DRDIP, WFP New Partnership

-

Development Response to Displacement Impacts Project (DRDIP) has attracted World Food Program (WFP) partnership through a new component that will broaden and strengthen the impact of the project (DRDIP) to both refugees and host communities in eight districts of West Nile.   The Cash Based Transfer Plus (CBT-Plus) scheme hinges on DRDIP established structures to generate and sustain improvements in nutritional outcomes for targeted Pregnant and Lactating Women (PLW) and Children Under the age of two.
DRDIP Project Manger, Caro Brenda Lorika & WFP Staff chat with beneficiaries in West Nile 

The eight districts of intervention include; Adjumani, Moyo, Yumbe, Obongi, Terego, Koboko, Arua and Madi Okolo. These are districts where DRDIP has substantial investments through livelihoods support, infrastructural development and environment conservation. The PLW beneficiary category that CBT-Plus targets are also members of the DRDIP livelihoods structures who part-take in project implementation through Labour Intensive Public Works (LIPW) approach.

CBT-Plus is anchored on the WFP, Child Sensitive Social Protection (CSSP) project, a three-year 50 million dollar activity that focuses on reducing stunting figures in the West Nile region from the current 34% (UBOS, 2016) to at least 30% by 2024.

DRDIP Project Manager, Caro Brenda Lorika describes the partnership as “a new dawn” for the government flagship project. Caro noted that nutrition sensitive social protection is mentioned quite often in Uganda but not given enough attention.

“The coming of WFP to partner with DRDIP is a blessing, it will supplement our work and help reduce the level of malnutrition and stunting of children in West Nile”, she said. The Project Manager spoke during numerous consultative meetings organized by WFP in the eight districts of focus recently.  The meetings were aimed at bringing key district stakeholders up-to speed with the CBT-Plus ingredients and how the new project will capitalize on the already built DRDIP structures to improve social protection status in the West Nile region.

According to Caro, the financial literacy aspect of the CBT-Plus project will inspire beneficiaries to invest in nutritional livelihoods. She believes that the use of Social and Behavioral Change Communication (SBCC) –a mindset change approach that the project intends to embrace is expected to trigger adoption of nutrition sensitive behaviors among refugees and the host communities.

Brian Kiswii of WFP revealed that the four-year project (2021-2024) will complement other Government initiated social protection programs such as Social Assistance Grants for Empowerment (SAGE) which is already catering for the elderly citizens under the Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development. He said the CBT-Plus program was conceived following a recent study that rates West Nile region poorly in terms of cases of poverty, anemia and stunting.

Yumbe District LCV chairperson, Abdulmutakib Asiku is grateful for the additional support from WFP through DRDIP structures. While pledging his support for the intervention in Yumbe, Asiku recognized that the CBT-Plus approach is in line with the Government of Uganda National Development Plan III ambition of improving income status of households by strengthening community livelihood options.

Most district officials across technical and political divide in West Nile emphasized the need to integrate SBCC programming into project interventions so as to break the existing strong social cultural barriers that have affected achievement of expected outcomes for most projects in the region.

The CBT-Plus program aims to influence child nutrition from conception to 24 months of age, during the first 1000 days. This will be done through cash transfers by WFP to selected beneficiaries (PLW) from DRDIP watersheds. The project targets the poorest & most vulnerable households under DRDIP-LIPW funded sub projects in West-Nile districts.

The cash transfer provided is 15-25% of household expenditure to a tune of UGX 48,000 per beneficiary per month for a period of 33 months with mandatory savings to support reinvestment into nutrition livelihood activities for mother care groups. This approach will be reinforced with trainings on financial literacy, social safeguards and SBCC. An official launch of this program is expected in November.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DRDIP strengthens community resilience through fish farming in Kyegegwa

-
Image
In the heart of Itambabiniga watershed situated in Kyaka II Refugee Settlement, Kyegegwa district, a story of resilience, environmental protection and economic freedom is unfolding. It lays bare the power of transformative community-driven initiatives. Fish farming  preserved  Itambabiniga wetland, Kyegegwa Within Itambabiniga; three villages: Humura, Ruchinga Central and Bukere B have been transfigured when a group of 95 (58 women, 37 men) committed members joined hands. They were propelled by the Office of the Prime Minister's Development Response to Displacement Impacts Project (DRDIP) to invest, preserve nature, create jobs while extinguishing poverty within their community. The group wrote a fish farming sub-project proposal which was approved and funded by DRDIP to a tune of Shs56 million. The group was supported by technical experts from a local partner to set up the fish farm. They paid for the services of the experts by themselves. Group members actively took part i...
Read more

How DRDIP is helping to safeguard the environment in Madi-Okollo

-
Image
Aporo village is a chocolate-box found in Pawor Sub County in Madi-Okollo district. It is glowing with hope of going green in the near future. A group of zealous members of this community have embarked on an irreversible mission towards environmental conservation. They were given impetus by World Bank funding through the Office of the Prime Minister's Development Response to Displacement Impacts Project (DRDIP). Setting up the briquettes making machine Members of Aporo Energy Saving Stoves and Briquette Making received not just funding and training but encouragement from component II of DRDIP, seeking to preserve the delicate balance of nature. These dedicated members have pioneered innovative solutions to counter the ecological challenges faced by their community. They are creating energy-saving stoves and briquettes, designed to reduce the reliance on charcoal consumption. The stoves, crafted with ingenuity, not only minimize charcoal usage but also seamlessly incorporates the ...
Read more

YUMBE: DRDIP Supported Fish Pond Will Conserve Environment & Improve Household Income

-
Image
Dodoronga Fish Pond being Constructed in Yumbe District A seasonal stream in the outskirt of Yumbe Town Council, Yumbe district in West Nile region of Uganda is ironically an impediment to evolving unplanned infrastructure within the town, thanks to the conservation efforts by the Environment Department.   On a positive note though, communities of Dodoronga village who surround this watercourse take advantage of the flowing and logged aqua by planting fast growing vegetables such as cabbages, tomatoes, carrots, onions, etc. which they supply to Yumbe town market and earn cash to support their households. Apparent attempts by private individuals and businesses to reclaim this spot and turn it around for construction of settlements have hit a dead end owing to a strict watch from the line department of Environment at Yumbe District Local Government. Swaibu Solo Andama the District Environment Officer said, the district is on course to discourage dampening of this natural feature on...
Read more