No one chooses to be a refugee. Some are fleeing conflict, others extreme poverty or persecution, but one thing they all share is the desire to find safety or freedom. Around 1.7 million refugees and 50,000 asylum seekers live in Uganda, with 80% of communities living in the country’s refugee settlements made up of women and children.
Since 2018, international charity ActionAid has been supporting the work of women and young activists in these refugee settlements who are advocating for their rights, leading their communities and creating economic opportunities for themselves to fight economic injustice.
Monica, 30, is a refugee from South Sudan who arrived in Uganda in 2017 and went on to found and lead the Voice of the Voiceless Women Association. She says: “We arrived in Uganda traumatised. There was support from NGOs for those who faced problems or who experienced gender-based violence [GBV], both on the way and after arriving here.”
Her leadership journey began when she attended training on advocacy and economic empowerment at a women’s centre in the Imvepi refugee settlement, in north-west Uganda, supported by ActionAid and other NGOs. This inspired her to form the group, which started as a savings collective before evolving into a women’s association focused on addressing GBV, supporting women who experienced it, and promoting women’s rights.
ActionAid has constructed a centre that provides a safe space for women and girls in the Imvepi refugee settlement, where they can access confidential support, learn practical skills and support each other. “I used to fear speaking in front of people, but with my leadership skills, I can now stand up and talk in front of people without any fear,” says Monica. “Some of the group members who were experiencing GBV were unable to open up, but after the sessions, they could.”
Gloria, 29, left the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2021 for Uganda because of the conflict between armed groups, which left women and girls particularly vulnerable, facing heightened risks of rape, assault, and killing. Today, she is vice secretary of Community Transformation Agenda (COTA), a women-led community organisation supported by ActionAid.
COTA provided training that led to Gloria starting a soap-making and selling group, which she now also chairs. A savings function enables members to invest some of what they earn and take out loans when needed – for example, to learn new skills that help to make them more financially independent. With the help of a woman who had a sewing machine, Gloria learned to sew. Using funds from the soap-making group, she bought her own sewing machine to make clothes.
“Things are working well for me,” she says. “My children are all in school and I’m paying their school fees. COTA has done a lot with the funding from ActionAid. As well as soap-making training, they provided financial literacy training to manage our businesses and keep records. It is helping me to provide for my family.”
Another ActionAid initiative was the launch of an agroecology centre to promote sustainable agricultural practices that work in harmony with natural ecosystems. Here, women and young people can learn about climate change and sustainable techniques for growing produce, not only to feed their families but also to sell in the local market and generate an income. In the past, climate breakdown has resulted in crops failing, leaving communities reliant on buying supplies from the market instead of being self-sufficient.
“On the small area of land we have, we can grow fruit, cassava, and greens,” says Gloria. “Now we always have food at home. Women are also farming and selling their produce, such as flour, beans, and cooking oil. It is so important for women to learn these skills. Unless women achieve economic independence, GBV will never reduce in the settlement.”
Women and girls who live in the Uganda refugee settlements also struggle to secure basic supplies, such as period products, including pads, leading to period poverty. This lack of access to period products impacts girls’ rights to an education. Without pads, many girls miss school when on their periods, which leaves them especially vulnerable, increasing their risk of child marriage and early pregnancy.
Along with distributing pads to vulnerable families, ActionAid Uganda supports the work of feminist leaders and community-led groups who are organising workshops for girls aged between nine and 19 on how to make reusable pads. Originally from Kenya, Razia is a 25-year-old feminist leader and activist who attended ActionAid training workshops. Since then, she has been running workshops in the Kiryandongo refugee settlement on making reusable pads and educating on topics such as women’s rights and family planning.
She says: “A lack of sanitary materials, like pads and soap is a huge challenge facing many adolescents. When you lack the essentials, you cannot look after yourself. In the settlement, many girls don’t go to school for three, four or even seven days when they have their period because they don’t have pads.”
By investing some money in data bundles, Razia taught herself to make reusable pads by watching YouTube videos on her mobile phone. She then trained her peers, who now help her run the workshops. ActionAid recently helped open a shelter for survivors of GBV that stocks free supplies of sanitary pads and has plans to run community workshops on sexual reproductive health, including menstrual health.
Razia has introduced some of the women she has trained to local organisations that can support them in livelihood training in skills such as tailoring, hairdressing and catering, many of them supported by ActionAid. Ultimately, her goal is to become a member of parliament for Kiryandongo District and have even more power to fight for the rights of women and girls, alongside the international charity. She says: “I love helping to change the lives of young girls and seeing that in the future, they will stand up for their rights and support themselves.”
Support ActionAid
To learn more about the work being done by ActionAid to support displaced women and girls around the world who are overcoming life-changing challenges, visit actionaid.org.uk
