Projects

Short Description:

Overall goal

- Increased household income through financial inclusion, skills and enterprise development for vulnerable refugee and host populations in West Nile

- Increased household agricultural production and productivity for business and farmer groups in West Nile.

Expected results

- Improved access to micro-finance services through micro-finance institutions (MFIs) and saving groups (100 saving groups established and functioning; 2,000 households (HHs) accessing micro-finance via Savings and Development Clusters (SDCs) or MFIs)

- Household with diversified income generating opportunities (2,000 HHs with diversified sources of income; 100 business enterprises created )

- Viable farmer and business groups strengthened and linked to available markets and other service providers (90 businesses/groups working together to buy their inputs and sell their products; 90 value chain networks established and functional)

- Increased adoption of improved farming technologies and techniques among targeted beneficiaries (2,000 farmer HH applying and practicing improved farming technologies and techniques )

- Access to improved agricultural technologies and inputs among targeted beneficiaries promoted (2,000 HHs accessing improved seeds and planting material; 2,000 farmer HH using improved agricultural implements and tools )

- Improved post-harvest handling, storage and processing of agricultural products to meet targeted market needs (2,000 HHs with knowledge and skills on post-harvest handling technologies for quality agricultural products; 3 labor-saving post-harvest handling technologies for female farmers identified and supported).

Target group / Beneficiaries

Target Group:

A total of 12,500 individuals will benefit from this project.

Implementing Partners:

The implementing partner will be World Vision Uganda – a non-profit-organization locally registered in Uganda, operational since 1986 and currently active in over 70 districts within Uganda.

Location:

West Nile Region in the Northern part of Uganda - Arua District, Omugo Sub County.

Activities

• Identification and training of village agents on saving group methodology

• Training saving group members on saving group model, financial literacy and digital saving systems

• Link the saving groups to existing businesses

• Train targeted beneficiaries on business selection, planning and management

• Facilitate the development of business plans

• Provision of cash grant to the most viable businesses

• Monitoring, coaching and mentorship of group members with established businesses

• Formation and development of producers’ association to do collective procurement & sales

• Conduct business fares to link producers to buyers

• Exposure and learning visits

• Hands on training of farmers on improved agronomic practices & bee keeping

• Train beneficiaries on vegetable growing (high value crops)

• Facilitate massive gender awareness campaign and dialogue on gender roles and gender-based violence in farming

• Support male role models as champions of positive gender relations

• Conduct interface meeting to link beneficiaries with agro input suppliers and buyers

• Hands on training of farmers on post-harvest handling, storage & value addition

• Conduct inter face meeting to link farmers to dealers of post-harvest handling equipment/machines

• Train the groups on women led labour saving on post-harvest/processing technologies

Context

Since the civil war in South Sudan began in December 2013, Uganda has received over 1 million refugees from South Sudan. The effects of the current humanitarian situation to the West Nile refugee population and the host communities are increasing gaps in household food and nutrition needs as well as unavailability of employment. Livelihoods opportunities for refugees and host communities are currently restricted due to limited access to productive assets, limited access to financial services for productive and investment purposes, limited skills as well as limited employment opportunities. On the positive side, the law of Uganda is flexible in allowing refugees to get involved in any gainful informal employment, to get involved in doing business.

A big percentage of the population is food insecure.

Located in Arua district, Omugo Refugee Settlement was opened in February 2017. This settlement currently has approximately 43,000 refugees and 49,047 members of the host community – in total 92,047 inhabitants. 86% of the refugee population is estimated to be women and children. As a result of this influx into the Omugo sub-county host communities and refugees have been supported by different humanitarian agencies but majorly with short term life saving interventions. The proposed project will address this by improving the household food security and economic self-reliance of refugees and host population, thus reducing the pressure exerted on limited available resources..