Joy Aguti, a 26-year-old from the Bahema tribe in Congo, has been in the Kyaka II refugee settlement in Kyegegwa District for 7 years, she narrates that she ran away from her home because her parents wanted to marry her off when she was still young.

She lost everything, including her property and hope while settling into a new life in Uganda.

But her hope was restored when Mbeleni Foundation Refugee Women Empowerment (RWE) Project supported by VOICE introduced the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) program aimed at training youth in the settlement with entrepreneurship skills.

Some of the refuge women being trained.

Aguti said when the program started, many youths registered for different skills but her dream was in hairdressing where she registered to enroll for three months.

She narrated that before acquiring hairdressing skills, life was hard and getting money was difficult as she used to go and dig for other people.

“When I received my startup kit and some facilitation, I used it to start my salon, right now I can provide for my family, my children are happy and I no longer have to depend on a man. I get between sh100,000 to 150,000 per day depending on the hairstyle,” Aguti said.

Aguti is one of the 100 refugees who were trained in entrepreneurial and management skills in Kyaka II refugee settlement.

The trained refugees come from Burundi, DR Congo, and Rwanda. 

Kyaka II refugee settlement is home to over 28,175 refugees. The settlement grapples with prolonged conflicts like environmental degradation, overcrowding unemployment and conflicts between refugees and the host community. Within this context, women often face heightened risks of gender-based violence, economic marginalization, and limited educational opportunities.

Sylvia Kyohairwe Bohibwa, the Executive Director of Mbeleni Foundation, said that despite their hardships, refugee women demonstrate resilience, resourcefulness, and untapped potential that can drive transformative change if adequately invested.

“The refugee women we trained once experienced Gender Based Violence (GBV), we trained them alongside men because we want these men to complement the women’s effort in the fight against GBV. We call those men our GBV champions and we know that we can well succeed if we walk our journey with them in the fight against GBV. We believe that what a man can do a woman can do. We trained those men and women within their different groups to be self-reliant and grow economically to support their families and also thrive economically in the business arena,” Bohibwa said.

Bohibwa noted that economic empowerment initiatives, including entrepreneurship programmes, and group savings are essential for refugees and nationals to achieve financial independence and break the cycle of poverty.

After the training, the right holders (women) were awarded by Mbeleni Foundation Refugee Women Empowerment (RWE) Project supported by VOICE with startup kits such that even when they leave Uganda and go to other countries, they will have a skill that they can carry on to survive.

“We have four groups; three groups of refugees and one group for nationals in the host community. By providing access to economic resources and opportunities, these initiatives enable women to support themselves and their families, fostering economic resilience and sustainable livelihoods,” Carol Kasande, the community officer said.

In order to ensure the sustainability of the women’s groups, Kasande said that they supported and encouraged them to elect their leaderships and also to save in their groups.

With support from Voice Global, the Mbeleni Foundation is implementing RWE project that aims at strengthening the capacity of Adolescent Girls and Young Women to respond and prevent the impact of Gender Based Violence (GBV) in Kyaka II refugee settlement. This project is benefiting both refugees and their host communities.

Uganda hosts more than 1.6 million refugees in 13 districts and there is a need for avenues to integrate the refugees into economic activities to reduce the crime rate in the country.

Voices from the beneficiaries

Some of the refugees and host communities who have benefitted from the project are now making soap, liquid soap, and clothes among others. Some have opened up shops of various products and salons which income they use to supplement what is given to them.

Nancy Oba, another beneficiary, said she was able to stock more grain for her business, while Gorreti Okwero has been able to resume her catering business.  

“Life became unbearable after I depleted my savings just within weeks of the lockdown of the economy. I couldn’t operate my barbershop because it was one of those businesses that were closed. By the time the restriction was lifted, I was out of business after spending every coin I had saved to feed my family,” Joseph Atii said.