AFT picture of farmers harvesting tea leaves
A baseline survey report by the Center for Food and adequate living rights- CEFROHT, has revealed that the regular amendment in the Parish Development Model (PDM) guidelines by the secretariat, as one of hindrances to the implementation of the program.
PDM is a poverty alleviation strategy by the government of Uganda, with the focus to pull the CV country’s 39 percent population from substance farming into the money economy.
Rolled out last year, government intends to inject up to 100 million shillings in each of the SACCOs which are formed at every parish in the whole country. The seven pillar program, is looked at a game changer to the country’s economic outlook, the general welfare of it’s citizens, and the government has so far invested more than 1 trillion shillings in it.
In a pilot baseline survey on women inclusion and a human rights based approach in the implementation of the program in the districts of Kaliro and Mukono, with up to 899 respondents, the frequent change of guidelines among other issues, are hampering the success of the Program.
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The report finding indicated that 76 percent of the respondents, attributed the unclarityof the PDM information to the incomprehension and inconsistency by the parish development committees.
From the report, it was also established that all the PDM SACCO leaders who are the chief implementers of the program, were not aware of the program’s legal frame work, which cause governance challenges, as well as making it hard to enforce compliance, and also in preventing and settling disputes.
Among the other report findings, it was found out that majority of the PDM SACCO members, are not involved in the decision making processes over which enterprise to invest in. It was also found out that all the PDM beneficiaries across the two districts did not know the PDM implementation guidelines, yet they were benefiting from the financial pillar of the program.
David Kabanda the CEFROHT executive director, says that these findings are a very clear eye opener which should not be neglected by government if the program is to acachI’ve its intended objectives.
‘These findings are an indicator, that the program was rushed, and more preparation was needed. Therefore government should work on the issues pointed out in the report if we still expect a lot from the report.” He said
According to Kabanda, a lot needs to be revised in the implementation guidelines of the program, such that it benefits the intended group.
“Things like the 6 percent interest on the loan, should be scraped off because instead of assisting it will instead drain the beneficiaries and they will end up selling their property to pay this money, remember we are dealing with the population at the bottom of the pyramid. ” Kabanda explained.