The right to adequate food: An exploration of the role and capacity of Ugandan mothers living in poverty areas of Kampala regarding the realization of right to adequate food

Abstract

Introduction Either lack of income and absence of basic capabilities that prevent Ugandan women from fulfilling their role as mothers are main causes of poverty amongst mothers and can be seen as discriminatory practices in social, cultural, political and institutional arena where participation and inclusive are limited. Mother`s participation and inclusiveness enables them to make effective decisions over issues affecting their lives. Active, free and meaningful participation and inclusiveness should be seen as an essential to the process of development, as development reflects to what extent people‟s entitlement to participate and are included. The aim of this master study is to explore and uncover mother‟s knowledge, experience and aptitude is being a caretaker for her children, and at the same time being a duty bearer and a claim holder for their right to adequate food. Method A mixture of methods was used to collect information data from mothers residing in poor areas of Kampala; a) a self –developed questionnaire survey (N = 49) that contains a descriptive level of poverty respondent‟s live in and b) four focus group sessions with a total of 49 informants to uncover how mothers make sense when confronted with difficulties and how these provocations are managed. Findings From questionnaire survey; Mothers are living in poor condition, public services are of poor quality and mothers have poor knowledge of health benefits with an adequate diet and poor knowledge on human rights. From focus group session; the findings in this study indicate that mother‟s main constrainants are the lack of economic resources that limits purchasing power and choice and State Party institutional bodies showing unwillingness to help mothers and mother‟s human rights are not protected by the State Party. Conclusion Despite the State Party‟s signatory to Human Right Covenants and has the necessary policies and strategies in place the active society remains non participants of progressive development in Uganda. Mothers‟ livelihood has become poorer recen