Refugee communities thriving on soft skills in Kyangwali Refugee Settlement, Western Uganda

Several refugees continue to seek assistance from non-governmental organisations and make use of this support to access basic needs to improve their livelihoods; however, Margarita Kanyana’s case is different.

Margarita-Kanyana-at-her-second-hand-clothing-stall-in-the-local-market-in-Kyangwali-Refugee-Settlement
Countries Uganda
Date 21.01.2025
Author By Bbala Elijah Baguma - Communications Technical Advisor for AVSI Foundation in Uganda

Margarita Kanyana’s story as a refugee begins in 2009 when due to political instability she fled the Democratic Republic of the Congo, arrived in Kampala, the capital city of Uganda before moving to Kyangwali Refugee Settlement in 2010. “While in Kampala, I used to hawk dip fried fish with a friend but when she resettled in Canada, I could no longer afford life in the city so I requested the Office of the Prime Minister for relocation to Kyangwali,” explains Kanyana.

On arrival in Kyangwali Refugee Settlement located in Western Uganda, Margarita was given a small plot of land in Kasonga Village and a tarpaulin, bucket, beddings, slasher, panga and food. Over the course of a year and a half, Margarita struggled with life and made unsuccessful attempts at fish-selling business. In order to care for her kids and her father in Kyangwali, she resorted to working as a house-help in Kampala City for a little over two years.

“While in the city, I fell in love with a man whom I stayed with for three years, and upon separation, I permanently returned to Kyangwali in 2021.” 32-year-old Margarita says.

Realising she was pregnant, Margarita tried other ventures that did not necessitate her to hawk, such as tomato selling and poultry, but was unsuccessful. Consequently, due to peer influence she was introduced to prostitution–a seemingly faster way out that dragged her life to the gutters of drug abuse as a means to cope with the regrettable decision.

Margarita Kanyana at her second hand clothing stall in the local market in Kyangwali Refugee Settlement in Kikuube District
Margarita Kanyana at her second hand clothing stall in the local market in Kyangwali Refugee Settlement in Kikuube District

“When you are no longer practicing prostitution, you feel the heaviness of its effects on your life and children,” states Margarita who withdrew her 12-year-old daughter from school so that she could take care of her siblings while Margarita went about her night life. The money she earned was never accounted for since it was used for drug abuse and alcohol. Additionally, the funds she obtained from non-governmental organisations were misused in the same fashion; and her actions attracted ridicule from the community.

“I suffered psychologically from verbal abuse from community members. They called me all sorts of obscene names and words to describe my lifestyle.”

Margarita Kanyana

In July 2023, her five-member household was enrolled in the Sustainable Market Inclusive Livelihood Pathways to Self-Reliance (SMILES) project, from which she received trainings in Village Saving and Loans Association, Farmer Field and Business School, coaching, business coaching, and others.

“The project coach immediately advised me to change my life choices and encouraged me to support my family and not to depend on hand-outs. The coaching sessions brought me back to my senses through teachings on parenting, saving, child growth and development, self-efficacy. I was equally guided to take an HIV test which turned out to be negative,” emphasises Margarita.

Her household has understood the value of a balanced diet and having three meals a day as well as saving. She saves UGX 10,000 (3 Euros) in the project Village Saving and Loans Association and UGX 25,000 (7 Euros) in a community savings group every week.

“I picked a loan of UGX 200,000 (53 Euros) from the project Village Saving and Loans Association. I paid UGX 150,000 (40 Euros) to acquire skills in handcrafting from which I produce crafts such as necklaces, bags, earrings, bracelets which I hawk. I spent the rest of the money on our daily needs.”

Margarita Kanyana
Margarita Kanyana holding her handmade crafts at her household in Kyangwali Refugee Settlement
Margarita Kanyana with her handmade crafts at her household in Kyangwali Refugee Settlement

Margarita’s household received a monthly cash stipend for food worth UGX 13,000 (3 Euros) for each household member for eight months, and over the period, she accumulated twenty chicken, two pigs and rented land for two planting seasons while growing beans and maize for home consumption and commercial purposes.

Through the Farmer Field and Business School sessions, her group was taught how to plant vegetables, maize and beans, establish nursery beds, crop alignment and spacing, soil management, good seed variety, weeding, pest management, use of organic fertilisers, and other good agronomic practices.

The household further received a one-off asset business cash grant of UGX 825,000 (217 Euros) which she invested in a second-hand clothing business in Kagoma market situated within the refugee settlement. She earns a minimum profit of UGX 100,000 (26 Euros) per bale of clothing in an approximate period of two market days. The business has enabled her to provide for her family, including school fees and food.

“I plan to get an address for the second-hand clothing business so that I can incorporate the crafts for income diversification,” she says. She also plans to construct a poultry house in her backyard for proximity, fence off her home for security, install electricity in her home and in the poultry business and continue attending project interventions to boost her knowledge and skills. Through the project interventions, Margarita has since felt a sense of responsibility for her family and her eventual transformative change in her life.

Margarita Kanyana selling her second hand clothing at her stall in the local market in Kyangwali Refugee Settlement in Western Uganda
Margarita Kanyana selling her second hand clothing at her stall in Kagoma market in Kyangwali Refugee Settlement in Western Uganda

About the SMILES project

The Sustainable Market Inclusive Livelihood Pathways to Self-Reliance (SMILES) project is a five-year (November, 2022 – October, 2027) initiative funded by the IKEA Foundation. The project works with 14,000 households (extremely poor refugee and host community) comprising 70,000 individuals in Kyaka II and Kyangwali Refugee Settlements in Western Uganda with the aim of supporting them to become resilient.

The project delivers a graduation model integrated with a Market System Development approach targeting women and youth and their household members. Key sectors include livelihoods, agriculture, food security, protection, energy and environment. The project is implemented by AVSI Foundation in partnership with UNHCR and the Office of the Prime Minister and in a consortium with Innovations for Poverty Action, Renewable Energy, Powering Agriculture and Rural Livelihoods Enhancement (REPARLE), Makerere University Kampala, and DAI Global LLC.

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