Photo Credit: AFOD cash team
Caption: Amina displays her items for sale at the cash distribution point
AFOD-Uganda in partnership with WFP is implementing a Cash Based transfer in Lobule settlements, Koboko District, West Nile Region where each refugee receives a cash assistance of 31,000 Uganda shillings per month. In cycle 10 of October 2018, AFOD served a total of 841 households with 149,637,000 Uganda shillings ($ 40,442). To complement the cash distribution, AFOD equips the refugees with financial Literacy skills with a focus on; budgeting, money management and savings skills.
Amina is a 36 year old widow from Waju 3 and a mother of 6 children who arrived in Uganda in 2013 from Democratic Republic of Congo due
to the political instability in Eastern DRC, Her family sought refuge in Uganda where they were re-settled in Lobule settlement, Koboko District.
Amina narrates her ordeal, “Before I was registered by the Office of the Prime Minister on the 2nd Nov 2013 as a refuge in Lobule settlement, life was full of hardships. My family could barely afford basic necessities such as food, clothes and education. This worsened when my husband passed on and left me with 6 children to take care of without any means of survival. Even when I was in DRC, I was only a housewife and not doing any productive activity to earn a living. Upon enrollment to cash based transfer in July 2018, I was entitled to 217,000 Uganda shillings for the 7 household members. Through the financial literacy skills I acquired from AFOD usually passed during pre-addresses on; livelihood opportunities, income generation and savings culture, with a passion for business, I exploited a gap at cash distribution points where beneficiaries would travel for some good distance looking for basic necessities. I decided to venture into a small income generating activity.
“I divided the money into half that is 108,500 Uganda shillings as capital for my retail business and 108,500 Uganda shillings for other basic needs. In a space of three months, I have widen my small retail business to include; sale of sugar, beans, cowpeas, groundnuts, sliver fish, coffee, salt and soap since there is ready market for it”. This business has generated profits for me and I can now pay school fees for my children, afford a balanced meal, pay for medical care and other basic necessities. However, managing this business has not been a smooth sailing due to high transport costs to purchase items and bad debtors. I have learnt to save and keep my business records as guided by AFOD.
Amina further remarks, “I have learnt to believe in myself, because of this business, my first born is sitting for P 7 on the 5th and 6th of November 2018 and next year, I will have saved enough to enroll him for a secondary education, sky is the limit’!!!’. I still believe that with continuous support from AFOD and other partners like; WFP, OPM and UNHCR, life is going to get even better. I advise all women to identify their passion and use it to generate income to avoid dependency on the monthly entitlements only.
Amina remarked, ”Cash is more relevant to me than food because there are so many livelihood opportunities in my community, with the support of cash, I am deciding to also invest in fishing business. In life, never give up amidst tough situations. I advise women to embrace the idea of saving and starting something small”.
