hours a day on top of caring for their children, trying to send them to school, cooking, cleaning and washing. A majority of men have refused to help in domestic chores (even as simple as buying soap) and go to the bar to drink all day with the extra money their wives make (they are obligated to hand it over). Check out this, almost humorous, article in today’s New Vision. After reading the research report, it was clear that the women, despite lack of education and connection to urban centers, had a clear idea of what they needed: information on market prices and where to get higher yield seeds, tips for planting and harvesting, how to use fertilizer effectively, information on education and health (what to feed themselves and their kids). It was also obvious that these women are facing obstacles every step of the way. For example, joining a local organization which supplies seeds only happens after they pay several levels of expensive (compared to what they earn) memberships. They ask that they can have the seeds first and pay back the organization after with a portion of the surplus. They can’t. When it comes to women’s rights and equality: a women can throw her husband into jail if he beats her, but she has to pay the 50,000 shillings to get him out of jail (plus, it’s dishonorable to report your husband and would breed more resentment). If a woman is raped, she has to pay every person along the war (police, judge, lawyers) to let her case be heard and processed. I was talking to S. bout this last night and he pointed out that traditionally men have had all the power in Uganda. However, aid organizations have found women more reliable and efficient with aid money and have therefore focused primarily on this gender (that and obvious gender equality problems exist.) However, this has stripped many males in the household of what they see as their duty/right – to assume the position of household head and initiate breadwinning activities or at least feel like they have some control – read input – in these activities. A person writing her thesis on the above research, pointed out that men need to be as involved in women’s group as the women. Itseems that inclusion is one of the remaining options. Obviously a majority of men won’t be enthusiastic about this idea, but some might participate and it could set a precedent. That and educating teenage men on how and why playing equal parts to women is beneficial.