UGANDA: The Church in AMECEA plans for sustainability for the local church.
The Catholic Church in Uganda in collaboration with AMECEA conducted workshop on financial sustainability an area that is becoming hard in the current economies as donor funding becomes meager.
The one week workshop that has brought at least two financial directors from all the nineteen Catholic diocese in Uganda is being facilitated by experts in finances from Makerere University, Uganda Martyrs University UMU, the Catholic University of East Africa CUEA in Nairobi Kenya and Uganda Management Institute UMI.
The Chairman for Uganda Episcopal Conference (UEC) Rt. Rev. Bishop Joseph Anthony Zziwa who officiated the opening of the workshop at St. Augustine’s institute, Nsambya, said that the Catholic Church is looking at the three areas, namely self propagation, self ministering and self reliance.
Bishop Zziwa said the Catholic Church in Uganda cannot complain of resources like in other areas. However, there is lack of knowledge on how best it can be utilized to generate more resources efficiently and effectively for self reliance and sustenance. That is why the Uganda Episcopal Conference thought it wise to equip her staff with the right knowledge to effectively utilize its resources.
He says the 21st centenary that cherishes technological advancement equally needs better managers, leaders, financial controllers who have practical knowledge and skills to cause positive change to the society specifically in the Catholic Church and her missions of operation.
However, this must be done in respect to proper financial mobilization processes, proposal writing, research, monitoring and evaluation of project time lines in according with the social teaching of the Catholic Church.
Issues of tax obligations is another area that challenges pastoral ministers which has to be well explained by experts. He hailed AMECEA for her vision in ensuring self reliance and sustainability in the Catholic Church.
The workshop is in line with the AMECEA strategic goal that aims at having a self reliant and sustainable local Church and with such expertise, knowledge acquisition, inquiries and sharing helps to build a sea of knowledge and understanding of the challenges of financial inabilities better according to Fr. Anthony Makunde the Secretary General of AMECEA.
One of the facilitators from Makerere University Prof. Edward Ddumba took the topic of resource mobilization and challenged the participants to exploit the untapped areas like utilizing Catholic land for growing food to feed Catholic Schools and institutions, constructing accommodation places and social centres among others, to widen sources of revenue for the dioceses on top of proposal writing but with emphasis on proper accountability processes and procedures.
By Jjunju Francis
