Young Karimojong to start new research into culture and development

Young Karimojong to Start New Research into Culture and Development

A team of young Karimojong are about to embark on a new piece of research into the relationship between culture and development in Karamoja. Last year the team, which is made up of 12 young Karimojong men and women from a range of backgrounds, researched young people’s livelihoods in the Moroto and Napak districts of Karamoja, focussing on their strength and creativity in finding a living. (Visit our Publications Page to read their findings.) This year they plan to expand their research to a third district, Kotido, and to find a further 12 young researchers to work with them. This piece of research will take place over the period of ten months and will involve deep discussion and analysis with young people, as well as women and elders, across the three districts. The research team hopes that the knowledge they gain and the discussions they have will not only deepen their own understanding of the region, but also assist outsiders to understand it. They will use the research to build wider networks. They also hope to instigate further activities which lead to changes they, as Karimojong, would like to see in the sub-region. “One of the important things about our team is that we are made up of people who have been to school and people who have not, but we work together as one team. It brings different ideas to the group. The new team for Kotido will also be balanced between men and women and people who have and haven’t been to school,” said one of the research team members during a meeting to design the new research phase. The team will be supported by Restless Development Uganda, the Institute of Development Studies and PCI. Irish Aid is funding the research. (November 2012)