Uganda is currently experiencing record levels of refugee influx (approximately 1.1 million refugees [1]), which has brought key donors and actors such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), World Food Program (WFP) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) together to address the current needs of refugees as well as to develop a strategy for long-lasting solutions to reduce dependence on donor support.

To increase the impact of current cash and food assistance, these stakeholders expressed interest in adding a livelihoods and resiliency component in emergency contexts. It is believed that this approach will enable pathways toward self-reliance, while freeing up resources to address the needs of new arrivals.

The AVSI-led consortium is working on a 7-year Activity, whereby 13,200 households (HHs) in Kamwenge District that are economically active, but chronically unable to meet their basic needs without some form of assistance, will participate in an adapted graduation program, with fifty percent coming from the host community and fifty percent refugees from Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement in the same district. [2] The Activity, funded by USAID’s Office of Food for Peace, will be paired with an external impact evaluation using a randomized control trial approach.

[1] The ongoing verification of refugees in Uganda that started on 1 March 2018 was completed on 24thOctober 2018. The exercise has verified a total of 1,091,024 refugee or asylum-seekers. This represents 75.5% of the estimated target of 1.4 million registered persons.

[2] https://reliefweb.int/report/uganda/opm-unhcr-verification-exercise-update-24-october-2018