The role of NGOS in urban poverty reduction: A case study of Kasokoso, Kampala-Uganda

Abstract

Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) have been regarded as the new ‘panacea for people centered pro-poor development’ in urban poverty. This research investigates the role of NGOs in urban poverty reduction in Kasokoso from the perceptions of low-income urban households and NGOs operating in this sector. It finds that while there are some successes - in addressing the environmental risks by providing clean water, sanitation services, providing health services, and building social capital of the low-income households excluded from government services and policies on poverty reduction, for example - there are also some barriers to improving NGO programmes. These are the need to include the community in design and implementation of poverty reduction programmes, and the need to adopt an integrative approach that not only delivers programmes based on service delivery, as is the current focus, but that complements this with a stronger role in advocacy and policy influence.