How EU projects spur development in refugee hosting communities 

In 2018, Oliver Sebahinyuza made the courageous decision to leave his friends and family in the DR Congo in search of a better life.

He would join hundreds of other refugees in Kyaka II Refugee settlement in Kyegegwa District in South Western Uganda. Faced with limited opportunities, Sebahinyuza worked menial jobs to earn a living.

But as Robert H. Schuller says, ‘Tough times never last, but tough people do”.

Sebahinyuza and his friends eagerly joined a briquette making programme, introduced through a two-year EU funded project -  ‘Strengthening Resilience through Enhanced Disaster Risk Management Capacities’. The project overall objective is to reduce  the potential negative environmental and socio-economic impact on local systems of the current and future displacements in South West Uganda.

Strengthen local preparedness

Specifically, the project seeks to strengthen local preparedness and resilience of refugees and host communities through improved natural resources management, disaster risk mitigation and early warning systems in the two refugee hosting districts of Kyegegwa and Isingiro.

The project - being implemented by Oxfam in collaboration with The Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG) and Joint Efforts to Save the Environment (JESE) - targets 415,329 beneficiaries: 207,681 (50 percent) refugees in both Kyaka II in Kyegegwa and Nakivale in Isingiro districts and 207,648 (50 percent) host community in three sub counties of Kyegegwa and five sub counties in Isingiro districts. 

Sebahinyuza’s team has grown and evolved.

“What started as a loose group has now consolidated into a committed group of 11 members. Every Tuesday and Thursday, we gather to put skills to work, producing an impressive 500 to 700 kilogrammes of briquettes. Through our dedication and hard work, we have transformed a simple programme into a flourishing enterprise that benefits both our community and the hosts,” Sebahinyuza says.

Today, Sebahinyuza and his team have not only found a sustainable source of income but have also made a positive impact on their surroundings. The briquettes they produce are eco-friendly alternatives to traditional charcoal, reducing deforestation and promoting environmental conservation. As a result, their efforts have garnered attention, and their high-quality briquettes are in demand.

Stoves in schools

By selling each sack for prices ranging from Shs12,000 to Shs150,000, they not only generate income but also contribute to a cleaner and greener future for Kyaka and its residents.

On top of the briquette making facility, the EU supported project constructed nine institutional stoves in schools (Bujubuli Secondary School, Sweswe School of the Deaf Primary School, Mpara Secondary School and Ruyonza Primary School) in Kyaka refugee setlments and St. Raphel Vocational, Kabazana Primary School, Juru Primary School, Nakivale Secondary School, Rwenkubo Health Centre III in Nakivale refugee settlement, and Kahinda Secondary and Isingiro Excel Academy primary in the host communities of Isingiro District.

There are over 1,750 household cook stoves at community level. These stoves are saving Shs2.1m for institutions termly and Shs10,000 monthly for households.

According to Stephen Olupot, the Oxfam DRM Consortium Manager, the project constructed 17  bio digesters connected and serving 51 households, with over 255 individuals for cooking purposes saving the households time, money worth Shs150,000 monthly.

“However, there is a need to introduce a private sector led approach to harness waste, especially to manage the briquette value chain,” he says.

Increased water supply

Likewise, Sinto Petro Nsimya, another refugee who has lived in Kyaka II for close to eight years, has never been happier. Nsimya, the secretary of the Sweswe water dam committee says today, the 120,111 members of the settlement have had clean and safe water ever since the dam was desilted and rehabilitated in partnership with European Union Trust Fund (EUTF).

The EUTF project has been the main support for strengthening   Disaster Risk Management capacities in Kyegegwa and Isingiro districts.  Desilting is the process of removing earthy materials, such as sand and mud, from the bed of a water source.

“Sweswe dam is the main water source in the camp and contributes more than 90 percent of the water supplied in the settlement. The system serves the zones of Sweswe, Itambabiniga, Kaborogota, Mukondo, Byabakora, Kakoni and Buliti plus the nearby host community. About 209 additional water taps were installed following the rehabilitation and restoration,”Nsimya says.

Before rehabilitation of the dam last year, a hydrographic study was conducted with results showing that water in the dam will be depleted within the next five to seven years.

As a result, a severe humanitarian conflict would arise, affecting the refugees and 30,000 host community members depending on this water source, according to Olupot.

After desilting the dam at a cost of about Shs281,000,000, the project has realized increased water supply from 700,000 to 800,000 liters per day.

“The project motorised five handpumps serving over 7,000 people increasing access to clean and safe water in drought-stricken areas,” Nsimya says.

Also, a 102m3 pressed steel tank was installed at Mukondo B hill which eased water shortage in the host communities.

But a lot has to be done, according to Olupot, who believes that the limited implementation time of two years could not allow further strengthening of skills, knowledge and other interventions in the field.

“There is a need to increase storage and distribution capacity in Kyaka II water supply system to consume the excess water in Sweswe dam,” he says.

“Also, the next phase of the EUTF project should consider motorising (using solar) more handpumps as the large part of the areas have remained water stressed.”

Olupot also believes the continued influx of refugees especially in Nakivale continued to put more stress on the natural resources such as wetlands and forests the project was supporting to address.

“We shall continue to engage duty bearers in order to influence change. The five percent increase in budget at district levels was as a result of continuous advocacy engagements. Also, in order to successfully manage and conserve natural resources, there is a need to continue addressing the root causes of climate change and disaster risks,” he says.