How Imvepi’s safe space is empowering refugee women to 'rebuild'
Located within the Imvepi refugee settlement in Terego district, the centre stands as an inspiration of resilience for thousands of women traumatised by war.
Suzan Suya tends to some of the pigs she rears at her home in IMVEPI Refugee Settlement. (Photos by Jeff Andrew Lule)
By Jeff Andrew Lule
Journalists @New Vision
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When Suzan Suya fled South Sudan in 2016, she carried nothing but grief, trauma and 16 children.
With her, were four biological children, 12 nieces, nephews and orphans, who had lost their parents to the brutal civil conflict which had ravaged their homeland.
“I had just witnessed my cousin being killed in cold blood. The rebels invaded our home in Yei County and slaughtered my cousin. I knew I was next,” she recalls.
At just 27 years old, Suya made a life-or-death decision.
She escaped through the bushes and crossed into Uganda. Now 35, she reflects on her journey from utter despair to economic empowerment.
“I arrived empty-handed and traumatised. Feeding and caring for 16 children felt impossible,” she says.
But at the heart of the Imvepi Refugee Settlement in Uganda’s West Nile region, Suya’s life began to transform, thanks to the Loketa Women and Girls Safe Space Centre, a new sanctuary built to restore hope and purpose for refugee women and girls going through trauma and economic hardships.
A healing centre
Constructed by ActionAid International Uganda (AAIU) with support from the people of Denmark under the SPAII project, the centre serves as both a psychosocial support hub and vocational training ground.
Located within the Imvepi refugee settlement in Terego district, the centre stands as an inspiration of resilience for thousands of women traumatised by war.
Upon being identified by social workers, Suya began attending rehabilitation sessions at the centre.
There, she also received practical training in agroecology practices, hairdressing, and bakery.
Loketa Women and Girls Safe Space Centre. 
“After learning to bake mandazi (local doughnuts), I started selling them within the settlement and nearby communities,” she says.
“I was earning between shillings 40,000 and 60,000 daily. There was no competition then, unlike now,” she adds.
Through her newfound income, Suya also began farming maize, rearing goats and pigs, and saving for the future. Today, she has built three modest traditional houses (huts) in her compound and put all her children in school.
Suya’s story is not unique. Teddy Tabu, 45, another refugee from Yei, South Sudan, also found refuge and resilience at the centre after fleeing with her children and grandmother.
“Everything changed when I received training in farming and knitting. Now I can rent land and grow maize, providing for my family without begging,” Tabu shares.
The centre’s impact has been expanding, impacting more women.
According to David Asubu, AAIU’s regional field co-ordinator for the northern and West Nile regions, more than 200 women and girls are actively receiving counselling and hands-on training in bakery, tailoring, hairdressing, agroecology, and more.
“Some of these women were threatening or about to commit suicide because of the heavy burden to look after their big families and trauma. Many lost their husbands, while those with husbands are abused,” Asubu says.
He says many now have livelihoods and others are leaders in their communities.
Changing a community, one woman at a time
Imvepi Refugee Settlement is home to 73,352 refugees, about 85% being women and children from South Sudan and DR Congo.
While launching the centre on June 30, 2025, Imvepi Settlement Commandant Vincent Amaruma Manza said while only 35% of refugees qualify for food aid, many have gained skills from the centre, which they now rely on to survive.
He said the centre is a lifeline, as it not only provides therapy and skills training, but has also reduced gender-based violence by addressing its root cause, which is poverty.
In partnership with 74 local and international organisations, Manza noted that the centre supports refugee livelihoods while also fostering harmony between refugees and host communities.
He stressed that through cooperative farming, resource sharing, and inter-community dialogue, both groups find common ground and peace.
A model of integration, resilience
Anna Goretti Apio, a protection consultant at AAIU, describes the safe space as more than just a skills centre.
“It’s a place where women learn to lead, to speak out, and to heal,” she said.
“Some have become mentors; others now hold leadership positions in their zones, and others are now women entrepreneurs. The community is safer and more united now,” she added.
Uganda is Africa’s largest refugee-hosting nation, with over 1.8 million refugees and is often praised for its open-door policy.
But its success stories, like those unfolding in Imvepi, are powered by grassroots efforts blending protection with economic empowerment.
Ismail Mulikiriza, from the Department of Refugees in the Office of the Prime Minister, hailed the new facility as a critical advancement.
“We had an old centre which was just iron sheets and was blown away by the wind. This new facility is strong, safe, and life-changing. Survivors now have a place to recover and rebuild, which is very important given the economic times,” he noted.
The road ahead
For Suzan Suya, the safe space is more than a building, it’s the foundation of a new life.
“Before, I cried every day. Now, I wake up to a purpose,” she said, smiling slightly.
“I may not forget what happened in South Sudan, but here, I’ve found a reason to live, and help fellow women do the same. I don’t think I can even go back to Sudan, I have no one left there. I thank the Government of Uganda for giving me a new life,” she added.