School of Social Sciences (SSS) Collections

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    Experiences of anti-gender based violence non-governmental organizations in integrating the national male involvement strategy in their programs to prevent GBV : a case of selected organizations in Kampala, Uganda
    (Makerere University, 2025) Katushabe, Eunice Innocent
    Gender-Based Violence (GBV) prevention efforts have expanded globally, emphasizing the need for comprehensive strategies that address the root causes often embedded in power imbalances between men and women and societal norms. Male involvement has emerged as a key strategy for preventing GBV. Male involvement as a critical component underscores the importance of engaging men and boys in challenging harmful norms and stereotypes and promoting gender equality. In this regard, the National Male Involvement Strategy was developed to guide anti-GBV programming in Uganda and promote men's involvement in the fight against GBV. While several studies have examined why male involvement is needed in GBV prevention work, many have not reviewed the experiences of anti-GBV Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in using the existing National Male Involvement Strategy as a tool for GBV prevention. This study provides insights into the experiences of anti-GBV NGOs in Uganda as they integrate the National Male Involvement Strategy, 2017, as a tool for preventing GBV. This study explores NGOs' barriers, facilitators, and practices in incorporating the National Male Involvement Strategy into their GBV programs. The study employed an exploratory cross-sectional design and a qualitative approach. The sample included eight primary participants from 4 purposively selected anti-GBV NGOs in Kampala City and three key informants. The main methods of data collection were in-depth interviews and key informant interviews. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis techniques. I found that the National Male Involvement Strategy has significantly impacted GBV prevention efforts in Kampala, where many anti-GBV NGOs have developed approaches and best practices based on its implementation. The study highlights various approaches used by organizations to engage men in preventing GBV. These include the SASA! approach, the male engage approach, and the model parenting approach. These strategies focus on community mobilization, long-term gender norm transformation, and positive role models for GBV prevention. The key facilitators of integrating the National Male Involvement Strategy identified in this study include community engagement, tailored interventions, and gender-sensitive frameworks. Community willingness, local context, and accessible language facilitate participation. Policies like the National Policy and Domestic Violence Act support male involvement initiatives. The National Male Involvement Strategy for GBV prevention faces barriers like ideological differences, patriarchal norms, poor strategy conceptualization, and evidence-based approaches. As highlighted by the study, language and framing issues also alienate men from participation. In conclusion, the study explored how Anti-GBV NGOs integrate the National Male Involvement Strategy in GBV prevention, revealing both enabling factors and ongoing practical challenges. Using an implementation science determinant framework, success depends on contextual, organizational, and individual factors, while emphasizing community participation and gender-inclusive advocacy. The NGOs showed diverse and innovative approaches, shifting toward inclusive, context-driven male involvement, offering key insights for improving future strategy implementation.
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    United Nations peacekeeping and the protection of civilians: the case of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA)
    (Makerere University, 2025) Makur, Margaret Apuol Daniel
    This study examines the role of United Nations peacekeeping operations in the protection of civilians, using the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei as a case study. Abyei, a contested border region between Sudan and South Sudan, has long been plagued by intercommunal violence, political instability and competing territorial claims, which have collectively posed significant threats to civilian populations. In response, the UN Security Council established UNISFA in 2011 under Resolution 1990, with a mandate that includes protecting civilians under imminent threat of physical violence. Despite the mandate, the mission's effectiveness in fulfilling its PoCs responsibilities remains a subject of ongoing concern. In order to contribute to the growing discourse on the challenges and prospects of UN peacekeeping in fragile and contested environments, this study adopts a qualitative methodology, drawing on both primary sources, such as government documents, and secondary sources, including UN reports, academic literature, and policy documents. The findings reveal that while UNISFA has made some progress in maintaining relative stability and deterring large-scale violence, its ability to protect civilians has been hampered by several challenges. These include limited resources, restrictive rules of engagement, unclear mandate interpretation, and the absence of a political process to address the root causes of conflict in Abyei. Additionally, the mission’s military-centric structure, lack of robust civilian components, and weak engagement with local populations have further constrained its capacity to deliver comprehensive protection of civilians. The study recommends that effective PoCs in peacekeeping contexts like Abyei requires a multidimensional approach that goes beyond mere physical protection to include political engagement, community-based protection strategies, and the strengthening of local institutions. It underscores the need for context-specific peacekeeping strategies that align with both the protection needs of civilians and the political realities on the ground. As such, the study’s overall conclusion is that a review of UNISFA’s mandate to include a stronger civilian protection component, transitioning of UNISFA into a multi-dimensional mission with a robust civilian presence, strengthening political engagement and diplomacy, improving engagement with local communities, adoption of gender-sensitive peacebuilding, and investment in capacity building and strong accountability systems ought to be undertaken.
