Department of Development studies

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Browsing Department of Development studies by Author "Asiimwe, Florence Munyonyo"

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    Adoption of the Parish Development Model (PDM) for socio-economic development of Ugandans: a case study of Banda and Kyambogo upper estate parishes
    (East African Journal of Business and Economics, 2025-03-31) Asiimwe, Florence Munyonyo
    Background: The escalating burden of poverty in Uganda, disproportionately affecting youth, prompted government initiatives like Emyooga and Entandikwa. However, mismanagement and misuse of funds hindered their effectiveness. In response, the Government of Uganda introduced the Parish Development Model (PDM) in February 2022, aiming to eradicate poverty and accelerate socio-economic transformation. The PDM is built on seven pillars, including production, infrastructure, financial inclusion, social services, community data, governance, and attitude transformation. These pillars promote collaboration between public and private sector actors, ensuring sustainable development. The government has doubled funding for PDM, allocating UGX 200 million per parish to promote economic growth at the grassroots level. While the PDM shows promise, its success depends on effective implementation, transparency, and accountability. Addressing concerns surrounding mismanagement and misuse of funds is crucial to ensuring resources reach intended beneficiaries and contribute meaningfully to poverty alleviation. Objective: To examine the benefits of the Parish Development Model among the beneficiaries for socio-economic transformation. Methods: This study utilized a qualitative research paradigm, incorporating a case study methodology to investigate the benefits of the Parish Development Model (PDM) among purposively selected groups in Banda and Kyambogo Upper Estate parishes. A strategic sampling framework was employed to select 50 beneficiaries from diverse groups, ensuring the capture of nuanced perspectives and experiences. Participants were drawn from specialized groups, including Snack A and B, the Mushroom Group, the Tomato and Vegetable Group, and the Hard Corn Group. Data collection entailed focus group discussions, which yielded rich, contextualized insights into participants' lived experiences with PDM. Thematic analysis was employed to deconstruct the data, facilitating the identification of salient themes and patterns pertinent to the benefits and challenges encountered by participants. This methodological approach afforded a comprehensive understanding of the PDM's impact on these communities, illuminating areas for potential enhancement and informing avenues for future research. Findings: The empirical evidence suggests that the Parish Development Model (PDM) funds have yielded significant positive outcomes, including enhanced financial inclusion, augmented agricultural productivity, job creation, poverty alleviation, empowerment of marginalized groups, improved infrastructure, strengthened social capital, and localized economic growth. However, a notable disparity persists between beneficiaries who have received funding and those awaiting disbursement, with the latter experiencing undue delays despite investing considerable resources in the application process. These delays have impeded progress toward achieving the program's objectives, underscoring the need for expedited fund disbursement. Nonetheless, optimism prevails that timely access to funds will catalyze socio-economic transformation, augment quality of life, and foster community development. Conclusion and Recommendation: The Parish Development Model (PDM) has demonstrated significant progress over its two-year implementation period, facilitating beneficiaries' ability to consolidate their projects and attain enhanced economic stability. Nevertheless, persistent challenges undermine the program's efficacy, particularly the perceived politicization of the PDM. Beneficiaries underscored the imperative of decoupling political interests from the program to ensure its seamless operation, foster a paradigm shift in mindset, and guarantee equitable access for all eligible participants.
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    My Money is My Blood, Do Not Waste It: A Critical Analysis of the Return and Reintegration Experiences of Ugandan Migrant Domestic Workers from Saudi Arabia
    (East African Journal of Arts and Social Sciences, 2024-12-02) Asiimwe, Florence Munyonyo
    The study analyzed the return and reintegration experiences of returnee Ugandan migrant domestic workers from Saudi Arabia. It was grounded in a social constructivism paradigm, an interpretive framework that emphasizes how individuals understand and assign meaning to their world. A qualitative approach was adopted, utilizing a phenomenological research design to explore the lived experiences of returnees. Data was collected through unstructured interviews with 28 respondents, allowing for in-depth insights into their experiences. Thematic analysis was employed to analyze the data, and concept maps created using NVivo version 10.0 were used to illustrate the findings. The study revealed that the return and reintegration journey for migrant domestic workers comprised three key phases: preparing to leave their employers' homes after the expiration of contracts, travelling back to Uganda, and reintegration into their communities. However, the research highlighted numerous challenges faced by returnees. Some employers forced workers to continue working under exploitative conditions, tantamount to slavery, by withholding their consent to leave. In other cases, employers failed to purchase the required return airline tickets, as stipulated by the bilateral labour agreement, in an effort to coerce workers into renewing their contracts against their will. Upon returning to Uganda, many returnees faced further hardships. They were often met with distressing revelations, such as discovering that the next of kin they had entrusted with their savings had misappropriated the funds. This financial exploitation, coupled with economic and social reintegration difficulties, led to significant psychosocial challenges for the returnees. To address these issues, the study recommends implementing measures to protect migrant domestic workers’ finances. For example, every worker should open a personal bank account where their wages and salaries can be securely deposited and saved, ensuring access to their funds upon return to ease reintegration challenges. Families and next of kin must be educated about the risks and consequences of misusing workers’ money, considering the harsh conditions under which these workers labour. Furthermore, local council members should enforce accountability by ensuring that family members who misuse returnees' funds reimburse the money, potentially with added interest, to deter financial exploitation.