Leveraging and Enhancing the Voices of the Indigenous Peoples of Uganda and Combating Child Trafficking in Karamoja, Uganda

By Betty Bugusu, PhD., Technical Director, LASER PULSE, Purdue University, and Harriet Adong, Director of Communications and Knowledge Management, Makerere University - RAN On August 31, 2023, Makerere University, School of Public Health, ResilientAfrica Network (RAN), Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), Gulu University Constituent College (GUCC) in Moroto, and Purdue University brought together 89...

Uganda Indigenous People’s Project Featured by Uganda’s NBS TV Station

https://youtu.be/m-JN3hp733Q?si=hfuaxhefhqJPLgEG LASER’s Uganda Indigenous People’s Project has worked for several years to aid Ugandan communities in fighting human trafficking and establishing brighter futures for youth, women, and men. Now, one of the project’s efforts has been recognized by Uganda’s NBS TV station, which attended an event celebrating the 2023 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. The event...

Washington Office Event on Shaping Social Cohesion Initiatives in Iraq

Researchers from Notre Dame’s Pulte Institute for Global Development discussed their efforts to identify and restore traditional agricultural methods used by minority groups in Iraq during an event on Tuesday, June 13, at the Keough School Washington Office. The rise of the Islamic State and other sectarian tensions led to violence that killed tens of thousands...

Jaclyn Biedronski Receives a 2022-2023 Keough School Recognition Award

Evidence and Learning Coordinator (Pulte Institute) Jaclyn Biedronski recently received a 2022-2023 Keough School Recognition Award for “significant achievement” beyond her regular job responsibilities. Biedronski served as the project manager and oversaw a team of undergraduate and graduate students who worked on updating the LASER PULSE “Private Sector Engagement Evidence Gap Map,” a visual...

Melissa Paulsen Selected for University of Notre Dame Presidential Achievement Award

Congratulations to Melissa Paulsen, the Pulte Institute’s director of Entrepreneurship and Education Programs, for her well-deserved University of Notre Dame Presidential Achievement Award. Melissa Paulsen is the program director for Entrepreneurship and Education Programs in the Pulte Institute for Global Development. Melissa advances Notre Dame’s mission to place scholarship and professional practice in service to the...

BHA & DDI Evaluation Series Looks at Response to COVID-19

As it is critical to capture key learning from the pandemic response, the USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), with Bureau for Development, Democracy, and Innovation (DDI), has commissioned an additional evaluation series to understand the performance of the BHA-funded response to SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). It includes a Performance Evaluation for the follow-on fiscal year (FY)...

USAID LASER PULSE Research for Development Learning Summit

The LASER PULSE consortium members (Purdue University, Indiana University, University of Notre Dame, Catholic Relief Services and Makerere University-ResilientAfrica Network) convened in Washington DC, for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) LASER PULSE Research for Development Learning Summit, Tuesday May, 2nd, 2023. The consortium members were joined by USAID officials, other partners and...

LASER PULSE Conducts University Research Engagement and Capacity Strengthening Workshop in Kampala, Uganda

On April 12-13, LASER PULSE convened university leaders and researchers from around sub-Saharan Africa in Kampala, Uganda, to continue their efforts towards strengthening capacity in research leadership and project management at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The workshop was attended by 11 sub-Saharan African countries, including DRC, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan,...

Gulu Dance

The Voices of the Indigenous People of Uganda

Uganda language policy requires rural schools to choose a dominant local language to use as the language of learning and teaching for the first three years of primary school, while English is taught as a subject. The Tepeth and Ik people face the worst case scenario with only a few elders still able to speak...

USAID visit (photo 2)

USAID Mission Uganda team visit to Mbarara University of Science and Technology

On 15th December 2022, teams from the USAID Uganda Economic Growth and Partnership Office visited Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST). The presence of the USAID Uganda Economic Growth and Partnership Offices at the meeting provided an opportunity to track the progress of project implementation and provide feedback on areas of emphasis and improvement....