Volunteer Efforts for Rural Development (VERD) is a Ugandan local non-profit, non-political, non-denominational, and non-government organization (NGO). The organization is registered and incorporated by the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) as a duly constituted legal entity under certificate number 51921. VERD was founded by University graduates from Makerere University – Kampala in various disciplines, including Humanities and Social Sciences.  As an NGO, VERD is overseen by a highly responsible body: the Board, whose members serve the organization without compensation. The Board is followed by the Secretariat, headed by the Executive Director. The organization is limited by Guarantee  under the Act 2022, Non-Governmental Regulations of Uganda. 

VERD’s Strategies of Work

1. Household economic strengthening is critical in addressing vulnerability, marginalization, and poverty and their consequences on the vulnerable groups through family-specific income-generating activities tailored to individual household needs. Modest gains of household economic strengthening make critical contributions to household survival through income smoothing insurance against emergencies and food security. This offers the great possibility of a sustainable intervention beyond immediate assistance.
2. Vocational skills training that increases employability, income generation and entrepreneurship skills needed for self-employment and job creation
3. Household level-based interventions that are economically strengthening to create greater impact.
4. Designed skills tailored to create positive competencies in targeted vulnerable populations.
5. Multiple interventions that respond to a broad range of needs of the vulnerable populations, including direct support through both short-term and long-term interventions.
6. Project activities that are development-oriented, aimed at reducing critical vulnerability, marginalization, disadvantage, and laying the ground for livelihood improvement with a focus on education, health, poverty, gender, human rights, sustainable forestry, environment, and food security, among others.
7. Diversification of household crop and income-generating activities by engaging in one or more micro-enterprises and cultivating subsistence and cash crops, including building up savings in cash or in the form of insurance that households can draw on in times of crisis.
8. Establishment of income-generating activities that carry few risks and earn modest returns.
9. Education 
10. Poverty alleviation 
     

Our Mission 

To work towards transformation of marginalized vulnerable underserved populations into individuals who lead more secure, healthier and self-reliant lives.
We work towards achieving this mission by undertaking activities, projects and programs that can alleviate the plight of vulnerable marginalized groups in the equally marginalized rural communities in Uganda

Our Vision 

To see a society where the vulnerable, marginalized, and underserved segment of the population is happy, healthy, and productive through a sustainable, improved quality of life.
Volunteer Efforts for Rural Development (VERD) envisions transformed marginalized, critically vulnerable, and underserved populations into individuals who lead more secure, healthier, and self-reliant lives.

Core Values

• Accountability: ensures that all the donated funds are spent exclusively to ensure that goals and objectives of respective projects are achieved. It enables Volunteer Efforts for Rural Development (VERD) to successfully adhere to agreements and various policy requirements, ability to effect responsibilities, adequate use of resources and efficiency. Accountable to project beneficiaries, general community, donors for partners.
• Transparency: transparency in financial and program impact is one of the highest priorities for Volunteer Efforts for Rural Development (VERD). The organization’s commitment in terms of transparent allocation, usage and accountability of project resources is very critical to meet project objectives and outcomes.
  It also ensures transparent planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation at all levels and facilitates beneficiary participation. The organization exercises maximum transparency in her operations to fulfill responsibilities and use adequately the available resources for effective performance.
• Empowerment: beneficiaries and communities empowered to take responsibilities in the coordination of development initiatives. Provision of livelihood interventions that enable economic empowerment, voice and influence in decision-making. Also boosting the vulnerable groups and propelling them to economic independence. Empowering our target beneficiaries to participate in the development and implementation of project initiatives and to take control of their own lives and development.
• Cost-effectiveness: excellently designing and delivering cost- effective and evidence-based projects.
  Cost effective in resource allocation and utilization in achieving program results and project outcomes. This is required in order to reach out to more marginalized underserved vulnerable groups in broader context.
• Participation: participatory approach contributes to improving efficient and effective use and utilization of project resources to achieve sustainable impact and harmonizes planning implementation and monitoring activities. VERD considers it important and critical to listen to and think with beneficiaries by giving room for joint planning with them and gradually build up their self-reliance as they get more involved in project preparation and implementation.
• Compassion: compassion for the weak, defenseless, vulnerable groups on the threshold of life, totally at the mercy of other human beings through charity and human fraternity.
• Caring: giving a helping hand so that vulnerable, marginalized, and undeserved groups do not fall off the edge of life into a dark void.
• Non-discrimination: 

Our Mandate

These mandate of Volunteer Efforts for Rural Development is to enable marginalized vulnerable underserved populations develop the full potential of their capabilities and escape the vicious cycle of poverty and critical vulnerability. To improve the quality of life of vulnerable marginalized underserved populations through implementing a broad array of initiatives in an integrated approach to ensure the highest support to them with each activity improving an aspect of life that all combine to contribute to improving their quality of life and escape the vicious trap of poverty and critical vulnerability.
The organization undertakes activities that alleviate the plight of vulnerable marginalized underserved populations in Uganda especially those in rural remote and hard to reach areas

Our Principles

VERD is founded on the principles of unconditional love and compassion for the vulnerable and the disadvantaged. The organization’s cause is a cause close to the Hearts of the vulnerable. VERD’s initiatives, actions and interventions are specifically designed to respond appropriately and effectively to the socio – economic development challenges affecting the marginalized vulnerable groups in Uganda. VERD is on the frontline, reaching households and communities where the vulnerable underserved populations live