Photo Credit: Fred Hoogervorst
Poverty maps not only identify the distribution of poor populations, but pinpoint places where development lags and highlight the location and condition of infrastructure and natural resource assets that are critical to poverty reduction programs.
WRI has helped design and support poverty mapping efforts in Kenya and Uganda. Kenya has used the maps to distribute critical budget resources to its Constituency Development Fund (CDF) which has allocated a total of approximately US$475 million for development and poverty reduction efforts. Before the maps, funds were based on population rather than on need. That has changed, with a greater share of funds going to formerly neglected rural areas.
Poverty maps were also used by the Kenya Water and Sanitation Program, a five-year, US$65.3 million effort to ensure resources reached poor communities with low access to safe water and sanitation.