Economic Security
Strong, economically stable individuals, families, and communities are integral components of a strong Uganda. Many Ugandans currently experience or are at risk for economic and social instability. The social and health impacts of poverty can include reduced access to nutritious food; fewer educational opportunities and poor educational outcomes; a lack of access to safe and stable housing; increased risk of poor health outcomes; and difficulty obtaining work opportunities.
About 60 percent of Uganda’s population is aged below 20 years. The country also has the second lowest median age of all countries and the highest child dependency ratio. Uganda also has one of the highest rates of young women being out of the labour force at around 86 per cent compared to an average of 58 per cent for 14 selected Sub-Saharan African countries.
Also, the majority of females in Uganda get married before age 24. In Uganda, women aged 15-24 years are almost eight times more likely to be HIV positive than men. The young girls in Uganda, therefore, face economic and health challenges arising from an uncertain transition into the labour market.
These economic and health issues are obviously interlinked: teen pregnancy and early motherhood are likely to have a decisive impact on the ability of young girls to accumulate human capital in adolescence, and limit their future occupational choices. At the same time, a lack of future labour market opportunities can reduce the incentives for young girls to invest in their human capital, and be subject to other more risky behaviors.
By providing opportunities for work and work supports, IBH is dedicated to improving the education, skills, health, and resources of low-income individuals and families to help them expand their productivity, achieve economic independence, and enhance their economic and health outcomes.
Programme Objectives
To build the capacity of individuals and families with low incomes with stable and achievable economic security.
To strengthen communities where people with low incomes live to be healthy and offer economic opportunity.
To engage people with low incomes and make them active in building opportunities in communities.
Strategic activities
Promote vocational training that builds technical skills of young people to be more practical, innovative and employable youths.
Focus on improving life chances of children and empowering young girls boys through access to educational opportunities in Uganda through skills training and apprenticeship
Invest in evidence-informed practices that enable low-income adults, unemployed, youth, and individuals with disabilities to prepare for, acquire, and sustain employment.
Foster coordination and innovation to help individuals and families in need to become self-sufficient and end dependency through employment and growth in habits of personal responsibility
Increase access to comprehensive services to promote social and economic self-sufficiency
Build capacity of adolescents both boys and girls both socially and economically to enable them to deal with issues of self- esteem, domestic violence and unemployment.