Northern Initiative for Community Empowerment (NICE)is a registered Community-Based Organization based in Kwania District, Northern Uganda. The organization was founded primarily to help improve the lives of people and bring back the lost hope after the deadly war in Northern Uganda.

Northern Initiative for Community Empowerment (NICE) is trying to solve the problem of “entitlement deprivation”, through Community Empowerment. Many people in Northern Uganda suffers from critical poverty, low access and level of Education , little access to better Health Services and prevention measure, we are also focusing on other social problems like, women’s right to equal access to resources, domestic violence and children’s right. We have employed different approaches to tackle poverty and other community problems based on working with other Community Aids Organizations, Development workers, Local Government, Technical individuals, Charity groups, Stakeholders and Communities to deliver our services while embracing symbiotic partnership.

Our approach to address the root course of community problems are basically through community sensitization and awareness creation, Basic Education support ( manual and vocational training) strengthening Agribusiness to increase house hold economic income, strengthening Village Saving and Loans association, campaigning for Women’s right and their inclusion in the socio-economic activities and campaigning against domestic violence, violence on children and protection and we believe in these approaches because they have worked for us and there is great impact in communities where Northern Initiative for Community Empowerment has reached.

The project will supplement Government efforts to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS in Kwania District. The Project will assist the Government to implement a comprehensive Behavior Change Communication (BCC) action plan, by engaging different health facilities in Kwania Hospital and district medical personnel (Nambieso Health Centre, Aduku Health Centre, and Inomo Health Centre). The project also seeks to directly reach the youth through different approaches including mass media like radio, community outreach and School Outreach Programs to different schools in the target area to effect behavioral change and reduce the risk of HIV infection among youth these youth (15 – 24 years). A total number of 2000 youth will be reached both directly and indirectly through mass media, community outreach and school outreach programs by the end of the project.

The main project activities of this project include;

1. Organizing 3 stakeholders meeting to introduce the project to the different communities the project will be implemented in.
2. Conducting 6 community outreach programs targeting youth that have dropped out of school and those that are still in school. To draw a big number of the youth, we shall involve local musicians and organize music concerts during these community outreach programs.
3. Strengthening Village Loans Savings and Loan Association of 30 youth to improve saving culture among youth living with HIV/AIDS. This will be done through training them in financial management and literacy.
4. Facilitate community sensitization and awareness through conducting 2 radio programs on HIV/AIDS transmission and prevention. The radio programs will target the youth (15 – 24 years)
5. Train 20 peer educators who will act as change agents in their local communities.

Project Goal

Increasing the awareness of HIV/AIDS transmission and prevention among youth aged 15-24 years.

Project objectives

• Train 30 living with HIV/AIDS on financial management and literacy by the end of the project.
• Train 20 peer educators on HIV prevention to act as change agents in their communities by the end of the project.
• Conduct 2 radio programs to facilitate community sensitization and awareness on HIV transmission and prevention in 6 months.
• Organize 6 community outreach programs to sensitize the youth on HIV transmission and prevention in 6 locations by the end of the project.
• Distribute 4000 condoms and test 150 youth for HIV within 12 months in 5 locations.