Improving women and children refugees’ livelihoods through self-reliance at Nakivale settlement, south western Uganda

Abstract

UNHCR reports that of the 82.4 million people who have been forced into displacement, over half are women and children. The East African region hosts one of the highest levels of refugees in the world. Refugees in Camps in Africa are confronted with a number of challenges, one of them being over-reliance on food aid. In Uganda and particularly Nakivale settlement, a number of strategies have been undertaken to improve women and children refugees through self-reliance initiatives. This study examined how women and children refugees’ livelihoods can be improved through self-reliance strategies. The study employed a triangulation design to collect and analyze data. The study population for this study was 39523 women and children refugees (12 -17) and (18-59) gotten from a study population of 104,009 women and children refugees.  Using both quantitative and qualitative methods of data analysis, the findings revealed that refugees’ livelihoods can be improved through improved access to financial services and skills enhancement training. The study concluded that access to financing services would improve women and children refugees’ livelihood. The study thus, recommends that refugees be trained in different skills and later can be provided with capital to enable them start to businesses or other self-reliance activities instead of relying on handouts.