Uganda has earned recognition as the largest refugee hosting nation in Africa and the third largest in the world, with a refugee population of 1.4 million. The country’s progressive and generous
refugee policy provides essential services such as healthcare and education in refugee settlements, while allowing refugees the freedom to move and work. One notable settlement is
Nakivale Refugee Settlement, situated in the Isingiro district of southern Uganda. Established in 1960, Nakivale stands as one of Africa’s oldest and most enduring refugee settlements, spanning over 180 square kilometers. It is comprised of three sub-camps: Base Camp, Juru 5, and Rubondo, collectively hosting over 100,000 refugees from 11 different nationalities, primarily originating from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Somalia, and Rwanda.
Refugee women residing in Nakivale face pervasive poverty, primarily engaging in unskilled agricultural labor. The challenges of limited resources, technology, time-saving practices, and reliance on rainfall contribute to low crop yields, perpetuating a cycle of poverty with substantial post-harvest losses. To address this, our project is dedicated to fostering economic independence among these refugee women through goat farming, providing them with a sustainable income source. The initiative not only enhances nutrition through access to goat milk and meat but also empowers women by improving their farming and entrepreneurship skills. The overarching goal is to instill self reliance, contributing to community empowerment and resilience, ultimately fostering positive impacts on individual livelihoods and the broader community.