The West Nile region is bordered to the North by South Sudan, to the West by the Democratic Republic of Congo, to the East by Acholi sub-region (Amuru and Nwoya districts) and to the South by Buliisa district.
Administratively, it is composed of eleven (11) district local governments (Pakwach, Nebbi, Zombo, Madi Okollo, Arua, Koboko, Maracha, Yumbe, Moyo, Obongi, and Adjumani) that have a projected total population of 3.2 million people. These people are predominantly rural (85%) and more than half are below 18 years. The quality of life in the region is deplorable. Overall, 35% of the people live in extreme poverty (below US $ 1.25 per person daily). Life expectancy is a dismal 52 years. The literacy rate is only 66%. To many, safe water, electricity, telephones and television, and tarmac road are luxuries. In fact, the majority of rural people have not seen these “basic needs of life in a globalized world.” Such undignified life has perpetuated aspiration failure traps and intergenerational poverty. The end result is:
Children are disempowered: Child poverty stands at over 98%. Children are expected to provide labour on family farm even at the cost of their education and growth. There are also rampant and socially accepted practices of child marriage.
Youths are underemployed: Many youth (92%) are confined in vulnerable employment in the informal low-risk low return activities. Youth poverty is a whooping 97%. Many rural out-of-school youths also marry early. For refugees, this is a trigger to go back to fight in South Sudan or migrate to other parts of Uganda and or other countries including in Europe.
Women are disadvantaged: Women tilt the land they hardly own. They have limited decision-making power on what to farm, the kinds of inputs to use, access to credit and market as well as the control over produce harvested and income earned therefrom. Child preference and spacing is a no-go topic for them to discuss.
To us sons and daughters of the region, it calls for protracted actions. For West Nile region, the time to transform livelihoods is now!