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Government Chief Whip Denis Hamson Obua has called upon the people of Adwir sub-county in Alebtong district to embrace the Parish Development Model (PDM), Emyooga, and other government programs initiated to avert poverty in households.

Obua said under PDM in the greater Omoro which comprises of Adwir, Angetta and Omoro, the government has sunk in sh1.5b towards financing different enterprises and people should not divert the money but channel it to the right projects they requested the money.

“Government has disbursed sh1.5b in the three sub-counties alone and in the next financial year, other billions are also coming,” Obua said during the commissioning of two classroom blocks constructed by Plan International at Ajobi Primary School in Adwir on Saturday, April 20, 2024.

Obua commissions the classroom at Ajobi primary in Alebtong. (Credit: Patrick Okino)

Obua who is also the Ajuri County Member of Parliament, says soon he will embark on assessing the impact of the money, and listen to the success stories and testimonies among the beneficiaries.

“I will come back not to cause any problem, but to listen to you whether you have utilised the money properly and identify challenges because I was told some people didn’t get the full sh1m but instead got less,” Obua said.

President Yoweri Museveni launched PDM in 2022 as a government development strategy to improve income and the quality of life for the 39% of households stuck in the subsistence economy to join the money economy.

Under the program, the government is disbursing sh100m to each of the 10,594 parishes in the country every financial year. It will run for five years.

Poverty by choice

Obua said being poor now is by choice because the government is doing its best to ensure poverty is no more.

“It is now by choice because some people are still stuck in their minds and never wanted to get this money and use it. They are just there,” Obua said.

On the new classroom blocks, Obua said their primary role as leaders is to lobby for development from the government and other development partners and that Plan International is to continue operating in Alebtong for the next ten years.

The school’s head teacher Emmanuel Okello said they are grappling with challenges of classroom desks, staff accommodation, and teaching staff.

He added that the school has an enrolment of 1064 pupils but with only 76 desks, 12 teachers and two staff houses which is not adequate for effective for running the school.

Moses Acar, a local leader, said besides the challenges facing the school, the communities are also experiencing immense challenges on the Ayumu bridge which links the area to Amuria district.