Invempi Camp Refugees Acquire Life Skills to Become Self-Reliant

Refugees in Invempi Camp in West Nile have been empowered to start income-generating activities and sustain their livelihoods.

This follows the recent food prioritisation by the World Food Program (WFP) where the most vulnerable refugees are the only ones considered when giving out food.

According to Angella Adare, a South Sudanese refugee, only the most vulnerable refugees like the elderly and sickly receive 8kg of food per month while the able-bodied ones are left out.

In 2022, Action Aid Uganda International (AAIU) partnered with the Community Transformation Agenda (COTA) to train refugees in leadership and life skills.

Mercy Mundulu, ActionAid Programs and Fundraising Manager said they support communities to be more self-resilient.

Solomon Okiror, COTA Monitoring and Evaluation Assistant,  said they devised skilling programmes to solve the social challenges within the refugee settlement such as Gender Based Violence (GBV).

As such, some refugees have since acquired skills in soap making, agroecology, bakery, piggery etc, and have been able to sustain themselves.

Other refugees formed a “Budget Makers Group” to help each member start a piggery project, a savings scheme and guinea pig rearing while others are engaged in the bakery to earn a living.