Originally, Edinance Murekatete, a mother of three children, owned a retail business selling groceries and foodstuffs, including potatoes, beans, maize, and cooking oil, whereas her husband, Claude Karamba Kabimanga, practiced the nursing profession. The couple lived a simple and fulfilling life in North Kivu Province in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. But this did not last due to the war that resulted in property loss, trauma, and the fact that Edinance was two months pregnant. Therefore, in November 2019, they left their home and settled in Itambabiniga Village in the Kyaka II Refugee Settlement, located in Western Uganda.
"It was difficult to start over, all of our belongings had been taken, we were struggling to pay for food, clothing, and other needs including school fees for the children. My sole option for sustaining the family was to provide unskilled labour in the host community,” states Claude.
Over time, Edinance started acquiring food products from the host community: such as green bananas, cassava, beans, maize, and selling them in the refugee settlement, while Claude worked voluntary jobs such as community mobilisation for non-governmental organisations.
In addition, they received a food and cash ration from the World Food Programme worth UGX 22,000 (5 Euros) per month, which was later reduced to UGX 12,000 (3 Euros), further impairing their standard of living. They received training in backyard gardening and livestock from other organizations that also provided them with seeds for planting. Even with these opportunities, they still faced a challenge with inadequate finances and improper planning.
In July 2023, Edinance’s household was enrolled in the Sustainable Market Inclusive Livelihood Pathways to Self-Reliance (SMILES) project. They participated in activities such as Village Saving and Loans Association, Coaching, Farmer Field and Business School, and they received a monthly cash stipend for food worth UGX 52,000 (13 Euros). Additionally, they integrated the Graduation Map into their journey—a coaching tool that supports the household to assess their reality and progress, set short-term goals to improve their situation along food security, business, saving, basic needs, child growth and development, and self-efficacy throughout the project intervention.
“The SMILES project taught us to become self-reliant through using the Graduation Map. The different levels in standards of living through the respective pathways. It motivates you to keep pursuing your goal,” explains Edinance.
They further learnt pesticide management and homemade pesticides from the Farmer Field and Business School sessions and setting SMART goals from the coaching sessions, assisting them to plan for the available resources and explore household opportunities.
“Before the project interventions, we used to live with livestock–four goats and 14 ducks–in a one-roomed house and the project coach encouraged us to move them to them to their own shelter,” states Edinance.
“We decided to sell off the livestock at UGX 1.2 million (300 Euros), accumulated UGX 600,000 (150 Euros) from our harvest of maize and beans and UGX 200,000 (50 Euros) from consumption support and cash ration distribution, in order to purchase a UGX 2 million (500 Euros) permanent four-roomed house near the trading centre for both accommodation and business,” clarifies Edinance.
She set a goal of starting a business through the business pathway on the Graduation Map and in November 2023, she started selling silverfish, palm oil, groceries and other food stuff, with a capital of UGX 150,000 (40 Euros) she had saved from the monthly cash stipend for food and cash ration distribution. With support from the husband, they earned UGX 20,000 (5 Euros) per week from the business which supported the household in meeting their basic needs.
She used part of the monthly cash stipend for food to invest in the business and saved up to UGX 10,000 (3 Euros) per week in the profits.
We no longer just work hard, we work smart. We also have three meals a day and save UGX 15,000 (4 Euros) from the Village Saving and Loans Association per week, we have a better house and we plan as a family and attend group sessions together. We are expanding our income generating activities,”
Edinance Murekatete, SMILES project beneficiary
Edinance and her husband have learnt the power of unity in decision-making and sharing household responsibilities. They navigate life's challenges as a cohesive team, expressing the true essence of partnership and resilience.
About 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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