Nakivale Refugee Settlement, located in Isingiro District in southwestern Uganda, is one of the country’s oldest and largest refugee-hosting settlements. It hosts refugees from across the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa regions who have fled conflict, persecution, and economic instability in search of safety and an opportunity to rebuild their lives.
While Uganda’s progressive refugee policy grants refugees access to land, freedom of movement, and basic services, daily life in Nakivale remains difficult—particularly for young people.
Refugee youth often live in households with large family sizes, high dependency ratios, and limited livelihood opportunities. Many families depend on irregular humanitarian assistance and subsistence activities that are insufficient to meet basic needs such as food, education, and healthcare. As economic pressure mounts, education is frequently sacrificed. Young people are forced to choose between attending school and contributing to household survival. Absenteeism, school dropout, and early entry into low-paid labour are common realities, leaving many youth trapped in cycles of poverty with limited prospects for decent work.
Evidence of Vulnerability
The Y-connect Baseline study conducted by AVSI Foundation in Nakivale revealed widespread economic fragility among both refugee and host-community youth. Nearly half of the assessed youth—551 (49%)—depend on a single source of income, exposing them to significant livelihood risk. This reliance on a single income source is higher among host-community youth (64%) compared to refugee youth (49%).
While 33% (370) of youth reported having diversified income streams, a concerning 17% (195) had no source of income at all. Refugee youth were disproportionately affected, with 22% reporting no income compared to only 6% among host-community youth. Across both groups, casual labour emerged as the dominant livelihood activity—reflecting a pattern of low-skilled, unstable, and temporary employment. Monthly income data further underscored this vulnerability, with a significant proportion of youth earning very low or no income, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable, market-oriented livelihood solutions.
Investing in Youth Potential: The Y-Connect Project
In response to high levels of youth unemployment and underemployment in Nakivale, the Connecting Youth to Gainful Entrepreneurship (Y-Connect) was established. Funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Uganda and implemented by AVSI Foundation, this initiative aims to improve economic resilience for 1,700 refugee and host-community youth in Isingiro District.
Uganda's youth unemployment figures for 2025 sites an approximated 16.1% youth unemployment (18-30) but estimates a much higher NEET (Not in Employment, Education, or Training) at 43% of the youth population which stands at 31%, indicating significant youth underutilization, alongside general unemployment concerns and challenges like skills mismatch and economic pressures, highlighting a complex picture beyond just these figures.
Y-Connet focuses to skill 1,100 NEET and 600 youth in secondary schools, to promote agribusiness and entrepreneurship as practical pathways to dignity and self-sufficiency. 1,311 youth received hands-on technical skills across the agricultural value chain, including poultry, piggery, horticulture, and value addition in juice making, bakery, and yoghurt production in 2025.
Beyond technical trainings, the project integrates financial literacy, entrepreneurship, market access, and group-based learning. Youth are organised into clusters and supported to participate in Village Saving and Loans Associations, strengthening financial inclusion and collective resilience. Skilled youth received start-up capital to support their transition into self-employment.
“As a group of 30 members, we were trained in piggery production and management—feeding, piglet handling, feed formulation, and financial literacy. AVSI supported us with a pigsty, breeding stock, water harvesting, and feeds. We chose piggery because of its short gestation period and quick returns. We expect our monthly income to grow from UGX 200,000 to UGX 1 million within six months.”
Benard Tumusiime, Chairperson, Ruhanga Kwetungle Group.
“I never imagined owning a poultry business. I depended on subsistence farming with no clear future. Y-Connect changed everything by giving me skills in poultry management and financial literacy and life skills. I received UGX 1.2 million to start-up my business, I am constructing a poultry unit and starting with 30 birds. I am beginning small, with hopes of expanding.”
Betesi Kyomuhendo, Youth, Kityaza Poultry Group
Education Under Pressure: Rubondo Community Secondary School
Rubondo Community Secondary School, located within Nakivale Refugee Settlement, was established in 2019 to address a critical education gap. At the time, the community had six refugee and three host-community primary schools but no secondary school to absorb learners completing primary education. Through the combined efforts of the community and development partners, the school now serves 644 learners, providing a vital bridge to continued education.
Despite this progress, many learners continue to face serious barriers. School fees, food insecurity at home and at school, and household economic pressures contribute to absenteeism and dropout. Some learners miss classes to accompany parents to gardens or engage in menial labour—placing their education and future opportunities at risk.
Linking Education to Livelihoods: Y-Connect in Schools
In 2025, Y-Connect was introduced in Nakivale and Rubondo Community Secondary Schools to bridge the gap between education and employability. The programme is equiping learners with market-relevant skills in poultry production, piggery, and value-addition in juice making, bakery, and yoghurt production—alongside soft skills and entrepreneurship training to inculcate the culture of diligence, hardwork and enterprise.
More than 250 learners were trained at Rubondo Community Secondary School. The project constructed two poultry units, installed solar power and a water-harvesting system, and provided productive assets including 300 broilers, 300 kroilers, and 600 layer birds, in addition to feeds, drinkers, treatment materials, and technical training.
“Y-Connect complements Uganda’s competence-based curriculum by embedding hands-on learning across agriculture, biology, physics, life skills, and entrepreneurship. Learners have built practical competencies while strengthening teamwork, discipline, and problem-solving skills, contributing to improved engagement and academic performance. We are also registering reduced absenteeism, improved retention, and renewed learner motivation. Learners are reporting a clear path to earning within one to two months of skills acquisition. Teachers have also benefited by developing practical skills that enhance both their teaching effectiveness and income opportunities.”
Said Edmond Mukasa head teacher Rubondo Community Secondary School.
Beyond the classroom, the programme has strengthened trust, collaboration, and ownership within the wider community. High-performing learners receive start-up kits to support livelihood creation, reinforcing the connection between education, skills, and economic empowerment.
“AVSI coaches informed us about opportunities in agriculture at our school. I chose poultry because I learnt I could earn quickly if I stayed focused. I now know how to select a good breed, raise a day-old chick and manage production for a specific market that can help me pay my school fees and start my own business.”
Monic Niyomubyeyi, Senior Three, Rubondo Community Secondary School
By complementing academic learning with practical skills, Y-Connect provides a viable solution to reduce dropout rates—particularly between Senior Four and Senior Six—and supports learners to continue to tertiary and university education.
With income-generating skills, access to assets, and business support, young people are better positioned to finance their education, support their families, and contribute positively to the socio-economic development of Nakivale and surrounding host communities.
The programme directly contributes to Uganda’s Vision 2040 and the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, by reducing unemployment, creating sustainable livelihoods, and promoting inclusive economic development.
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