The uganda 3.5 movement

What is the Uganda 3.5 Movement?

The Uganda 3.5 Movement is a Primal Purpose initiative, that takes 3 of the most tragic

yet compelling stories of the plight of many Ugandans, and follows them on their life

journeys with a view to transforming their stories for the better, by empowering,

educating, and resourcing them. It focuses on three specific areas that have been

identified as the root causes of Uganda being one of the poorest and least developed

nations in the world; child sex trafficking, education, and poverty.

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Working in conjunction with local NGOs (non-governmental organizations), and

highlighting the stories with the greatest potential to create positive change, the

initiative loosely employs the 3.5% rule in targeting transformation.

But a movement isn’t sustainable in the long term without the mobilization of

resources, human and otherwise. So our objective is to create a 30 minute

documentary that shines the spotlight on these stories and follows them on their

journey of actualization.

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The Problem

GDP per capita:

Uganda's GDP per capita, a common measure of a country's economic output, is

relatively low, placing it among the countries with the lowest incomes globally.

 

Poverty Rates:

Uganda has a significant percentage of its population living in extreme poverty, which,

according to the World Bank, is defined as living on less than $2.15 per person per day.

Obviously, this goes hand-in-hand with a high level of economic hardship.

 

Least Developed Countries:

Uganda is classified as a least developed country (LDC) by the United Nations, which

further highlights its economic challenges.

 

Rankings:

Some lists place Uganda among the poorest countries globally. Other lists focus

specifically on African countries, where Uganda still ranks among the poorest.

In 2023, World Population Review ranked Uganda as one of the poorest countries in

the world based on GDP per capita using PPP (Purchasing Power Parity).

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The Solution

Experience tells us that the solution lies in beginning a grassroots movement in some

of the poorest districts in Uganda, mobilizing whole communities to become part of the

story of change and transformation. Our documentary film will highlight one story from

each of the three areas previously mentioned; child sex trafficking, education, and

poverty, and follow their journeys over the next few years as they are empowered,

educated, and resourced to improve their own lives and subsequently the lives of

others.

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This work is already in progress through our partnership with Action With Purpose,

whom we’ve helped to build a facility in the Wakiso District, which provides

accommodation, vocational training, and education to many sexually trafficked as well

as “street kids” who often sleep in cardboard boxes or under bridges on the dangerous

streets of Uganda leaving them vulnerable to predatory attacks by unscrupulous

people.

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Additionally, we’ve partnered with Robert Nabulere to build elementary, middle, and

high schools to further bridge the education gap among the poor. Ultimately, such

transformative work undertaken by locals, is what will cause the tipping point to

making Uganda a more prosperous nation.

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The Desired Outcome

Our desired outcome is to provide the opportunity for 24,543 kids to be freed from

child sex trafficking and poverty, and provide them with an education and vocational

training in order to see them take the reigns in reversing their fortunes and,

subsequently, the fortunes of Uganda by using their platform to improve the lives of

others.

 

If these 24,543 directly impact another 24,543 and so on down the line, that

leads to a sustainable and exponential increase in the lives of people being

transformed. This is the power of a movement!

 

So, how did we come up with the number 24,543? Glad you asked. Just keep reading

and we’ll explain it more clearly.

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How realistic is it to expect widespread societal change in Uganda?

To achieve widespread societal change, influencing around 3.5% of a population actively is

often considered a tipping point, as active participation can lead to success.

Here's a breakdown of why this "3.5% rule" is significant:

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The "3.5% Rule":

This concept, popularized by political scientist Erica Chenoweth, suggests that once a certain

percentage of a population actively participates in a movement or campaign, success

becomes nearly inevitable.

 

Active Participation:

This means individuals are not just passively aware of a cause, but are actively involved in

various forms of collective action resulting in the formation of a movement for change.

 

Tipping Point:

The 3.5% figure is seen as a threshold where the momentum of a movement can shift and

snowball, leading to broader societal change.

 

Examples:

Chenoweth's research has identified examples of successful social movements where

campaigns achieved 3.5% participation during a peak event, and none of those campaigns

failed.

 

Beyond the Number:

While the 3.5% rule is a helpful guideline, it's important to remember that the specific context

of a movement, its goals, and the nature of the population it aims to influence will all play a role

in its success.

 

Other Factors:

Other factors such as the nature of the issue, the strength of the opposition, and the

effectiveness of the movement's leadership also play a role in the success of a social

movement.

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The Problem of Human trafficking in Uganda.

According to the Trafficking in Persons Report from 2020, estimates (because real

numbers are hard to come by) determined that traffickers are currently exploiting 7,000

to 12,000 children through sex trafficking in Uganda. The report also outlines how

human trafficking in Uganda primarily takes the form of forced physical labor and

sexual exploitation.

 

A more realistic number however can be inferred from the address

given by Justice Solomy Bossa of Uganda, at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.

