Promoting peace, development

MS stands for Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke, the Danish words for international co-operation. It is a Danish international NGO that has programmes in Eastern and Southern Africa, Nepal and America, writes Sylvia Nabanoba.

MS Uganda Country Office Staff with the former director Lars Anderskouv and the new director Ulla Strøbech.

MS Uganda is one of these programmes. It started in the mid-sixties as a volunteer programme under the name Danish Volunteer Service (DVS). Its purpose was to provide qualified people to train Ugandans in particular fields. DVS brought Danish volunteers who worked in schools, government ministries and as agricultural extension officers.

In 1972 MS left Uganda due to Amin's take over of power from Milton Obote. As promoters of democracy, MS did not support change of government through coups. It supported the use of constitutional means. Despite this, MS was still interested in Uganda.

In 1990, a survey group from Denmark came to look at Uganda's needs and see if the authorities were still interested in MS'activities. It was likely, at this time, that Uganda was back to a constitutional system that would also champion good governance.

"There was hope that the Movement would introduce democracy," says Lars Anderskouv, the Country Director of MS Uganda.

Therefore 1991 saw MS back in Uganda, this time as a development organisation called MS Uganda. Like any other MS country programme, it operates under an official agreement between Denmark and Uganda. It is run with a certain degree of autonomy although linked to the principles and policies of the mother organisation in Denmark.

The main aim of MS Uganda is to help in building confidence in Uganda. This involves furthering mutual trust among ethnic and other groupings within the country, and promoting confidence in Uganda among neighbouring nations and internationally. It does this through supporting peace and reconciliation, community initiatives that reduce poverty, and Uganda's co-operation with neighbouring countries.

MS Uganda works through partnerships with community groups, local and national NGOs, and government departments and institutions. The objective behind this is to build the capacity of these groups, especially the local communities, to exist on their own.

While still a volunteer service, MS realised that when the volunteers left the organisations that they were working with, almost everything would come to a stop because there would not be enough money to pursue the activities or operations begun by the volunteers.

Therefore it introduced a scheme whereby apart from imparting knowledge and skills, funds were also given to the organisations for their activities.

"Technical experience and skills can do a lot but if there are no funds for building e.g. schools or health centres, nothing will really be achieved," says Anderskouv.

MS Uganda co-operates with about 31 partners in various districts among whom 24 Development Workers (DWs) are distributed. DWs are Danish citizens brought to work with the partners on contract. Although sharing knowledge and skills is one of their roles, coming to Uganda gives them an opportunity to experience the conditions in Africa. This experience puts them in a better position to advocate for better policies concerning Africa, both in Denmark and Europe as a whole. Such policies include the trade policies that favour the developed nations, making it hard for the poorer nations to trade freely with them.

"When you sit in Denmark you cannot realise what the situation is; it is when you come here that you see reality," says the Director.

In return for the training and funds, MS Uganda gets information from its partners which it uses to supplement the DWs' advocacy work. As an organisation, MS Uganda works through its partners in Uganda; its role is to build the partners' capacity to lobby and advocate on their own. Thus, for instance, MS Uganda supports a democracy campaign to make people aware that they have a right to question their leaders' activities.

"In a democratic world lobbying is the most appropriate method of influencing policies," says Milton Ongom, the Security Officer of MS Uganda. He has been with the organisation since 1990.

Unlike in Uganda, the organisation is directly involved in lobby and advocacy in Denmark. The members lobby politicians, write discussion papers or hold conferences directly proposing changes or offering solutions. They also write articles in national newspapers or magazines on issues affecting their countries of operation.

MS is part of the international lobby groups working with the United Nations, like the Danish Debt Network which has links with the Uganda Debt Network, and the Danish Trade Coalition that deals with the World Trade Organisation.

The value behind all MS Uganda's activities is Solidarity.

"It means that we are together for a just cause - I am with you," says Ongom.

According to Anderskouv, as human beings we should realise that we are all dependent on each other, and should therefore work together to improve our world. We should not work individually, but together as one. Thus MS, a Danish organisation, is here in Uganda, trying to promote the equal distribution of resources by reducing poverty among the people.

"It is unfair that a small group of nations has a very large share of the world's resources, while the majority suffer. Our aim should be to get the poorer nations to be equal partners in the world community, too," says Anderskouv.

After ten years in Uganda, Anderskouv says that the impact of MS Uganda has been felt in the area of sensitizing and empowering people to initiate things on their own, instead of passively waiting for the government to do 'everything' for them.