It is clear to anyone who has been living in Uganda, for any period of time or at least to a visitor to the countryside that there is one widespread problem- poverty.
Poverty has been exacerbated by war especially in northern Uganda, and the HIV/AIDS pandemic which has led to increasing numbers of orphans and consequently child–headed families. This has aggravated the situation to chronic poverty. This chronic poverty has come to define certain communities in the country, where individuals, households and regions are trapped in severe multidimensional deprivation for several years across generations. It is a situation where people are born in poverty, live in poverty and pass on that poverty to their children. The most affected include people with disabilities (PWDs) and the elderly with no social support.
The number of people who live below the poverty line, the UN threshold of two-dollars a day, continue to spiral and the situation continues to worry sector experts. Policies that respond to the needs of the chronically poor have been lacking for a long time. But all hope is not lost. Development Research and Training (DRT) is a non-profit organisation established in 1997 with the objective of influencing the socio-economic and political order through promotion of people’s participation in the development discourse.
The organisation situates its work in four thematic areas: Social Policy, Governance and Rights, Economic Policy, Capacity Building and Institutional Learning.
Social Policy
DRT has spearheaded various reflective, evidence based research processes to contribute to poverty reduction such as publishing the first Chronic Poverty Report for Uganda in 2005 in partnership with the Chronic Poverty Research Centre (CPRC) based at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom.
The report estimated that about 20% of households or 26% of Uganda’s population which is about 7.6 million people live in chronic poverty. Of course, this number could have increased following the financial, fuel and food crisis.
The report also identified Social Protection as a core strategy for poverty eradication in Uganda. DRT defines social protection as all interventions from public and private voluntary organisations and informal networks to support communities, households and individuals in their efforts to prevent, manage and overcome a defined set of risks and vulnerabilities.
Research and Advocacy on Social Protection
Since 2002 DRT has been involved in the Social Protection Campaign by conducting several studies on vulnerability and social protection, organising several awareness activities, media campaigns aimed at social protection and its importance in reducing risk, vulnerability and contributing to economic growth. DRT is currently a member of the design team for the proposed Economic Grant for Vulnerable Households (EGVH) for Uganda to be piloted soon.Â
In 2008, DRT led the civil society in producing a report on Social Protection as part of Civil Society contribution to the National Development Plan (NDP) and is currently working with other actors, spearheaded by the NGO Forum, to integrate CSOs contributions into the NDP.
In September 2008, DRT together with the Chronic Poverty Research Centre and Brooks World Poverty Institute organised an international conference; “Social Protection for the Poorest in Africa: Learning from Experienceâ€. The conference was attended by 130 participants from government institutions, civil society organisations and academic institutes from 19 countries across Africa, Latin America, Europe and South East Asia. It provided an opportunity for learning and sharing of experiences on social protection interventions, which greatly informed the NDP and Uganda’s agenda for Social Protection.
DRT is also a member of the Social Protection Sub-Committee, headed by the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development and has organised several awareness seminars, meetings and presentations on chronic poverty and social protection.
DRT has also researched and produced several publications including: Alcohol Consumption and Chronic Poverty, Elderly, Mental Health among others. Â
Chronic poverty, if ignored, pulls back the efforts on poverty eradication and can lead to negative development outcomes for Uganda. It also constitutes an infringement on the right to a decent life.
Governance and Rights
In a partnership with the UK’s Oversees Development Institute (ODI), DRT is conducting governance research to establish governance mechanisms that provide better public services to the poor as part of the wide programme-Africa Power and Politics Programme (APPP).
The study, focusing on generating data through ethnography will establish best traditional practices in the provision of safe motherhood, public security, water and health. This study is part of an Africa-wide study also being conducted in Tanzania, Malawi and Niger.
Economic Policy
Under this, DRT is currently conducting a joint study with Development Initiatives (UK) on improving transparency of aid practices through increasing traceability of aid information. By doing this, DRT and Development Initiatives seek to make aid transparent through documenting aid as reported by OECD versus actual aid figures as received and recorded by the Central Bank of Uganda and the Ministry of Finance. DRT is also working with the Uganda National NGO Forum to establish an aid platform of Civil Society Organisations working on aid issues as a means of pooling together and providing a forum for advocacy on aid matters in Uganda. Â
Capacity Building and Institutional Learning
DRT is currently supporting 15 civil society organisations in northern and northeastern Uganda, to understand poverty and vulnerability with the financial support from Trocaire. It is also supporting four civil society networks in mainstreaming organisational development and capacity building with financial support from DANIDA and the NGO Forum under the National District Network Support Programme.
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