Antoinette Abedrot boasts of the safety in Uganda; but access to basic needs upon arrival in the new environment led her to seek all ways to fend for her household. Antoinette and her family fled the Democratic Republic of the Congo due to the war in July 2018. Upon arriving at Kagoma Reception Centre in Kyangwali Refugee Settlement, the UNHCR provided her with non-food items including two tarpaulins, a box of cutlery, three mats, a jerrycan, a rechargeable solar lantern, a panga for clearing land, and three blankets. The Office of the Prime Minister, in charge of refugees in Uganda also offered the family a 12x8-meter piece of land in Nyampindu Village, where she currently lives with her three children.
"We utilised the rechargeable solar lantern to provide light at night and while doing domestic chores such as cooking and charging our phones. I bought a small battery torch to support the children's homework. The torch provided insufficient light, was non-durable, and was costly—we spent UGX 1,000 weekly on batteries to sustain the torchlight,” explains Antoinette.
As is the norm with new arrivals, the World Food Programme provided Antoinette's family with a food ration that included three kilogrammes of beans, twelve kilogrammes of rice, twelve kilogrammes of maize flour, a tin of salt, and three litres of cooking oil. They sold some of the food they received in order to purchase their preferred food—cassava flour.
"The food ration was insufficient because we had no alternative viable sources of income to supplement the deficit. The land that was supplied to us was inadequate for farming. We decided to work as casual labourers in neighbours’ gardens at a fee of UGX 5,000 (1 Euro) per day," states Antoinette.
A new phase in life commenced when she joined the Sustainable Market Inclusive Livelihood Pathways to Self-Reliance (SMILES) project in June 2023. She participated in coaching, good agronomic practices, financial and digital literacy. She was given a phone, a UGX 262,500 (69 Euros) business cash grant, and a UGX 39,000 (10 Euros) monthly food allowance for eight months.
“We received training on how to manage pests, plant crops in lines, use certified seeds, and establish demonstration gardens for vegetables,” says Antoinette.
She invested the business cash grant in maize growing–hired a small piece of land and labour for cultivation, purchased seed and launched another business in selling palm oil. “I bought 20 litres of palm oil from which I accumulated a profit of UGX 35,000 (9 Euros),” says Antoinette.
She recently increased her palm oil selling business to 70 litres as she awaits the maize harvest. Antoinette subscribes to two savings groups each consisting of 25 to 30 members, where she saves UGX 20,000 (5 Euros) and receives the accumulated savings at the end of year.
The project works with private sector actors by linking participants to financial services, quality agricultural inputs and outputs, health, and access to energy. Antoinette met a member of Bright Life Uganda, one of the market actors during their meeting. He provided them with information about the solar home system, its functions, alternative models, charging systems, built-in radios, and more. It was at this point that she recognised how crucial it was for her home.
According to the World Bank, Uganda’s electricity access was up to 47 percent as of 2022. Antoinette immediately expressed interest purchased the system by making a cash deposit of UGX 20,000 (5 Euros) has since continued to make the cost-friendly payments to complete the equipment cost of UGX 300,000 (79 Euros). Her palm oil business provides the money, or occasionally her husband makes a contribution.
“We now have sufficient lighting in every bedroom, a radio for entertainment, a phone charger, and security thanks to the Bright Life solar home system. The children can quickly complete their homework, and I am able to check on my newborn at night,” explains Antoinette.
In order to accommodate her visually-impaired mother, who is still living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Antoinette plans to upgrade her shelter by adding more rooms and iron sheet roofing when she eventually harvests and sells the maize. After the renovation, she also intends to purchase another Bright Life solar home system for her home.
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.