She said, and I quote:

 

“A Baseline survey has been made in three districts of Kampala, Iganga and Moroto. It

shows that nearly 4 out of 10 children who work in the informal sector setting in

Kampala are victims of trafficking.”

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That’s forty percent of children!

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According to the Wakiso District Local Government, The district currently has a total

population of 3,307,700 with a growth rate of 4.1%. The population density is 700

persons per square kilometer. The ratio of male to female is 90 males per 100 females.

(Culled from: https://wakiso.go.ug/about-us/district-profile/)

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In addition, UNICEF (the United Nations Children's Fund), a United Nations agency that

works to protect the rights and well-being of children worldwide, particularly in the

world's toughest places, states that children under the age of 18 make up 53% of the

population of Wakiso District. That is 1,753,081 children. If 40% of that number are

victims of trafficking, according to Justice Bossa, that equates to 701,232 children in

Wakiso District alone.

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3.5% of that number is 24,543. So, according to Chenoweth’s 3.5% rule, that’s the

number of children that will need to be positively impacted in order to reach a tipping

point for societal change.

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We believe that if we can partner with local NGOs to transform the lives of 24,543

trafficked and street kids (which represents 3.5%), we can truly begin a movement of

people who are dedicated to seeing widespread transformation in Uganda. That’s why

we’re calling it the “Uganda 3.5 Movement”

 

Primary reasons for sex trafficking of minors in Uganda

According to Justice Solomy Bossa, some of the major challenges facing Uganda in

the fight against sex trafficking are:

 

Poverty, illiteracy and ignorance

Rampant poverty multiplies the enormity of the problem. Poor parents are susceptible

to lures of money from traffickers, for whatever reason. Can you imagine what it must

feel like to be so poor, that you believe your only option for survival is to sell your kids

to inhumane people who traffic them for sex?

 

Human and financial resources

The challenge is allocating enough human and financial resources to the players in the

justice, law and order sector to intensify a coordinated the fight against all forms of

transnational crime.

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So how can you help?

Because the goal is to give 24,543 kids a chance at a better life, we are making a

documentary film that will highlight the problems of child sex trafficking, poverty, and

education, by following the stories of three individuals, one from each of these areas.

We plan on going to Uganda for 3 weeks in October 2025 to shoot this documentary

film, and to accomplish this we need to raise $85,000. Ken Taibbi of Fully Equipped

Productions, an award winning filmmaker, will be shooting the documentary at a

significantly discounted rate as, a typical documentary film of this type may cost up to

$250,000 to make, and that wouldn’t include travel, lodging, meals and transportation

in-country.

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There are four levels of investment in the project: Give. Go. Adopt. Follow the stories.

You can give financially to the project. You can donate your time by going with us to

Uganda and injecting yourself into the stories playing out right before our eyes. You

can choose to adopt one of the children being cared for by making monthly

contributions to their wellbeing. Or you can simply follow the stories as they’re playing

our in real time, or adopt any combination of these levels of investment.

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Now I know that $85,000 seems like a lot of money, but if you’re going to eat an

elephant, you have to do it one bite at a time. So we figured, what if we could get 3,464

people to give $24.54 each? We would actually raise $85,006.56 Or if 347 people gave

$245.43 each, we’d raise $85,164.21. Or simply generate a grassroots viral movement

of support using our various spheres of influence and donate enough money to cover

the cost of making the film.

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What makes us the right organization to tell these stories?

Our past experience in building Primal House in Uganda, and working alongside many

local leaders to develop their leaders, systems, and community impact, gives us

credibility.

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Our present narrative is our continued involvement in Uganda, and all the relationships

we’ve nurtured over the years, and continue to nurture. This gives us trust. I’ve visited

and spoken at at a massive community outreach event in Kampala, hosted by Pastor

Robert Kayanja, titled 77 DOGS (Days Of Glory). I’ve continued to work closely with

Pastor Robert Nabulere in helping to fund their school projects. I’ve also continued to

build a working relationship with Anne Akwango, Director of DECODI, an NGO based in

Soroti, Uganda, working with disadvantaged single mothers (most of whom are

uneducated and poor).

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Our Commitment

We’re committed to telling the stories as accurately and impartially as possible. We’re

committed to ensuring that all our donors and supporters receive timely updates on

developments (especially upon our return from filming in Uganda).

The story doesn’t end with the making of a documentary film. What happens after

October is critically important in ensuring that the “Uganda 3.5 Movement” continues

to grow, thrive, and share the stories of success as well as the lessons learned along

the way.

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Finally, we commit to not making the stories about us and our investment. If we truly

seek to accomplish the desired outcome, then we must not be the hero in the stories of

the people we’re serving. We must seek to use our experience, platform, and influence

to come alongside the local NGO’s and serve their visions for their nation in order to

bring about the positive transformation we all so dearly want to see happen.