New Report PDM Target Beneficiaries Fail To Meet The Minimum Requirements
A new study by a civil society organization, the Centre for Food and Adequate Living Rights (CEFROHT) has indicated that the latest government intervention to improve livelihoods, the Parish Development Model may not achieve much.
According to the newly released survey, many of the ordinary low income people for whom PDM was designed in a bid to lift them out of poverty, may not meet the criteria to access the PDM funds.
Some of the requirements include land ownership, which according to the researchers, does not fall within the PDM objective of eradicating poverty. Beneficiaries also need to have National IDs.
A civil society organization, the Centre for Food and Adequate Living Rights recently conducted a baseline survey on the implementation of PDM and the report has been launched in Kampala.
The survey, which covered Mukono and Kaliro districts focused on piloting the integration of the Human Rights Based Approach in the implementation of PDM.
According to the report, some people did not know how to benefit from the programme and many others did not have Minimum requirements like land and National IDs, while others that those managing the PDM at the local level were favouring their relatives and friends to benefit.
David Kabanda, the Executive Director of the Centre for Food and Adequate Living Rights CEFROHT noted that the targeted beneficiaries are missing out from the programme. He advised government to translate the PDM documents into local languages since most of the Beneficiaries don’t understate English and also asked the government to remove the requirement of land ownership.
According to Fred Mbalumya, the PDM Focal Person in Kaliro District, the implementation of PDM was rushed because it would have begun with a baseline survey. He also noted that another challenge the PDM faces is little or no facilitation to the implementers.
Some PDM Beneficiaries noted that the funds they received was not enough to sustain the projects they chose.
Nicholas Mwaka, the Monitoring and Evaluation expert from said that women participation in PDM is also limited because many first have to seek permission from their husbands. He also stressed that beneficiaries need more information.
President Yoweri Museveni officially launched the Parish Development Model in Kibuku District, eastern Uganda on 26th February 2022 as a key strategy to improve service delivery and alleviate poverty at the grassroots.
Luke Alinaitwe
