Ugandas experience with social exclusion

1
Ugandas experience with social exclusion

• Presentation to the Ad Hoc Group Meeting on
  Developing supplementary targets and indicators
  to strengthen social inclusion, gender equality
  and health promotion in the millennium
  Development Goals, Addis Ababa, 7 9 May, 2008.
• By Stephen Kasaija

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Outline of the presentation

• Background on Uganda.
• The main groups that experience social exclusion
  in Uganda.
  
• The major forms of exclusion that they face and
  causes.
  
• Government initiatives to address the sources of
  exclusion and
  
• Suggestions on supplementary MDG targets and
  indicators to monitor the progress in social
  inclusion.

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Background

• Popn of Uganda - 24.2m of whom 51 female (2002
  Census)
  
• Implementing PEAP or PRSP with PAF funding from
  HIPC targeting poverty eradication. Growth rates
  Av. 6. Current PEAP talks of mainstreaming
  Social Protection. But no special basket of funds
  for SP.
• Poverty Head Count reduced from 56 in 1992 to
  31.1 in 2006.
  
• Evidence from national household surveys suggest
  income inequality has been on a rising trend.
  Between 1997 and 2003, income inequality
  (measured by the Gini coefficient) increased from
  0.347 to 0.428. However, there was some decline
  to 0.408 in 2005/6.

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Background Contd

• Inequality in Uganda has manifested itself in
  several dimensions and is a major cause of social
  exclusion.
  
• It is only the wealthiest 20 of Ugandans that
  have benefited most from growth and poverty
  reduction efforts.
  
• Inequality levels are persistently higher in
  urban areas than rural areas
  
• The northern region remains relatively poorer
  than other regions of the country
  
• Specific groups of women are poorer than their
  male counterparts
  
• Households that are primarily engaged in
  subsistence crop production are poorer than
  others engaged in non-crop sectors
  
• About 20 of the countrys households more than
  7 million Ugandans live in chronic poverty
  

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Socially excluded groups in Uganda

• Women 51 of the popn.
• Persons with disabilities -4 of the Popn.
• The elderly- 4 of the Popn but only 33 of these
  are literate.
  
• The youth 50 of the population.
• Children 56 of the Popn. Child labourers
  600,000, 13 Orphans.
  
• Ethnic Minorities 160,799 pple from15 ethnic
  groups with less than 25,000 pple. The smallest
  group Vonoma has 119 pple. Batwa are only
  6,705.
• Internally displaced groups- 1.7m
• Chronically Sick individuals e.g as a result of
  HIV/AIDS
  
• All these groups are over represented in Chronic
  poverty
  

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Major forms of exclusion faced and Causes

• Gender Based discrimination- Women Historically
  excluded from effective decision making, paid
  employment, education , ownership of Fixed assets
  such as land etc.
• Discrimination based on Ethnicity - No voice in
  decision making for minorities - cant influence
  political decisions. Have limited access to
  services.
• Discrimination based on Age -Youth and young
  people excluded in employment and politics.
  
• Discrimination based on physical Impairment and
  Disability.
  
• Regional and geographical exclusion-as a result
  of conflict and History -limited infrastructure
  and poverty eradication programmes.
  
• Because of poverty orphans and other vulnerable
  children, ethnic minorities, youths, people with
  disabilities, the internally displaced, the
  chronically ill and the elderly without support
  unable to fully access and enjoy the benefits of
  growth and the available public services

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Major forms of exclusion faced and Causes

• About 1.3 million children aged 6 to 12 years
  have been excluded from Primary Education despite
  its being Universal
  
• Causes of exclusion of some children from
  Universal Primary Educ.
  
• 1. Poverty related
• Non-tuition costs (uniforms, scholastic
  materials, exam fees, contribution by parents)
  
• Absence of meals at schools
• 2. Socio-Cultural causes
• Traditional and cultural practices such as
  occupation of communities e.g. fishing
  
• The low value attached to education by some
  parents or guardians
  

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Government initiatives to address the sources of
exclusion

• Universal Primary Education (UPE)
• School feeding programme by WFP MOES
• National Minimum Health Care Package
• Community led HIV/AIDS Initiative (CHAI)
• Northern Uganda Social Action Fund (NUSAF)
• National OVC Programme (NSPPI for OVC)
• Community Based Rehabilitation for PWDs
• Gender and Equity Budgeting initiative
• Proposed Social Cash transfer Scheme and Social
  Health Insurance
  

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Government initiatives to address the sources of
exclusion

• The Northern Uganda Social Action Fund (NUSAF)
  project has 4 components
  
• Vulnerable Groups Support (VGS) component
  finances sub-projects initiated by Widows,
  Orphans, the youth, PWDs, IDPs, PLWHA
  
• By Aug 2006, a total of 178,670 people had
  benefited from 4,690 VGS sub-projects funded by
  NUSAF
  

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Government initiatives to address the sources of
exclusion

• The National Minimum Health Care Package (NMHCP)
  has nine health care programmes
  
• Control of communicable diseases
• Integrated management of Childhood illnesses
• Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights
• Immunisation
• Environmental Health
• Health Education and Promotion
• School Health
• Epidemic and Disaster Prevention, Preparedness
  and Reponses and
  
• Improving Nutrition

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Government initiatives to address the sources of
exclusion

• Comprehensive NMHCP is only available at
  functional Health Centre IV and in Hospitals
  
• Although user fees for health services were
  abolished, 13 of sick people suffer without
  seeking medical attention (UNHS 2005/06)
  
• In 2005/06, about 1.4 million people who fell
  sick did not seek medical attention
  
• Out of these, 32 or nearly 450,000 people cited
  cost as a hindrance to seeking medical attention.
  
  

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Suggested supplementary MDG targets and
indicators to monitor progress in promoting
social exclusion.

• 1. MDG 1. Eradication of Poverty and Hunger
• Suggested Indicator to measure progress on
  decent employment for all is
  
• Proportion of PWDs, Youth, Elderly and
  women in paid formal employment.
  
• 2. MDG 2 Achieve Universal Primary Education
  Proposed supplementary indicators by ECA to
  include gross enrolment at secondary and tertiary
  are good but calls for adjustment of Goal 2 to
  incorporate Secondary and tertiary education.
  Also the new indicators should be disaggregated
  by sex, age and disability.
• MDG 3. Promotion of Gender Equality and Women
  Empowerment.
  
• We agree with a new indicator on incidence of
  Sexual Gender Based Violence per 100,000
  women/year. Would also be interested in an
  indicator on - SGBV conviction rates by type of
  offence.
• 4. MDG 5 Improve maternal health
• Proposed indicator
• Percentage of female population within 10Km
  travel distance to the nearest emergency
  Obstetric care.

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• I thank ECA for carrying out this project and all
  of you for the participation. It is out of Love
  as guided by 1Cor 13 that you think of the
  socially excluded.
• For God and My Country.
• Thank You.