Supporting refugees and host communities in Northern Uganda
Project description
Title: Response to increased demand on Government services and creation of economic opportunities in Uganda (RISE)
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: Uganda
Overall term: 2018 to 2023
Context
Uganda is currently the third-largest refugee-hosting country in the world. And the largest in Africa (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) 2021). It hosts more than 1.5m refugees, with more than 900,000 from South Sudan (UNHCR, November 2021).
Uganda has maintained an open-door policy regarding the admission of refugees. The increasing number of refugees and overall population in the West Nile region of Northern Uganda has led to increased pressure on resources with economic, social, developmental, and humanitarian consequences.
This situation calls for a comprehensive response. A humanitarian and development approach is needed to consolidate economic resilience in these vulnerable communities. A further aim is to enable local governments to deliver government services adequately and sustainably to refugees and host communities.
Objective
Local authorities are better able to plan and deliver basic services to all people. Resilience and self-reliance among both refugee and host communities have improved through new income and employment opportunities.
Approach
The project is implemented in six refugee-hosting districts in Northern Uganda. The districts were selected based on the number of refugees compared to the local population, budget allocation per head per district (without and with refugees), presence of other donors and potential synergies with other projects.
The capacities of district local governments are strengthened for better service delivery and integration of refugee needs. Employment and income opportunities for women and youth are promoted through non-formal vocational skilling, private sector support and financial inclusion. Refugees and host communities are also supported to increase their income from small scale commercial agriculture production.
Last update: July 2022