HOW GABRIEL DENG A BENEFICIARY OF CASH AID HAS TRANSFORMED INTO A PROGRESSIVE FARMER-NYUMANZI REFUGEE SETTLEMENT-ADJUMANI
Despite Uganda’s progressive approach to refugee management, refugees living in settlements and their host communities remain vulnerable and at risk of recurring shocks. At least 80% of refugees in Uganda live below the international poverty line of US$ 1.9 per day. (Source: FAO and OPM. Food Security, Resilience and Well-being Analysis in Northern Uganda).
Gabriel Akim Deng is a 45-year-old refugee of South Sudan origin who came to Uganda on 24th April 2014 with thousands of other south Sudanese due to the conflict, He narrates, “I left South Sudan when the war broke out between the Dinkas and Nuer which left many south Sudanese homeless. Together with my family of nine members, we arrived in Uganda through the Nimule Elegu border and we were relocated to Dzaipi reception centre, from the reception centre, we were resettled at Nyumanzi Refugee Settlement, we were provided with Non-Food Items by UNHCR (including blankets, tools like hoes, panga and other household items saucepans and mosquito nets) and began to receive Food items from WFP’’.
The food aid provided by the World Food Programme has been beneficial to me and my family but I needed to overcome the dependency on food and cash aid as advised by AFOD during sensitization meetings, he recaps, “I did not have any other source of food, I started receiving food right from the time I arrived at Nyumanzi Refugee settlement. I later on enrolled into the cash program.” When I started receiving cash, I started saving part of the money. With the savings, I was able to rent land measuring 1 acre and planted cassava. The yield was good and I got 25 bags of cassava which I dried, I sold a basin of dried cassava at 18,000 Ugx and a full bag of five basins was worth about 90,000 Ugx hence able to raise 2,250,000 Uganda shillings (USD 608) from the 25 bags. I have since then increased to 4 acres and hope to expand in the near future. I will continue farming as it has made me progress and now I have a livelihood that I and my family can depend on other than relying only on the cash entitlement we receive from the WFP Cash programme. AFOD and WFP have made me optimistic about the future; I plan to open up a produce store one day that will help me provide a better quality of life for my family and enable me send my children to better schools.
In an interview with other beneficiaries about Gabriel, here are their excerpts, ‘We have also benefited from Gabriel’s farming venture.” He does not take his food items to sell to far away markets but rather to fellow refugees at cheaper prices where both the refugees and host community benefits,” When asked why he sells at cheaper prices, Gabriel says ‘I do not incur any transport cost and I want my fellow refugees to benefit and this is also an appreciation to the host community for the cordial relationship built’.
Gabriel says from the time he settled in Uganda there have been changes in his life and his family. “There have been some positive changes in my life, as I have acquired land now and I am able to cultivate unlike before in South Sudan, secondly all my children are now in school and I can pay the school fees and other requirements. I encourage other refugee beneficiaries and even the host communities to venture into farming’’. I would like to thank AFOD, WFP and Nyumanzi host community for allowing us to settle here. He says, ‘Here in Nyumanzi, refugees and the host community are one family’’.
To improve livelihood and overcome the socio-economic disconnect, AFOD has been exploring the different livelihood strategies factoring links to productive assets, knowledge, skills, markets and opportunities for socio-economic empowerment and transformation of refugees and host population.
KEPA A BENEFACTOR OF THE GFA PROGRAMME AT CHINYI REFUGEE SETTLEMENT, PALORINYA
Kepa James emerges from the rub hall in Chinyi Food distribution Point in Palorinya Refugee Settlement and heads for the shade to take a small rest after the day’s work as a Food Management Committee member. Kepa a graduate in medical laboratory studies came to Uganda three years ago as a single family member, fleeing conflict in the native Budria in South Sudan, entering through the boarder point at Afoji, he moved to Palorinya and was enrolled in the General Food Assistance Programme implemented by AFOD Uganda in partnership with WFP.
In 2018, he-along with about 119,000 other refugees residing in the settlement were enrolled into the new food collection system which uses biometric verification to ensure the beneficiaries receive the right entitlement. In an interview with Kepa, he says, “The new food system is better than the old system”, ‘it’s fast and beneficiaries get the rightful entitlements.” I am family size one entitled to; 1.5 Kg of CBS, 0.15kg salt, 12 kg Cereal, 2.4 Kg Pulses and 0.9litres of Vegetable oil. With the new modality l have been able to receive my rightful entitlements. I love the General Food Assistance Programme because it provides me with food and I have been fortunate to be elected as a member of the Food Management Committee in my settlement.
To supplement the food entitlement I receive through the GFA Programme, I have established a small drug shop at the settlement and joined a village saving and Loan Association due to the financial literacy skills passed on by AFOD during preaddress. This has enabled me to borrow some money to support my drug shop. I also do some casual work for the host community to further supplement my meagre earnings for example cultivating 1.5meters by 9meters of land earns me 1000 Uganda shillings which is equivalent to 2 cups of cereals.
However, some of the challenges I face are; inadequate health care support and capital for my drug shop but overall, l thank AFOD and WFP for giving me a chance to serve beneficiaries as a member of the food management committee where I have been exposed to many trainings, acquired leadership skills and most of all provided us with food.
STARTING SMALL AND GROWING BIG-RAJO ALICE VENTURES INTO GOAT REARING IN ELEMA REFUGEE SETTLEMENT
Adjumani is one of the major refugee hosting districts in Uganda with a total refugee population of 205,762 and 234,300 host population (UNHCR, August, 2019). The joint inter-agency Multi-Sector Needs Assessment (MSNA) found that 51% of refugee and 14% of host community households are in need of livelihood support, with the highest percentage among refugee households in West Nile 55%.
Rajo Alice a 38 years old south Sudanese refugee fled South Sudan to Uganda on the 12th July 2016 through Afogi border in Moyo district and was relocated to Nyumanzi reception center. Alice recaps her horrible experience, “When the war broke out, my husband was caught up in Juba and I was left with the children at Kajo Keji town, Yei County, Central Equatorial State”. I had to treck with thousands of other people to Uganda with my four children, we were re-settled at Elema refugee settlement and started receiving help from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the World Food Programme (WFP) through the implementing partner Alliance Forum for Development (AFOD Uganda).
We are currently receiving monthly food rations from WFP through AFOD. However, the rations we receive is inadequate to sustain the household. To supplement on the monthly food ration, I have hired land where I cultivate for domestic use and for sale. I have benefited from sensitization messages on financial literacy from AFOD where we are encouraged to save and start small. I have been able to save from the payments I get through casual work of food distribution in Elema Refugee settlement where I am paid 15,000= (fifteen thousand shilling) per day of work and on average I get 45,000= (forty five thousand shillings) which enabled me to buy two goats which has produced many kids. I plan to buy 3 more improved quality goats and hopefully I will be able to educate my children and improve my household income. I hope my story will one day prove helpful in ensuring participation of more women in farming for their social and economic empowerment.
