“I never believed that one day, I would hold millions of money in my hands because my parents never got such money when they were alive. More so, they died before educating me which gave me no hope in life that I would ever make it as a farmer," Adam Asio, a 47-year-old Ugandan, says.

Asio, a resident of Matuga North village in Gimara sub-county in Obongi district, now owns 34 acres of cassava plantation after receiving a cash grant of shillings 8.5 million from the European Union-funded project dubbed Security, Protection and Economic Empowerment (SUPREME) in 2021.

The Euros 11.7 million project implemented by World Vision as the lead partner in consortium with SNV, ZOA and RICE-WN, focused on the economic empowerment component.

The intervention covers four refugee-hosting districts of Terego, Madi Okollo, Obongi and Moyo in the West Nile region benefitting over 27,000 in the process.

Some of the farmers exhibiting their agricultural products during the project closeout meeting.

The beneficiaries were organised in 1,000 village savings and loans association (VSLA) groups where each group received euros 1,000 as startup capital and cumulatively saving over shillings 2.6 billion in the process.

Furthermore, through the project, 2034 youths were trained on various employable vocational skills in various institutions and engaged 50 private sector players in delivering market linkages.

Asio, while giving the testimony to New Vision Online, said before the project, he was into farming as a subsistence with his largest farmland being at 5 acres.

Asio revealed that, as his available land wasn't enough, he invested part of the money to hire more land from his neighbours and sought technical advice from the sub-county agricultural extension staff who helped him acquire cassava stock, the best variety by then "Narocast 1" and planted in 20 acres.

“After getting the money, I buried all my domestic challenges that would make me use part of the money, I took all the money and opened 20 acres of land and planted cassava," he said.

After a year, Asio said he harvested over 350 bags which he sold out making over shillings 60 million and re-invested part of the money into another production this time expanding the land into 34 acres.

As a result, Asio has opened four shops in the towns of Obongi, Gimara trading centre, Moyo and Adjumani of which three deal in produce while one at Gimara is a general merchandise shop.

He said, for this season he has linked up with more markets in South Sudan's capital Juba.

"My firstborn is pursuing a degree in agriculture at Makerere University and others are doing other courses such as nursing, engineering in different institutions," Asio says.

Uganda is home to over 1.7 milllion refugees mainly from Sudan South, Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia.

With the country's open-door policy, refugees are given freedom to work and move to make ends meet, be it in agriculture, or trade among other income-generating activities.

Following this policy, Moses Yeka 21, a refugee in Rhinocamp Refugee Settlement, Omugo extension in Terego district, now smiles as one of the young millionaires in his village.

As one of the beneficiaries of the SUPREME project, Yeka received a grant of shillings four million in October 2021.

Given the challenges of acquiring enough land for crop farming, Yeka opted for poultry keeping.

After spending part of the money to construct a house for the poultry and acquire the other requirements, he purchased 300 one-week chicks from Kampala.

Yeka says he sold the poultry and made shillings three million, which he re-invested in more poultry. 

“I have over shillings 10 million in my account and also have over 1,000 chicks available. I will sell them and acquire more" he said.

He said the money is helping him pay for his two children in a private nursery school in Koboko as well as provide basic needs for the family.

“I will never return to South Sudan as poor as I arrived in 2017. I thank Uganda for the love and support" he says.

Kule's story

Esther Kule, another beneficiary from Moyo district, received a shillings three million grant which she injected into a poultry-keeping venture.

In three years’ time since 2021, Kule has multiplied the money now having over sh15m in the business.

Kule, 45 years and mother of seven, said she brought in her family members including her husband to support the venture.

“In the first year, I bought 300 chicks and when they grew up, I sold each at sh30,000 during the Christmas season. I re-invested the money and increased the number of the chicks and currently, I have 1,000 chickens which I am now maintaining,“she said.

Kule said her family has come out of extreme poverty: "We were unable to pay our children in school in the past but now, since we got this opportunity, our third-born child is in S6 at Mvara in Arua city".

During the project closeout stakeholder engagement event in Arua City, Noel Alabi, the programme manager World Vision who doubles as the consortium focal point person for the SUPREME project, revealed that enormous achievements were registered in the areas of improved food security, savings, cohesion and empowerment, environmental conservation, access to markets and business development.

He said, it focused on three outcomes which include Financial inclusion and social cohesion among savings and development clusters, economic stimulus approach through enterprise development and youth employment through skilling the youths.

Alabi said, each of the 1,000 groups was given a grant of €1000 and they were trained on financial management which saw many grow their funds in bigger amounts as a group and individuals.

European Union country representative in Uganda Roisin Carlos lauded Uganda's open-door policy which she hailed for offering an enabling environment for the project.

She encouraged the beneficiaries to expand their knowledge on the enterprise and keep multiplying their funds and later start lending them out to support their neighbours and other communities as well to come out of poverty.

Deputy Refugee Desk Officer in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) – West Nile Jena Toma urged the European Union to continue funding similar projects in the region.

She said, unlike other projects, there is a great impact on the EU funded projects in the country.

Wilfred Saka, the district chairperson Terego underscores the impacts created by the projects in the four years saying it is a move in the right direction since livelihood is at the centre of it.