The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)’s gender-responsive, emergency livelihoods and economic recovery project has created safe and dignified temporary employment opportunities for a total 2,700 women and men from the most vulnerable households within refugee and host communities in Northern Uganda, despite the new COVID-19 surge. Ms. Grace Auma is one of the beneficiaries of this project.

After the arrest of her husband in South Sudan, 33-year-old Grace Auma fled with her children and mother to Uganda to seek refuge from the civil conflict. The mother of seven came to Uganda in 2015, settling in Maaji II refugee settlement in Adjumani district.

“I and my family survived South Sudan’s civil conflicts. My children and I were bruised by physical attacks of armed personnel, but I never gave up. I came to Uganda with all my children so we can rebuild our life here,’’ Auma said. While she was able to leave the conflict in her homeland behind, Auma still faced difficulties in Uganda meeting basic needs including medical care and education for her children. “I only got small portions of food from the humanitarian support which were not enough for my family, I could not meet basic needs of my family,” she said.

Poverty reigns among refugees

Auma is just one of the many refugees and asylum seekers from South Sudan who left behind their jobs, economic activities and their livelihood networks and faced with economic hardships in Uganda. Since the outbreak of the conflict in South Sudan in 2013, Uganda became the largest refugee hosting country in Africa. The total number of refugees and asylum seekers from South Sudan in Uganda is 881, 282, while the total number of refugee and asylum seekers in Uganda from all sources is over 1.4 million by mid-September 2020 according to the Uganda Comprehensive Uganda Refugee Response Portal.

Despite Uganda’s progressive approach to refugee management, the Uganda Multi-sector Needs Assessment (2018) reveals that approximately 80% of refugees live with less than US$ 1.90 per day; 72% of households reported rely on food distribution and 51% of refugees need livelihoods support urgently. However, the challenging economic situations of refugees and members of host communities in Uganda have been worsened by COVID-19, resulting into additional economic and psychological stress – including food insecurity, loss of jobs, livelihood opportunities, uncertainty about the future and fear of death. Inevitably, single mothers like Auma in refugee hosting districts are the hardest hit by the impacts of the current pandemic.

Cash for Work activities change fortunes

According to Auma, life took a different turn when she joined the Cash for Work activities implemented by the Uganda Host and Refugee Community Empowerment Project, supported by UNDP and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). This project is intended to strengthen the resilience of refugees and host communities, in gender-responsive manner and facilitate a rapid return to sustainable and inclusive development pathways in Acholi and West Nile sub-regions.

One of UNDP’s resilient livelihoods activities is Cash for Work, which provides Auma and other beneficiaries with an income for each day’s work such as woodlot establishment and community garden activities. Auma has been able to provide food for her family and has also managed to save 1/3 of her cash for work income for her family’s future as guided by UNDP.

She adds that she was paid UGX 220,000 from 20 days of community work, enabling her to pay her children’s school fees and cater for other essential needs (such as covering the medical bill for her 75-years old mother who suffers from chronic illness). Auma explains, “my mother has been sick for a while, I could not afford medical attention for her. I am very glad I can now afford to take her to the hospital to get some treatment.”

UNDP’s livelihoods intervention goes beyond providing temporary employment to participating beneficiaries; it supports the transition of economically marginalized groups from dependence on emergency employment efforts to more sustainable and resilient livelihoods opportunities.

Saving culture deepens

Auma proudly spoke of her experience of joining a Village Savings and Loan Association group of 30 people and participating in financial literacy and life skills trainings. She said that she saves between UGX 2,000-5,000 per week. With this, she can borrow some money from the group when needed in order to meet urgent needs in her family. 

Additionally, Auma has bought four piglets and opened a small shop, where she now sells cooking oil, onions and sugar that bring in an extra income of approximately UGX 5,000 per day. Her continuous involvement with this project will assist her grow her small business, as the project will provide business mentors who will her to understand rapidly changing demand of local market and new behavior of customers emerging from the impact of current pandemic. Auma will also obtain necessary business skills and network going forward.

Economic empowerment key to reducing GBV

It is worth noting that in times of crisis, disparities and inequalities including gender-based violence (GBV) increase. Study reveals that reducing GBV in low/middle-income countries requires the development of integrated programs that includes economic empowerment component with gender equality trainings and community mobilization embedded.

Recognizing the evidence, there are also complementary services available for participating beneficiaries of this KOICA-financed, resilient livelihoods intervention– such as small group-based trauma healing support and GBV prevention outreach and social welfare service referral services to reduce susceptibility of GBV and also to ensure that beneficiaries and their family members remain resilient and empowered throughout this new journey.

When women have higher level of empowerment, communities, especially conflict-affected communities, experience faster economic recovery. UNDP is committed to economically empower women and those most left behind, so they continue to serve as powerful agents of change in their families, communities and society.