The Uganda Rural Literacy and Community Development Association is a local non-governmental organization, which coordinates a network of 16 community libraries in the West Nile region of Uganda. Its ‘mother’ library is located in Lokotoro Village (Aroi sub-county, Arua district). It serves as a meeting place for members to access information, mostly related to the improvement of rural livelihoods, via books, videos, newspapers, magazines, etc., and to engage in a range of activities. It also runs intergenerational skills learning programmes for members. The working languages are English and Lugbarati, the local language of the Lugbara people.
Uganda Rural Literacy and Community Development Association (URLCODA)
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Founded: 2009
Collection
The community library has a collection of books donated by UgCLA, the US Mission in Uganda, locally produced books, primers from the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, and books on religious issues.
Not yet available
Some magazines are available
Library video tapes and DVDs are shown to children during evening hours and weekends.
50 – 100 books are mostly received through UgCLA
Services and Special Activites
These are tailored depending on library resources and programs planned out with relevance to their set objectives, mostly by promoting literacy.
- Bill’s Journey to the unknown destination
- Nelson and the crocodile
- The proud catechist
- The foolish parish chief
Children’s health reading camps, storytelling nights, elders book writing workshops, annual intergenerational cross-cultural and multilingual literacy conferences, women’s football, and village savings and credit scheme.
Other Material
The Library lacks funds and other resources needed to sustain the interest of members. The battery of the solar system has run down and needs to be replaced. Continued motivation for volunteers.
URLCODA plans to attract more volunteers to guide users, conduct capacity building training for volunteer library coordinators/assistants, solicit funds to replace the solar batteries to help users, conduct ICT skills training and acquire more DVDs.
Active membership and participation in ALADIN activities, including information sharing.
Contact Information
Lokotoro Village, Aroi Sub-county
P.O. Box 1000, Arua (Uganda)