On the brink: identifying some of the world’s poorest people - the outreach worker's perspective in Uganda

As Julius Seguya leaves his office in Katikamu in the Luweero district of Uganda, he knows there are many people in desperate need of help. His intervention will mean the difference between a life sentence of extreme poverty and financial independence.  

“I have a passion for helping these people - widows, orphans and those who are impoverished,” says Julius as he heads off on his motorbike to carry out Project Twekembe.

Project Twekembe is a partnership between The Road to Parity and Ugandan charity CACDI (Canaan Children's Development Initiative). It finds some of the poorest people on the planet and equips them to start a tiny enterprise, normally a street business. 

​Julius is a Project Coordinator for Twekembe, which loosely translates to 'let's fight against poverty'. “It is interesting because you can listen to stories, do some follow ups. Sometimes you get sad and feel like crying because of the situation they are in. In Uganda, everything is becoming costly, and some people are very poor. Sometimes, they go without food and they are scavenging around the villages to see how they can survive.”

Julius, on the right, during outreach work

The initiative, which has been tried and tested in India, provides people with a micro-grant to get the supplies and equipment needed to start a small business. Entrepreneurship has proved to be an extremely effective tool in the fight against extreme poverty in developing nations.

“When we give them this money, it really works for them," Julius says. “You find someone who has only been having one meal a day can now afford two meals, They can buy school books for their children and pay some school fees.”
Information about the people in dire need of help normally comes from local council leaders. But Julius and his colleagues also conduct independent outreach work.
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“First, we look at the nature of the children at home. When you find children who look malnourished, you can see they cannot afford to eat. You look at their clothing, the bedding they are sleeping in. You observe the status of the home.”
He adds: “Sometimes we visit villages and take some clothes and soap and other usables. You can easily tell which families are in need and extremely poor. This can also lead to identifying people as potential beneficiaries.”

Julius in one of the nine villages now covered by the entrepreneurship programme that lifts people out of extreme poverty

Many of the people who have been vetted to be supported as entrepreneurs are ready with their own ideas. “Maybe they have a little bit of experience selling in the past," says Julius. "But for the few who don’t have their own ideas, we help them devise something, do research, and make sure they can benefit from the project. Once we decide the idea is appropriate, we train them.”

Training includes basic tips on how to run their business, the importance of cash flow and some simple marketing techniques.

“We try to train them to at least have books of accounts that can show the inflow and outflow of the money so when we come to see how the business is we can easily look at the books and advise accordingly. “

Many of the beneficiaries are illiterate, but have found ways to improvise with accounts, such as relying heavily on memory and using simple words as records. “But we don’t sit back,” Julius emphasises. “After giving the money, we make our own inspection. We make our own records for proper monitoring and reference purposes.” 

Under Project Twekembe, it is currently costing about £64 to set up each new business. Due to their simplicity, and fast turnover of goods, the businesses become profitable almost immediately.

​Julius explains: “Most of the new businesses are grocery – the reason being these people cannot take a day without selling. They cannot take an hour without selling so groceries are better.” 

Fatumah is helping to support nine children and a disabled husband with her business

However, while quick-selling groceries are highly effective for cash flow, they can be vulnerable to the seasons and availability. “There is a problem with the fluctuation of prices,” says Julius. “They try to buy from different places, but the price changes daily.”

Another challenge, he says, is responsibility. “Some of our ladies have five children and that one business for survival. They work tirelessly, but at the same time, they need to look after their families.”

Other businesses set up recently sell second hand shoes, snacks and chapattis, fish, clothes and carry out shoes repairs and sewing work.

Not all those who come forward are truthful about their circumstances, but Julius is aware. “People may lie, but I take the initiative and go into the field. I do the survey, I do the investigation. I go to the local council leaders and see if this person has given me the right information. If it’s not right, this person is not included as a beneficiary. I try as much as I can to get the right information, not to be lied to.”

Project Twekembe now operates in nine villages in and around the Luweero district north of the capital Kampala. Julius remembers all of his beneficiaries, but some occupy his mind more than others.

One is 41-year old Mwanje, married with three children. “By the time we came across him, the children were almost starving to death,” Julius remembers. “We gave him some initial assistance to feed his children.”
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Mwanje and his shoe repairing business

Kazaire is rebuilding her life with her charcoal business

Mwanje lost the use of his legs and has severe kyphosis (curvature of the spine). “We asked him if he could do any kind of work to help sustain himself and his family.  He said he could repair shoes, so we got him a place and he started repairing shoes. Since then, he has been able to provide food. In fact, children have been able to get scholastic materials to start attending school. His story stood out because when we reached him, he was crying. We are so happy he was rescued, and he is still operating his shop repairing shoes.”

Another case etched on Julius’s mind is widowed mother of four, Kazaire, who’s been battling a liver disease. “She was in hospital for five months. Doctors said they didn’t have medicine in Uganda to treat her, and she needed to buy them from overseas.”

The only way Kazaire could raise the 7,000,000 Ugandan Shillings (about GBP 1,500) needed to get the medicine was to sell the family house. “After taking the medicine, she went into a coma for one week but managed to recover. She still needed to buy more medicine from India to have full dosage. She sold everything apart from some charcoal.”

​Through Project Twekembe, Kazaire has been able to restock the charcoal her husband used to sell before he died. “Now, she is doing well and able to support the family. She still has the sickness, but it’s not like the way it used to be,” comments Julius.   

The Road to Parity started operating in Uganda in 2024 and word of the entrepreneurship programme has gradually spread.

“People know about this project and talk about it,” Julius says. “In fact, we have always received recommendations from the local council leaders.”
  
Reflecting on his work, Julius says the most rewarding part is seeing new businesses created. “When you go for further inspection, you can see that life has changed for the families. They can at least afford to put their children in clothes, second hand clothes. Those that couldn’t afford meals can now at least have lunch and supper. And those that couldn’t afford to send their children to school can now send them to school and they are studying."

​He concludes: “As the businesses perform, this automatically guarantees these people’s happiness, and at the end of the day, they can have a good life. Despite the challenges, most manage to keep the business standing.”