Impact of youth livelihood program on the level of income of youth in Bukedea district, Uganda.
Abstract
The objective of the study was to identify the impact of the youth livelihood program on the level of income of the youth in Bukedea district. Specifically, the research aimed at investigating the following study objectives: assess the current level of knowledge of the youths about the youth livelihood program, to identify the other factors influencing the level of income of the youth of Bukedea District, to understand the perceptions and attitudes of the youth towards the youth livelihood program, to examine the level of youth involvement in projects offered by Youth Livelihood Program, and to examine the relationship between youth involvement in YLP projects and their level of income in Bukedea district. The research used a quantitative research method. Data were collected using the KOBO collect questionnaires and a sample size of 321 respondents was used and the data analyzed using the STATA analytical software using measures such as frequency distribution, Pearson Chi square and the ordinal logistic regression. From the results of the study, 56% of the youth had knowledge about YLP, males dominated with
approximately 52%, majority of the respondents were aged between 18 and 22, and only 22% of the respondents were not educated. Findings from the bivariate analysis showed that the channels through which the youth had knowledge about the youth livelihood program was related to level of income earned by the youth (p<0.05), other government programs that youth participated in to earn more income was related to level of income earned (p<0.05), how the youth generated their income through other means besides YLP such as employment in other sectors was related to level of income of the youth, youth perception on whether the program was beneficial towards improving the level of income of youth was also related to the level of income earned by the youth (p<0.05), the age of the youth and the number of children born to the youth (p<0.05). In light of the findings, the study concludes that while skills development significantly contributes to youth development, its only possible and feasible if they are availed with enough capital for financing their activities. The researcher suggests that skills should be comprehended with the provision of capital so as to make the youths have a strong foundation when it comes to utilizing
the skills they have obtained. The research found out that there is gender imbalance when it comes to youth that come to obtain skills trainings. Females are usually at home taking care of the family and hence get married without obtaining any necessary livelihood skills training as compared to men. Therefore, there is need for awareness on the communities in regards to gender and educate them on the importance of the females getting the same skills as males.