Social Economic empowerment for the indigents' graduation.

The challenge we are trying to solve is ,"To reduce on the number of the indigents in society ,especially those with no skills and assets to start livelihood projects for graduating them from poverty".

With the outbreak of covid19 pandemic, many businesses have shut down leaving many people unemployed. Some will not get back to their formal employment arrangement to earn salary income. Poverty has hiked with many unskilled and graduates rotting in the streets as they search for employment in vain. Many have joined the pool of the indigents living with less than $1.90 per day.

Promoting self employment through training, mentoring , coaching and transfer of productive assets to aid the poor's engagement in variety of livelihood projects at homestead level is crucial.

We have identified book binding as a viable project to up lift the poor from poverty. It is a project which can be undertaken by any empowered person regardless of one's age,sex, religion and physical ability. It may not require renting premises. It can be done comfortably at home using the family members, as long as the skills and logistics are availed to the citizens.

The participants will be trained  to be equipped with book binding skills and knowledge and  how to apply the skills and knowledge in converting, the stationery requirements, into variety of books. By engaging themselves in book binding and production business ,they will facilitate trade and other social economic developments for own and community transformation. To operate this project, the following shall be  required- Paper cutting machine, Priniting machine, Ruled Paper, Covers, glue, needles, boards, manila thread, rails, rulers ,cutters  among other utility requirements.

The above logistic requirements, shall be centrally procured in bulky for discounted amounts and evenly be transferred to the selected trained citizens to start book binding as business. A team of village coaches shall make timely follow ups on each participants to ensure effectiveness, efficiency and economic operations at every homestead.

We are targeting the," extreme poor", currently with no livelihood projects on ground and ability to earn $1.90 .00 per day. They are underserved in many ways as they can not  access a balanced diet ,education, medical and social services for their families. This project  will mentor this category to engage their productive resources and efforts  in undertaking book binding as business ,where we expect every one to raise sufficient homestead income, out of selling variety of stationery products like counter books, to live above the poverty line. With available financial resources  they can acquire more productive assets like land and grow their own food for ensuring a balanced diet. They can use reserves to send their children to get quality education and qualify for government employment. They will afford quality health services, hence  general improvement in their standard of living for society transformation. The income per capita will improve.  

Rodrick Foundation Limited has  sound management team with many stakeholders on ground . The team is closely collaborating with other organizations like, CBOs and churches where much interaction with the community members is practical. 

The needs of the community are expressed during meetings with the church and CBOs membership/leadership. Visiting individual homesteads and weighing the situation on the ground speaks louder and confirms information from the various stakeholders on spot.

It is our organization culture, to involve the community members in the project design  and  interventions. For this routine practice ,more issues concerning the welfare of the community are openly raised, hence attracting our kind intervention through this project.

It was upon the community involvement and input that this approach of training, mentoring and coaching was voted and proven to be essential for scalability of the project, through village coaches.

We have estimated 100 Indigent home steads ,with over 5,000 people, comprising of males, females , school going children, and drop outs.

The projected solution, targets to extend services to benefit 250 indigents persons per subcounty and Mbale district, has over 20 sub counties  to be reached for this service. 

For successful implementation of this project, we shall require Solve to aid in the elimination of the following barriers, inaccessibility to required finances and acquisition of : Machinery(Paper cutting  and Printing machines; Facilitation for Technical Training Team, Inventory stock for Station, Policy procedures and Administration , Monitoring and Evaluation and marketing for final products.

The project is all inclusive, easy to learn and appreciated for scalability countrywide. For its individual approach based at homestead level it will impact on millions of people to change trade and market both nationally and internationally.

To graduate the indigents from poverty by raising  their daily earning rates from less $ 1.90 per day to $50 per day, within 5 years.  This will be achieved through enforcing  daily production and marketing of their book binding products, expected to be at USD $150 per day.

Appreciation from community members, who have  welcomed the idea and are willing  to participate in this project in Mbale district, as life saving project.

The support we have been promised from the main printing operators in Kampala to come and join the project as suppliers for raw materials at discounted prices including the training.

Project mapping for the target beneficiaries to be invited for the training and security for allowing the organization to carry out this project activities in Uganda as charity. This form part of our measures  for the current success for this project urshering it into a viable venture to be undertaken for transforming millions of people.

Theory of change is basically graduating the indigents from living below the current poverty line of$ 1.90 to $ 50 per day for every citizen operating book binding as business in a home stead environment. Hence ensuring sustainable livelihoods to facilitate attainment of quality:

Education for children,

Nutrition for families

Health care services in the community 

Abundant wealth creation 

General Infrastructure development

We are powered by  already existing experiences team of trainers, available stock agents for supply of required machinery and material from the local market. And easiness for project replicability by the target beneficiaries with minimum capital transfer.

We have considered working with people of all diversities, without discrimination based on religion, sex, age or political affiliation.