Livelihood Development (LDI) is an educational think tank helping to improve the quality of life for marginalized people, by providing them with access to health care, livelihood opportunity, and protection, thereby giving them hope to constructively contribute to their communities.

Target Group

The target group are those people who are  marginalized, vulnerable and stigmatized, whatever may be the cause and the environment underlying that situation. This includes but is not limited to the:

• orphaned, and marginalized people with a particular focus on  children, youth and women

• people living with HIV/AIDS

Objectives

Livelihood Development International’s program approach will aim at achieving societal emancipation for the targeted populations by working with the individuals to break out of the cycle of poverty, disenfranchisement, stigma, discrimination, denial and hopelessness.

Livelihood Development International is committed to achieving the key objectives of:

• strengthening community capacity to respond to issues of poverty and supporting the environment

• contributing towards setting strategic direction, policies, plans and expected outcomes of issues related to vulnerable and HIV/AIDS populations;

• training marginalized people to be productive in areas of need;

• working towards strengthening communication and working relationships with other partners to provide services, education and livelihood to the target population;

• creating and developing issue based coalitions and partnerships.

Rationale

The HIV/AIDS epidemic has infected over 2 million Ugandans, killed more than ½ million people and orphaned over 1 million children.

The orphans, very poor, homeless population is bypassed by the present social system. The social structure has lost a grip of children who run the streets after their parents have died leaving them destitute and vulnerable. The effect of this broken system is that individuals now turn to peers and colleagues for support. For young people, a new culture has been created based on their experiences and the harsh environment around them. This new culture is rootless. The evolving society needs support systems that will help them rediscover themselves and eventually plan for productive lives. 

The Gaps in Service and Resources:

There are very few Non Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) that specifically deal with the needs of these vulnerable people who have limited access to health care, livelihood, or education that will lift them from their present circumstances. Their lives are further complicated by the HIV/AIDS epidemic that has overwhelmed the coping resources of entire communities. Family systems have been and are being dismantled by deaths.

Livelihood Development International, through its mission, will endeavor to fill the enormous gap that very few have ventured to undertake. LDI interventions will be innovative, cost effective, and will neither duplicate nor create parallel structures. At the same time it will respect the integrity of the society in which it works. LDI will work in partnership with the affected populations.