Pension grants bring hope to elderly

Sgt.Okumu Olwenyi, a world war veteran makes ropes to raise income to cater for his grandchildren. Photo by Asuman Musobya 

By JULIET KIGONGO

In Summary

Under the SAGE programme, government provides a monthly stipend of Shs25,000 to the
poor elderly aged 65 and above.

KATAKWI

The government’s pilot programme to provide subsistence to the elderly is beginning to bring relief to many in the selected benefiting districts.

Ten years ago, 68-year-old Faustino Atedon, a survivor of the insurgency in Teso sub-region, did not have a source of income. His livestock, on which he depended for a living, had been taken away during the insurgence. He was living on handouts from friends and relatives and the little realised from subsistence farming.

Mr Atedon and his wife Anna Amuge of Oramum Village, Palam Sub-county in Katakwi District, were living a desperate life until 2011 when the government introduced the Social Assistance Grants for Empowerment (SAGE) programme which provides a monthly stipend of Shs25,000 to the poor elderly aged 65 and above.

The SAGE has changed their status from a life of deprivation and despair to one of provision and hope.

“When I got my first payment, I bought a goat at Shs36,000 and two pigs at Shs50,000. The goat is almost delivering,” says Mr Atedon.

Assisted by his wife, Mr Atedon now has a big acreage of cassava and cereals because of the financial support from SAGE which helps him meet labour costs for his gardens.

The government and development partners are piloting the SAGE programme in 14 districts to provide a minimum acceptable standard of living to the extremely poor and vulnerable elderly. The eligible beneficiaries are identified by the SAGE secretariat through a community registration system to establish their age, and economic vulnerability.

Mr John Ijera, 81, of Okibui Village, Ngariam Sub-county, another beneficiary, says he would go for months without basic necessities until he was enrolled on the programme last year. “It was hard for me and my grandchildren to do a budget or get medical care because we did not have a source of income for years. We have a big size of land which was not utilised. But now we can plan for it,” says Ijera.

Ijera and his wife Scovia Akiror, 74, are both beneficiaries. They grow crops using money from the SAGE to pay for labour. The SAGE is implemented by the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development.

Katakwi District Development Officer Francis Ikabalet says there are 7,891 beneficiaries. “Being a pilot programme, the top management is working jointly with the communities and the beneficiaries to see how it can be implemented. But we have seen some changes among residents who had lost hope of getting income,” he explains. The SAGE will run up to 2015 when the government decides on the next course of action.

He says the elderly’s livelihoods have improved following the SAGE support. The SAGE Communications Manager Simon Omoding says government has provided more Shs2b to support the elderly.