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Over 3,000 refugees from 11 settlements around the country are among the beneficiaries of the GROW (Generating Growth Opportunities for Women) project.

This was revealed by the Private sector foundation vice chairperson, Sarah Kagingo, during the information-sharing meeting with the service providers of technical skills in refugee hosting districts on August 23, 2023, at the Royal Suits Hotel in Kampala.

According to Kagingo, although the GROW project will benefit 60,000 women entrepreneurs, 3,000 female-owned businesses within the refugee communities will also benefit. 

She said meeting with the service providers will give them a clear roadmap while implementing the five-year project.

“We want to engage the refugee communities, especially businesses for women to grow their small establishments to medium enterprises,” she said.

Kagingo reveals that the women will be trained in both hard and soft skills to help them in the operations of businesses of their interest.

GROW is a Ugandan project funded by the World Bank through the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development and to be implemented by a private sector foundation (PSFU).

Caro Brenda Lorika, the project manager for the Development Response to Displacement Impact Project (DRDIP), says through the livelihood support programme, they aim to improve the livelihoods of refugees and host communities.

She said this is an opportunity for women to transition into their respective businesses. She adds that through the GROW project, women's businesses will be assessed before funding is granted. Lorika was optimistic that refugee communities would grow in terms of income and self-reliance.

Julian Omalla, the chairperson of Nwoya Fruit Growers Cooperative Society, said she is excited about the grant where she hopes to reach out to over five Refugee communities.

“We have previously empowered over 11,800 women businesses through equipping them with entrepreneurial skills. We hope to use the same methodology for refugees and host communities,” she said.

Some of the refugee settlements to benefit from the GROW project include Chol-pii Settlement, Bidi Bidi Settlement, Imvepi Refugee Settlement, Kampala Settlement, Kiryandongo Settlement, Kyaka II Settlement, Kyangwali Settlement, Nakivale Settlement, Palorinya Settlement, Rhino Settlement and Rwamwanja Settlement.