Italy
Name: Rosette Mutesi
Country: Italy (formally Uganda)
Email: mutette@yahoo.com,
Website: www.satnet.org.ug,
Birthday: 09/02/1977
Education: Dip (Development Education) – Development Studies Center Kimmage and The Grail Training For Transformation Programme, BA (Social Science) – Makerere University Kampala.
Occupation: Social worker
Please describe your vision of a world that works for everyone.
I envision a peaceful and harmonious world that is green and able to provide for all no matter where people are located.
Peace around the world because: The world to day is in turmoil because of the many wars that have caused immense suffering especially to women and children. These wars are mainly fueled by un equal relationships among tribes, races, nations, abuse of human rights, greed, personal gain for a few and the list is endless.
Green home because: I remember when I was growing up, me and my friends used to gather every Saturday to go fetch fire wood, water or banana leaves which we in Uganda use to wrap the bananas during the cooking process. And it was only the older girls who were allowed to cut the banana leaves because it has to be done carefully so that the banana plants are not destroyed. As young girls we were practicing sustainable agriculture because we knew that we needed the banana plans and the banana leaves the next time we came back and next. Today, many of the rivers I knew to flood are drying up because the water is diverted by some company to irrigate their flower firms or some company to generate electricity for them selves….. The list is endless. I have read about the case in India about Coca cola and community waters. Around the world there are cases of environmental degradation and privatization of natural resources for the benefit of a few. Yet the world is home for us all. Global warming is a big threat and food security is threatened by unreliable weather patterns.
A world where people are able to meet their needs because: the current rising poverty trends are as a result of both global and national forces and trends that dictate the transfer of resources from many into the control of a few. The World Bank and International Monetary Fund structural adjustment programs that diverted government privates public services, retrench many and foreign direct investment have had almost the same impact across the world.
Yes as it is said, “the world has become a smaller place” but for who? Of course it has become smaller for the multinationals that have spread their wings to all corners of the world. But for the world majority population who can’t meet their basic needs, the world has definitely become bigger surrounded by uncertainty and many questions of what is happening?
I am active in the struggle to fight for another world where all people live in dignity, in harmony with the Mother Nature and with each other. Over the years all civil society organizations and community groups working in their own ways have achieved a lot and continue to struggle for another world and yes I believe another world is possible. Join the struggle
What do you see as the most pressing problems facing the world today?
The major problems facing the world today are:
Unfair trade terms and relations among continents: as a result of globalization, the world has become a global shopping mall and the multinational companies are smiling all the way to their banks abroad. With the privatization of many formerly owned government service provision institutions like water, electricity, telecommunications and others, these are currently privately owned money making companies. Usually these companies are foreign and repatriate all their profit back home country not to mention mainly employ expatriate `experts`. The increasing poverty levels are a consequence of this unfortunate reality. Interestingly, as all historical profit making sectors have already been privatized, many multinationals are exploring new avenues that have not been explored before and now small holder farmers across the world are faced with giants like Monsanto seeking to control “seed security”. How are communities going to guarantee their food security if they can’t control their seed?
Another key challenge facing the world is the weakening of the civil society and strengthening of Governments. In many countries especially in Africa, Governments have worked to undermine and weaken the civil society and communities. Consequently there is lack of a counter force to counter the hegemonic forces and bad governance to hold the governments accountable to the people they are supposed to serve.
How do you feel these problems could best be solved?
The problems above can be solved through a process of building and supporting strong social movements to counter these global forces of hegemony. Communities every where have to stand up for themselves by `reading their realities and writing their own history`. It through these community actions to hold government accountable, defining what development paths is suitable for themselves and doing actions to change their own reality that the world can change.
Therefore there need to be some catalysts for change across the world in all communities to mobilize communities and others to join the social cause for their good. Once community groups start to achieve major successes in their communities, then these successes need to be networked and linked to other social movements in all places of the world and major battles will be won by a people united across the world.
I also believe that through this strategy, the world will see the involvement of more women and youth in decision making and community organizing positions around the world. This will surely change the development agenda at community level and across the world for the better.
The world needs a new breed of leadership and community organizers with a vision for a just world for all. These leaders and community organizers need to believe that another world is possible and be committed to working to achieving another world.
Profile
I am called Rosette. I am an African woman with a big passion for community organizing for community transformation. I have worked with a number of community groups over the years and am humbled by the abilities and capabilities that communities have to change their reality. In all the areas I have worked, I have witnessed community transform themselves and this is why am involved in working in community organizing. I am an eldest daughter in a big loving family which I value very much for they have supported me immensely all my life.
I graduated from Makerere University Kampala with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Social Sciences in 2000. I attended the Training for Transformation Training Program at the Grail center in Kleinmond Cape town where I met and continue to work with community builders/ activists from so many corners of the world from who I learn so much all the time. Its the energy I constantly receive from all these inspiring people that I continue to work for a better world because I know that many other peoples are also working in other “corners of the world.”
I love to read books on personal development and psychology of development because am very fascinated by how different personality types and temperaments develop and interact with each other in the family and at the work place. Reading these materials have helped me to appreciate and understand my self and the people I live and work with. I love to work in the background organizing and planning be it for a community campaign or even at a family ceremony.
I love to watch comedy and funny stuff. I also love nature and always find time to site see. Am also fascinated by cultures and every time I travel, I would like to visit the local market to see people at work, what the food the community eats, what the women are selling. The market place for me is very important to learn about any society.
I now live in Italy with my family.
Click Here to read My Book Assessments
Books Completed:
As A Man Thinketh
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Giant Steps
The New Dynamics of Winning
Psycho- Cybernetics 2000
SUCCESS THROUGH A POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE