OUR APPROACH TO ENDING

POVERTY

JOZEPH
RELIEF PARTNERS UGANDA  PLOT 106 LUTHULI AVENUE
 INDIGENT ERADICATION INITIATIVE
The multifaceted and progressive nature of poverty especially in rural communities is
truly a matter of concern which calls for intervention and amalgamation of all concerned
to overcome it otherwise, its double-edged sword nature will soon extend its
devastating effects to the middle class and the affluent. It escalated from just being
poor to extreme conditions, in early 90s, a faction of people was JUST poor and the
number was less compared to the figures now; today, one is either poor, moderately
poor, absolutely poor, ultra-poor, indigent or languishing in penury. The central
government introduced and implemented a number of schemes to alleviate poverty but
the results appear as if all efforts were and are still towards increasing poverty.
ENTANDIKWA, PEAP, NAADS, OWC, YLP, YLF, UWEP, EMYOOGA, PARISH MODEL,
among others are some of the government’s initiatives where billions of monies sunk in
futility.
Non-governmental organisations, CBOs, cultural institutions, commercial institutions,
religious institutions, international agencies and several personalities cannot be
underestimated for their efforts. However, ground realities have pointed out poverty
increment regardless of statistics produced from trusted sources and those we earlier
trusted. It seems, poverty hides during projects’ implementation after which it re-
surfaces from its hideouts. Where are the inefficiencies, bottlenecks or whatever is
aiding the relentless existence of this cankerworm to growth and development?
Profiling the ultra-poor
According to the world bank, the ultra-poor person is that who can’t spend at least 1.9
US dollars a day. This category, engulfs a largest chunk of village dwellers in Uganda.
They are semi-literate, illiterate, access to proper health care is a day dream, poor
education, poor housing facilities, they are geographically isolated, low esteemed, have
little or no capital assets at their disposal, they survive on menial and manual labor, and
mainly on subsistence agriculture. They are hyperactive during crop planting to
harvesting periods but redundant during lean seasons, they are disconnected from
markets, they are not covered by social programming, and besides, they can’t afford
the basics of life.
The vanguard force we decided to be towards elimination of stinking poverty, is the
reason we stand tall as community empowerment enthusiasts. Relief Partners Uganda
has not folded hands to look on as worse moves to worst. We have a model which we
are sure, if taken step after another, poverty levels will drastically reduce. Please take
the trouble to read through our model. Feel at peace to question the cause, analyse the
process, and or critique the presumed outcomes.
Vision statement
Communities with guarantee of a life beyond living for today.
Contextualisation of poverty
A one size fits all approach to poverty alleviation in latter day apprehension and
response is vague, unrealistic yet seems to have been solely adopted severally despite
its failures. This therefore, cannot provide basis for a successful alleviation program. As
long as we keep generalizing poverty, the struggles to overcome poverty will keep
playing in mediocrity, so, community empowerment enthusiasts ought to contextualize
poverty. In Buganda area for example, having chunks of land is a cultural determinant
of a well-off person while in parts of north and north western Uganda where land is
communally owned, all people can access land for agriculture and so they can have
food. In cattle raring areas of western Uganda and north eastern Uganda, having a
limited number of cows or having no cattle at all deems one poor regardless of the food
they may have at their disposal and or their high levels of education. In my view,
poverty must be contextualized depending on presumed factors.
This alleviation scheme bears in mind the factors below when deciding who to alleviate
where and how.
Land available Asset base
Food security Esteem and confidence
Level and quality of education Geographical and social isolation
Quality of health care Access to information
Nature of work Level of ignorance
Nature of housing Level of skill set

