Laying the Foundation for Impact through a Baseline Survey Completed in Kasenda, Kabarole District

Avajan Foundation International successfully conducted a baseline survey to assess community needs and guide program priorities. Between 15th-19th September 2025, a baseline household assessment was conducted in Kabarole District covering 471 respondents across six villages (Kasenda Central, Nyabweya, Kimya, Kabaata, Kihogo and Mwitampungu). The assessment gathered socio-demographic data, livelihood and income information, education access and costs, health and disability indicators, food/farming constraints, social support and protection, and access to external assistance.

Key findings & Interpretation

1. High reliance on subsistence agriculture with low cash income. The sample revealed that majority of the people are predominantly rural smallholder households with 74% of respondents listing farming as their main occupation and primary income sources.
2. Notably low household income with over 90% of households earning less than UGX 1,000,000 over a six-month period, indicating minimal cash flow and limited capacity to absorb shocks. This income pattern suggests that most households operate close to subsistence levels, relying more on own production than on cash earnings, which restricts their ability to invest in productivity-enhancing inputs, education, and healthcare.
3. Despite these constraints, education is clearly prioritized. High enrollment across nursery, primary, and secondary levels demonstrates strong household commitment to schooling as a pathway out of poverty. However, the cost burden of school fees, often ranging between UGX 10,000–500,000 per term, poses a significant strain on already limited incomes. This tension suggests a risk of irregular attendance, dropout, or reliance on coping strategies such as debt or asset sales to meet education costs.
4. Health indicators further highlight household vulnerability. The high proportion of respondents reporting chronic illnesses (69%), albeit largely unspecified, alongside the presence of disabilities (42%), points to substantial health-related constraints on labor productivity and household welfare. These conditions likely exacerbate poverty by increasing care responsibilities and healthcare expenses while reducing available labor for farming and income-generating activities.
5. Protection concerns are present though often underreported. While 9.3% of respondents reported experiencing insecurity, domestic-based violence (7.9%) emerged as the most common form. Formal reporting remains low, with 70% of incidents not reported and those who sought help largely relying on local council (LC1) structures, highlighting both limited trust in formal systems and the central role of community-level governance in protection response.
6. Strong social cohesion and religious participation emerge as a key social asset, with near-universal attendance at churches or mosques. This suggests the presence of social networks that may provide emotional support, informal assistance, and potential entry points for community-based interventions.
7. The assessment also reveals significant social and protection-related vulnerabilities, particularly affecting adolescents and family structures. Over 50% of households reported high rates of teenage pregnancies and early marriages, while more than 30% are headed by single mothers or single fathers. These patterns indicate increasing fragility of household and family systems, driven by poverty, limited educational continuity, weak community protection mechanisms, and inadequate access to sexual and reproductive health information and services. Adolescents especially girls are consequently at heightened risk of early sexual activity, early marriage, exploitation, and long-term socio-economic exclusion, further perpetuating intergenerational poverty.

Overall Interpretation

Overall, the findings present a picture of highly vulnerable rural households characterized by low incomes, subsistence livelihoods, health burdens, and weakening family structures, yet anchored by strong social and religious cohesion.

Structural poverty, low agricultural productivity, and limited access to services interact with social norms and protection gaps to increase risks for women, children, and adolescents.

Addressing these challenges will require integrated interventions that:

• Improve agricultural productivity and market access
• Strengthen household incomes
• Expand access to education and health services
• Enhance adolescent sexual and reproductive health awareness, and
• Reinforce community-based protection and social support systems

Evidence-Based & Community-Led Program Design

It is on the basis of these findings that our projects are designed and implemented, ensuring they are firmly grounded in evidence and responsive to the direct needs identified on the ground.
Our approach emphasizes meaningful community participation in the design of appropriate and context-specific solutions, while deliberately leveraging existing religious institutions and local governance structures to strengthen ownership, effectiveness, and sustainability.