AWAC restores hope among the needy in Rhino camp refugee settlement
30 girls have so far benefited from the Make Way program.
Arua: Alliance of women advocating for change (AWAC) has restored hope in the youth who are young mothers, persons with disability and sex workers plus persons living with HIV/AIDS in Ocea and offua within Rhino camp refugee settlement.
After identification of the hopeless youth AWAC engaged them together with the community leaders so that they identify how best they would be helped.
The groups were trained on various skills through a make way program which has yielded fruits for the youth.
A random interview conducted on Tuesday 30 july from the beneficiaries shows that the youth have sense of direction after attaining the skills.
Sylvia Musibega a 22 years old Kenyan refugee living in Ocea A within rhino camp refugee settlement who is a single mother of one says she attained skills in SRHR advocacy, social accountability, engaging on district decision making platforms like in budget approval meetings, livelihood skills in liquid and soap, making, savings which has helped her to raise some money for the sustainability of her family.
She further says before she didn’t know anything about savings but since last year July she saves between 6000 to 10000 per weekend.
She says savings is done using stars of which one star is 2000 Ugandan shillings.
She opened up a business of ground nuts paste whereby she got the capital from the savings she has been doing.
She says she is hopeful to continue with her education since her savings will help her pay school fees.
Similarly Mary Konga a 24 year old south Sudanese refugee from central equatorial says she was selected because she is disabled.
She says she was doing nothing in the village not until AWAC came to her rescue and through the make way program where she attained skills in liquid soap making, savings and how to prepare popcorns.
She says in a day she gets average of 15000 shillings of which she says at least 5 stars which is equivalent to 10000 Ugandan shillings.
She says from her savings she intends to continue with her studies since she had dropped out after completing primary seven class.
She calls for more extending hand to the other persons with disability in the settlement so that they can attain self sustaining skills since they are seen as useless people in the community.
Another beneficiary (name with held)a refugee from south Sudan who was sex worker within the camp says she had ventured in that business because of economic hardships.
Being single mother of two children she says she decided to practice prostitution so that her children can get what to eat.
After being identified by AWAC she says from the training she attained made her attain skills which have been of importance to her.
From the savings she has managed to open up business of selling boiled eggs.
She says she more than sells two trays per day of oiled eggs of which she buys each tray at 13000 Ugandan shillings.
She says this has helped her get money for savings and looking after her children who are in school.
She thanked AWAC for identifying her and extending a helping hand to her and also calls upon more donors to extend helping hand to the hopeless youth within the refugee camps.
Lwate clement a clinical officer at ocea health centre 2 says the collaboration between AWAC and the health facility has helped on reduction of teenage pregnancies in the facility.
He says previously they would receive teenagers as far as age of 14 years who would come but with the youth friendly a space which AWAC has provided for the youth there is hope that interventions will yield better fruits.
Mama Mary martin a facilitator and community leader in Ocea says the program AWAC has introduced for the young girls is a relief to the community because it has helped to increase on employment opportunities for the young girls in the camp.
She says a number of them were traumatized after they became pregnant and others chased from their families which called for intervention of the community leaders.
This was during an engagement in rhino camp refugee settlement in Terego district.
The engagement involved members of parliaments who came to asses and see the success stories AWAC has been doing in Rhino camp refugee settlement since 2021 on behalf of government.
According to Michael Semakula the programs manager Alliance of women advocating for change (AWAC) started with power project and later amplified by make way program using an intersectional lens with focus on marginalized adolescent girls and young women
Currently the established groups benefiting are destiny girls group in Ocea and dignity girls in offua.
Rose Obigah the woman member of parliament Terego thanked AWAC for the initiative of skilling the young girls but also said there is need to add on more beneficiaries especially from the host community so that there can be peaceful co existence.
30 girls have so far benefited from the make way program
Do you have an advertisement or an article you want to publish? Mail us at theugreports@gmail.com or WhatsApp +256394700683.
