A path shared for 27 years - IFAD

LIVELIHOOD OPTIONS FOR THE RURAL POOR
People are not the same everywhere, and neither
is poverty. In some places, people have no land,
in other places, particular social categories
may be vulnerable, like the elderly or women,
migrants, former slave castes, etc. What poor
people everywhere mostly have in common,
however, is that they lack the possibility of
choosing among different possible ways of
earning their living, and the power to refuse
some of the most unsatisfying ones and the
drudgeries they come with. They have to accept
whatever work they can find. They might not
survive without food given to them by others
who do not have all that much to share. Strong
healthy people feel in control, and even if
struggling they have hopes for a better future.
But today it’s not enough to be strong and
healthy, even if you have plenty of land. You
also need new knowledge, new skills and money
to invest in more profitable activities. Most
villagers don’t have access to that sort of thing
unless they are covered by a project or a nongovernmental
organization.
One thing that has changed for the better
is that women who have access to knowledge,
skills and money for investments are better able
to ensure that their children are cared for.
“The [intended] beneficiaries of the Belgian Fund and more specifically
of the Joint Programme are by priority the poorest rural communities
and the most marginalized groups. Very special attention is paid to
poor rural women who are often heads of families.”
Erik Derycke, Secretary of State for Development Cooperation of Belgium,
at a review workshop, Uganda, 1994
For us, the poor are people who have no home, no land, no food, no
cash and – above all – nobody to help them on a steady basis. They
survive because other people give them odd jobs and handouts but they
live hand to mouth, meal to meal. They are mainly disabled, elderly
widows or Pygmy. Although most of the families in our villages are
‘struggling’, they manage to make ends meet most of the time and they
can count on each other in times of need. Nobody knows who will be
hit by the next disaster.
Comments from women and men at a participatory evaluation workshop,
North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo
Nobody wants to join a group that everybody knows is supposed to be
for the poor or the poorest. Those words mean they are not able to help
themselves. We may be struggling but we’re not like them.
Comments from women members of KWFT, Kenya
Poor women are those who have to work on other people’s
fields in order to buy food. They do not have time to till a
field of their own. In very poor villages, they often work
a whole day just for a meal. Even if they eat practically
nothing, what they take home is never enough for the
children. When they can afford to pay workers themselves,
they feel that they’re back in control over their lives. We are
trying to help those women just as the project helped us.
Comments from members of Uganda Women’s Efforts to Save Orphans (UWESO),
Lira, Uganda
The squatters live all squashed together and make their living by working
at low wages for others. They cannot afford to pay anything for the
community projects and they have no use for advice or training on
anything that requires land – they do not have any.
Comments of participants at a participatory workshop, Kenya
Woman showing how she weeds
her cowpeas (niébe), Chad.
©IFAD/S. Morgan
I AM BOSS!
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