A Community Speaks Out at our First Baraza
On July 7th, 2025, Ignite Change brought together over 320 people in Abolokoma Trading Center, Oyam District, for a community baraza - a traditional public forum where neighbors and leaders gather to openly discuss challenges and solutions. The theme was urgent and familiar: poverty.
Participants came from 18 surrounding villages and represented many corners of community life: local government officials, cultural and religious leaders, youth, women, persons with disabilities, the media, and ordinary families. The gathering was not just about talking, but about reimagining how households can break free from the cycles that hold them back.
Honest Conversations, Shared Wisdom
From the start, the tone was one of both accountability and hope. LC1 Chairperson, Mr. Agwa Alfred, called on families to curb alcoholism and late-night distractions that fuel insecurity and rob youth of opportunity. He reminded young people that skills training is a powerful tool for self-reliance.
Echoing this, Parish Chief Mr. Kisembo Richard, speaking on behalf of the Sub County, urged the community to embrace knowledge and skills over dependency. He emphasized that vocational training, modern farming, and savings groups offer lasting solutions where handouts cannot.
Seeing Poverty in All Its Dimensions
Through guided discussions, community members reflected on poverty not only as lack of food, water, or shelter, but also as spiritual emptiness and social exclusion. They spoke frankly about the realities driving poverty in their villages - domestic violence, early marriages, school dropouts, substance abuse, poor resource management, and idleness among youth.
Together, they traced how these issues feed into the cycle of poverty: a poor household struggles with ill health and low productivity, leaving children uneducated, families more vulnerable, and dependence passed to the next generation.
From Talk to Action
What made the baraza powerful was the way solutions came from the people themselves. Participants agreed that every household must take steps toward change:
Save with purpose, channeling even small amounts into income-generating activities like piggery, poultry, or brickmaking.
Invest in education and vocational training, especially for youth and young mothers, to create jobs and reduce idleness and early marriages.
Support women’s enterprises, recognizing that their efforts strengthen entire households.
The baraza did not end with words, it charted a clear path forward. Communities committed to forming savings groups within one month, registering them with local councils, and opening themselves to Ignite Change’s training and support. Families promised to budget, plan, and work together to maximize the resources they already have.
As Rev. Awany closed the event in prayer, he reminded the community that transformation requires both hard work and unity: “Maximize every little resource at hand, and walk in love and understanding.”
The day ended not only with knowledge gained, but with commitments made. For Ignite Change, this baraza was proof that when communities come together to name their challenges and craft solutions, real change begins to take root. In Abolokoma, the first steps toward breaking the cycle of poverty have already been taken. We are looking forward to working with these groups and seeing the changes ripple out to families and the community at large.