The process:
The Indigent Eradication Initiative is a contexed specific approach which follows a series
of chronological steps from identification to graduation. The steps are explained below.
I. Ultra-poor identification
To identify the ultra-poor, fault free mechanisms are used, there is a tendency of
schemes benefiting the middle class or those a level above the poorest of the poor. We
have a fault free approach to identifying the target beneficiary, this is explained below.
Key persons
Every community has influential persons from diverse professions, responsibilities and
capacities, these can be elected leaders, religious leaders, cultural leaders, local
administration units among others. They know the nitty-gritty of people in a given
community hence provide information about the nature of poverty together with who is
vulnerable. Therefore, along with junior staff, they identify the poor.
Verification
Their information however is not final, to avoid conflicts of interest, Senior staff then
traverse the selected community to ascertain the data provided by the key persons
mentioned above. This is done in guidance of local leadership, volunteers and vigilantes
thus, the statistics to qualify one a beneficiary are pre-set.
Categorisation
Using the Participatory Wealth Ranking (PWR) and the Poverty Probability Index (PPI),
the identified poor people together with their statuses are categorized basing on our
criterion, and so the beneficiaries are determined.
II. Group formation
After successful identification, groups are then formed. 5-10 people form a group,
group members live in the same village/locality, these are selected on condition that
they have the same passion in the enterprise of their choice, other factors include age,
sex, religious denomination, level of education. Entry into a group is restricted and
subject to fulfillment of requirements, exit too is procedural.
III. Mindset change sessions
Lessons about personal success are inculcated and edified on a daily in every activity,
people need to be reminded that success is a personal decision, it’s a goal set with a
purpose. As a result, continuous insights into wealth creation and sustainability become
a daily delicacy. In other words, a poor person is brainwashed off the poor traits and
eventually dressed in success attires, set off on a road to their destined success
position.
IV. Training
A total of 16 lessons taught in 08 weeks each week comprising of 02 lessons is the first
and compulsory batch of lessons and pedagogies held periodically whenever deemed
necessary. Beneficiaries are taught the skills in business planning, book keeping, market
research and access, sustainability, economic resilience, record taking and
management. Enterprise specific training is offered to specifics for instance, those
wanting to rear rabbits for meat, are taught about the breeds, feeding, vaccination,
mating, size and weight, use of bi-products, housing, general cleanliness of the
structure, care for baby-rabbits, gestation, slaughter, packaging, market size and
access, transportation among many more others.
V. Cash/ capital Assets transfer
 After successfully completing all training sessions and participants evaluated, then
capital assets or cash is given to a group. A group whose participants fulfill the
requirements for this stage receives funds. A group receives the first instalment which
is half the total budgeted amount, it then receives the last instalment three or six
months after the first provided the first instalment was put to intended use and the
fruits of its investments are either visible or the likeliness of fruit prevalence is high
depending on the gestation of the chosen enterprise.
VI. Savings and loans
Groups then form savings groups similar to Village Loans and Savings Associations
(VLSA) initiated by the scheme, managed by them but supervised by the initiative team.
Group members elect their trusted personnel who ensure safety of the savings lockers.
To be specific, these lockers have multiple locks with multiple padlocks and keys.
Savings into the group safe are restricted to a certain ceiling amount, upon reaching the
preset ceiling amount, they transfer their proceeds to the nearby SACCO or commercial
bank on their group account. Group members are free to borrow from their pool, BUT
the sum to be borrowed is a ratio of one’s savings, also, his credit worthiness is subject
to approval by the group management.
VII. Mentorship
Perennial mentorship in economic resilience, financial sustainability, business acumen-
ship, and continuous insights of successful men and women are made available to
invigorate the beneficiaries’ spirits. Local Successful people from all spheres who are
readily accessible are availed to them for inspiration.
VIII. Graduation
Eventually, when all the stages of this process are exhausted, the beneficiary finally
graduates from pauperism to full financial potential.
Alternatives
Capital without assets (CWA)
Capital grants without assets can be passed to a beneficiary or beneficiaries when
deemed necessary.
Assets without capital (AWC)
This too can happen; a beneficiary or beneficiaries receive capital assets instead of
cash.
Capital with assets (CA)
Contrally, the above two alternatives can be amalgamated in one, capital together with
assets can be transferred to a group or individual where necessary.
NB: Determinants of who receives capital assets, physical cash or both is solely a
decision of the grant board.
Individual basis
After three years of successful business, group members can opt to stand alone in
personnel enterprises provided they have mastered the art of sustainability. Even at the
start, individual enterprises can thrive in case the intending sole individual fulfills the set
conditions.
Without savings groups
Savings groups play a vital role in cementing cohesion among members, however, for
individual enterprises, saving is a personal decision though the initiative deserves the
right to know his approach to wealth creation and sustainability.
Uniqueness of this model
The Indigent Eradication Initiative ensures inclusion and analysis of ideas, opinions and
suggestions from the beneficiaries. The poorest of the poor being the target, are
engaged, they fully participate in designing, implementation and evaluation of projects,
and ultimately their capacities are invigorated, they own the process, and presume the
results. When the alleviation strategies are owned communally it’s easier to alleviate
paupers from powerlessness caused by ultra-poverty to having ultra-power a process in
which they are active participants.
Secondly, it’s a context specific and needs dependent approach, this approach
contextualises poverty and it’s a ladder of studied interventions, not only that, it’s a
community inclusive and gender responsive approach to community empowerment. A
beneficiary plays a role in his alleviation struggle, implying, he does not only remain at
the receiving end; Mores so, while the rest of the schemes provide essentials for
consumption increment, immediate relief and opportunities in the form of assets and
capital transfer, they rarely work to train and impart in them the spirit of resilience,
thereby rendering them perennial relief expectants and thus maintaining the beggary
spirit. Unlike several interventions especially ones from central government, this
approach digs deep into imparting skills of sustainability, and training people to be
resilient to financial shocks, mindset change sessions are at the front of every activity
because it starts from the mind. Accordingly, this model works firstly to alter people’s
apprehension and attitude towards riches and wealth creation; The ultra-poor
populations must equally be equipped with adequate knowledge and confidence to do
more than just cope, to lead rather than live.
Problem-process-Outcome relationship.
Deficiency Approach/process Outcome
Landlessness Graduation Purchase of land
Poor health care Improved access to quality
MENTORSHIP
Savings health care
Poor education Access to quality
Cash/capital transfer education
Limited assets Purchase of assets
Low esteem and confidence Training Confidence levels increase
Manual labor Paid labor
Mindset change
Poor housing Improved housing facilities
Menial labor Group formation On site personal labor
Subsistence farming Commercial farming
Distant from social amenities Identification Amenities are accessible
Disconnected from markets Market access
Low purchasing power Increase in purchasing
power

Enterprises
The poor people targeted here, have to choose which enterprise to invest resources, this is guided
by passion, climate, nearness to market, possibility of value addition, amount necessitated,
technical know-how, size of land available, among others. Below are the three main enterprises
to choose from, however, with time, other innovations will be embraced.
Agriculture
Cattle raring Papaya
Rabbitry Nuts
Poultry Apiary
Piggery Broccoli
Aquaculture Beet root
Maggoty Passion fruits
Fruit growing Mushroom growing
Tobacco
Petty trading
Retail shops Mechanic workshops
 Eating places Soap making
Home bakery Candle making
Briquette making
Crafts
Bead making
Artisan works
Market intervention
This initiative goes ahead to search for market for produce incase products are not consumed
locally or cannot fully be consumed by the local market. To avoid wastages and selling at
giveaway prices, the initiative has a wide market base local and international where the goods
can be purchased both in raw or processed forms. Besides, beneficiaries themselves are
empowered to search for markets for their products.