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    Cross border resources management, oil exploration in the Albertine region on Uganda-DRC border
    (Makerere University, 2024) Amanya, Israel
    The discovery of commercially viable oil reserves in Uganda's section of the Albertine Graben has sparked significant interest in recent decades. This oil discovery, however, extends beyond national borders. The Albertine Graben straddles the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), raising crucial questions about cross-border resource management. This research investigates the challenges and opportunities associated with managing oil exploration and potential extraction in this shared region.
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    Decision-making dynamics in the use of female sterilisation among women living with HIV/ AIDS in Uganda
    (Makerere University, 2025) Birungi, Edith Mwebaze
    Family planning programmes have shifted focus from controlling population growth by increasing contraceptive use to providing rights-based family planning services. However, the power dynamics that facilitate inequity in contraceptive decision-making persist. This study explored the power dynamics in decision-making regarding the use of female sterilisation as a method of contraception among women living with HIV in Uganda. The study utilised a multiple case study and phenomenology research designs and a qualitative approach to explore the contraception decision-making experiences of women living with HIV. Data were collected using in-depth interviews with 23 women (14 sterilised and 9 using long-term methods) and key informant interviews with 12 healthcare providers. Informal conversations (with 5 out of the 23 women and 6 out of the 12 key informants) and document analysis methods were also used to supplement the data collected from the interviews. Concepts under each level of the social-ecological framework and the intersectionality theory were used to conceptualise the interactions and interdependence between individual-level, micro, and broader macrostructural contexts that influence the contraception decision-making process. The study suggests that contraception decision-making is a complex process influenced by multiple actors and intersecting structural forces operating at various levels of society. Variations in contraception decision-making autonomy and agency seem to have been affected by an intersection between individual-level factors, such as having comprehensive knowledge about all the available contraceptive methods and health status, which interacted with hierarchical and gendered structures of privilege and discrimination at multiple levels of society. These included social and gender norms influenced by reference groups such as peers and family members and macro-level structural factors such as the family planning policy and ethical guidelines. The study recommends that family planning programmes should focus on providing comprehensive information and counselling about the benefits and side effects of all methods of contraception. In addition, the Ministry of Health should collaborate with social networks that reinforce harmful social norms and practices that negatively influence sterilisation use by providing outreach services, recruiting and training Village Health Team members, and utilising peer counsellors to provide information about all methods. Lastly, family planning programmes that aim to deliver rights-based and justice-oriented services for people with diverse needs and experiences should incorporate measures that examine the gendered power dynamics affecting individual and group agency in contraception decision-making at all policy and programme design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation stages.
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    Mobile banking and the pursuit of financial inclusion in the age of leaving no one behind
    (Makerere University, 2025) Ainembabazi, Annie
    The pursuit for financial inclusion has emerged as an important component of strategic global development, with focus on reducing poverty, promoting economic growth, and attaining equitable access to resources. In particular, mobile banking has become a critical tool in promoting financial inclusion, especially in low- and middle-income countries where traditional banking infrastructure is often limited. With emphasis on the importance of inclusive growth and ensuring that marginalized populations are not excluded from financial systems, United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) introduced the concept of "leaving no one behind” (UN, 2022). In this milieu, mobile banking provides an innovative solution to bridge the financial services gap, offering a way for unbanked and underbanked individuals to access a range of financial services, including savings, loans, and payments.