Community Development for the Kahoko Cluster of Rukungiri District, Uganda

World Centric + Raising the Village

$80,564 from profits from fiscal year 2020

Ultra-poverty is the most difficult and deepest form of poverty to address. Over 400 million people live in ultra poverty, with 80% living in just 14 countries, including Uganda. Ultra-poor families primarily practice subsistence farming on less than one acre and live in last-mile rural areas. Households in Rukungiri District earn an average of $0.79 USD/day, well below the $1.90USD/day extreme poverty line. Low household income (HHI), poor infrastructure & agricultural yields, and chronic barriers to basic needs have led to families experiencing high levels of food insecurity, poor housing, low quality of life and the inability to withstand development shocks. Lack of access to clean water and health services are few of the primary concerns for the communities. Currently, only 35% of households are practicing basic hygiene leading to health issues. Local health clinics are approximately 8km away, taking 96 minutes to reach by foot or costing $1.55USD for a one-way trip. Low income has exacerbated livelihood challenges including poor quality housing, limited access to WASH elements for sanitation, and the inability for subsistence households to address development shocks.

Raising the Village (RTV) focuses on moving last mile, rural communities out of ultra poverty. RTV applies a low-cost, livelihood-based solution to support ultra-poor communities. Programs aim to engage all village members, with an emphasis on women, youth, and vulnerable households in achieving economic self-sufficiency within 24 months.

The RTV model:

• Livelihoods: Develop a diversified portfolio of household income sources to reduce the dependency on household agriculture and optimize the quality of life for families.
• Access: Remove immediate barriers to accessing basic needs and services.
• Guidance: Technical advisory, follow-up and mentorship to ensure communities are able to sustainably manage and own projects over the long-term.

The Project

• Kahoko Cluster is located in Nyakishenyi sub-county, Rukungiri District, Uganda. It consists of 10 villages: Katungu, Kibeho, Kamuhozi, Karukonjo, Nyabisoni, Nyabubare, Nyaruhanga,Rugasha, Rutooma & Rwanama. World Centric is funding these communities (5,150 community members in 1,051 householdss) to participate in a 10-month training program with Raising the Village. This includes:
  
  • WASH Training, Latrine Construction & Water Pipeline Installation
  • Door-step Health Outreaches
  • Financial Literacy & Behavior Change training
  • Agriculture Training, Compost & Nursery Setup, Seed Distribution & Pass-On
  • Livestock Training, Construction, and Distribution

The Impact:

• We expect the average household income & consumption to increase from $0.79/day to $1.25/day within 12 months and above $2.00/day in 24 months.
• Decreased Progress Out of Poverty Index (PPI) by 6 points from 33 to 27 within 24 months.
• 45% average household asset value increased; from $59.89 USD to $86.84 within 24 months.
• Increased number of households participating in VSLAs and accessing credit from 21% and 23% respectively to 60% participation and access.
• At graduation, we expect 100% of pre-identified women (814 adult women), to benefit from at least 1 pig within 24 months as part of RTV’s revolving methodology.
• We expect 95% (816 of 848) of youth to benefit from at least 1 pig within 24 months as part of RTV’s revolving methodology.
• With the installation of latrines, water systems, and WASH interventions and training, we expect 85% of the households to practice standard hygiene guidelines (vs 35% at baseline) leading to improved health and environmental outcomes.
• The introduction of organic pesticides and sustainable farming practices will improve soil quality, increase agricultural yields and reduce the environmental impact of chemical fertilizers.
• We expect 85% households to adopt sustainable farming practices (vs 6% at baseline), and 85% to adopt the use of organic pesticides (vs 13% at baseline) within 12 months.
• Currently, each village has an average of 10 community-based leadership positions with men holding 66%, women 24% and youth 10%. RTV expects to double the total number of community leadership positions to 20 in each village, and ensure gender equality, with men and women each holding 40% of the positions and youth holding 20%.
• We expect each community to have achieved one self-initiated community project within the first 12 months and a second project within 24 months.
• We expect households to spend 20 hours more per month on income generating activities as a result of the removal of scarcity barriers, including through the provision of increased household access to clean and safe water within 1km from 43% to 80% in 12 months.
  

About Raising the Village

A World Centric partner since 2020.

RTV partners with last-mile, rural communities in Uganda and develops initiatives that pave the pathway out of ultra poverty towards economic self-sufficiency. RTV creates space and invests time to make these partnerships healthy and successful.

Through a one-time investment model of $100 per family, RTV creates a development plan that is low-cost, livelihood based, and community driven. This development plan increases the average daily income of RTV partner families from $0.45 to $2.67 within 36 months.