BIG Pilot Project - Assessment Report - BIG Coalition Namibia

2.5 Community MobilisationTrusting poor people to spend an unconditional grantwisely restores dignity, is empowering in ways whichgovernment-administered alternatives are not, andsaves a great deal of money by cutting out the layers ofbureaucrats and paper work which typically absorb alarge proportion of the funds allocated to targeted andconditional programmes. Indeed, there is a strong casefor assuming that providing people with a BIG not onlyimproves their material circumstances, but promotesdignity and socially responsible behaviour. As Otjiveroresident Jonas Damaseb told us:“Generally, the BIG has brought life to our place.Everyone can afford food and one does not seeany more people coming to beg for food as in thepast. What I can say is that people have gainedtheir human dignity and have become responsible.”There is astrong casefor assumingthatprovidingpeople witha BIG notonly improvestheirmaterial circumstances,but promotesdignityand sociallyresponsiblebehaviour.The observation of one of researchers, Rev. P. #Khariseb,during the first 6 months research echoes thisview :During the case study interviews I generally observedthat in the people of Otjivero have regainedtheir human dignity during the first 6 months of theBIG. Through regaining their human dignity, peopleact more responsible: Their environment is cleanand from small to the elderly everyone is dressedneatly. What a positive change!The experience of the BIG pilot suggests that the universalcash grant liberated people and the communityfrom the individually and collectively draining and devastatingimpact of poverty. Many people living inOtjivero-Omitara said that they had only survived previouslyby asking and begging for food. This was profoundlyembarrassing and undermined their capacity tohave normal social interactions and the development ofconstructive community relations and real communityspirit. The payment of the BIG has dramaticallychanged this. Begging has basically stopped and peoplereported that they can now visit and speak freely toeach other now, without the fear of being seen as a potentialbeggar. Judging from the observations of com-The BIG liberatedpeople andthe communityfromthe individuallyandcollectivelydraining anddevastatingimpact ofpoverty41