It is now widely acknowledged that poverty is not just about low income, but also about powerlessness and exclusion. In Uganda, for example, much progress has been made, as indicated by infant mortality, literacy and economic growth rates. However, it is still one of the poorest countries in the world.

During the 1990s, the proportion of Ugandans living in poverty declined from 56 percent to 35 percent. Uganda remains extremely poor, ranking 147 out of 174 on the United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Index. The Uganda Participatory Poverty Assessment Project (UPPAP) was carried out so as to understand better the causes of poverty and inequality. The results were to be incorporated into Uganda’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP).

A report from Oxfam Great Britain has examined the UPPAP process. The project, consisting of two major phases in 1998 and 2002, aimed to consult poor people and the most excluded groups regarding access to and the quality of basic services. The first UPPAP revealed gender and diversity issues but these were not adequately reflected in the resulting PRSP. Those responsible for drafting the PRSP rearranged data grouped by gender so differences were hidden. They addressed girls’ access to education and violence against women by their husbands, but did not include analysis of why these problems existed: the power inequality between men and women. Beyond gender, they also ignored other aspects of inequality.

The Oxfam report attributes these deficiencies to:

• donor deadlines that restricted the time non-governmental organisations and the government had for analysis of gender issues
• inadequate participation of the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development and of key women’s networks
• a reactive rather than proactive approach: gender issues were added at the end rather than being analysed from the beginning of the research
• low-level gender awareness of the team drafting the PRSP based on the UPPAP.

The second phase of the UPPAP took more time to consult women, men, young people, the elderly, people with disabilities, refugees and other excluded groups. Researchers and consultants received training in gender issues and in assessing the needs of diverse groups.

The researchers found that while some dimensions of poverty are familiar to all poor people, different groups may experience poverty very differently, depending on the social, political and economic conditions they face. However, all groups agreed that poverty can be described as a lack of basic needs and services such as water, education, health and funds for business. Powerlessness – the inability to express themselves and be heard at government level – was key to people’s experience of poverty. Specific findings include:

• Women described poverty as lack of control over land, crops, livestock and family-planning whilst being responsible for meeting family needs. This is a direct cause of welfare problems for entire families.
• Children remain excluded and voiceless, especially AIDS orphans.
• Young people are unemployed because they lack useful skills and training.
• People with disabilities have limited access to basic services.
• The elderly lack the social care and welfare benefits they deserve.

In the last 20 years, protracted conflicts and insecurity have caused thousands of deaths, displacement and human misery in Northern Uganda. Despite this, Uganda has shown significant commitment to listening to the voices of poor people and others should learn from its experiences. Policy makers must acknowledge the different needs within communities and respond to them with specific policies.

Source(s):
‘Poverty-reduction policy responses to gender and social diversity’ by Dereje Wordofa, Gender and Development, Vol. 12 No. 1, pp. 68-74, May 2004

id21 Research Highlight: 28 June 2005

Further Information:
Dereje Wordofa
Oxfam GB
274 Banbury Road
Oxford
OX2 7DZ
UK

Tel: 44 (0) 1865 311 311
Fax: 44 (0) 1865 312 600
Contact the contributor: dwordofa@oxfam.org.uk

Oxfam GB

Other related links:
'Chronic poverty in Uganda: how the poor see themselves'

'Listening to children – the silent majority of Uganda’s poor'

'The Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper in Rwanda: working together to fight poverty?'

'Rethinking poverty assessment: the pros and cons of participatory methods'

'Children’s issues ignored in Ethiopia’s PRSP process'

'Linking rural livelihoods to poverty reduction strategies in Africa'

'Any change in policy-making? Assessing Benin’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper'