Gideon’s Story - The Experience of a Refugee in Uganda

-

 


During World Refugee Day on June 20th, 2022, we met up with an outstanding young man who whom I will refer to only by his first name; “Gideon.” Gideon and his parents came to Uganda from Burundi in 2001 as refugees. They were given asylum and settled in Nakivale Refugee Settlement. He was just a toddler at the time so his entire life experience and all his memories are from within Uganda. 

Fortuitously for Gideon, his parents were determined to give him a good education and so enrolled him in the Universal Primary Education (UPE) system at a primary school in Nakivale.   Gideon passed his Primary Leaving exams well and went on to Secondary School at Mbarara college.   Gideon who in his own words, was “a hardworking and bright student,” also loved public speaking and talking to people and excelled as a leader from S1 to S6.  He held various positions such as head monitor, school speaker, and chairman of the school council.  He states: “I was hard working and slept little as the only option for me was to read and pass well in order to get a scholarship for further education.” 

Gideon passed well his UACE (S6) exams well and afterward volunteered to work with Window International at Nakivale Secondary School where he worked as an assistant administrator for five months and then obtained a scholarship and was admitted to Nsimizi Training Institute for Social Development in Mpigi District where he graduated with a First Class Diploma in Social Work and Administration (4.63 CGPA).  Gideon then relocated back to Nakivale in 2019 and successfully interviewed with a humanitarian organization where he volunteered till the project ended in 2021.

The Development Response to Displacement Impacts Project (DRDIP) came to Nakivale when he was looking for a job.  He applied and was shortlisted and during the interviews at the base-camp, the recruitment panel was satisfied and he was given a paid full-time job as a DRDIP Community Facilitator. 

Gideon states that DRDIP fulfilled his dream as a refugee in several ways.  As stated in his words below;

“DRDIP gave me the opportunity to gain work experience and secondly to support my people, my fellow POCs (People of Concern or Refugees) displaced from countries of their origin but which they didn’t choose.  I can clearly communicate to people about the programme and thirdly, I have become an inspiration to many POCs because my position demonstrates that one can go to school as a refugee and then become a productive POC and even a person employed by the Government of Uganda as I am.

Now everyone in my village and Sub-county yearns to go to school. They say that look at Gideon, he is now working for the government! When people see me, they know it is possible and it gives them hope as refugees and refugees need hope that their lives can progress and get better, and they can believe in a better tomorrow. They say – if we can go to school, we can have a better tomorrow. 

We are therefore grateful to the project for giving refugees grants all over the settlement which are providing income earning opportunities for the refugees and the project is also restoring the environment.  The implementation of DRDIP is wonderful. Other projects before simply put assets here and there but DRDIP involves the entire community from the lowest person and allows them to participate and benefit from the project.  

DRDIP benefits the communities in two main ways, first by direct income support where beneficiaries are paid or receive grants and secondly by providing assets and trainings that benefit the entire community.

am seeing a better future for myself as a result of DRDIP and I appreciate the government of Uganda for hosting refugees.  I only request that the approach and implementation design of DRDIP be extended to other partners and organizations working in the settlements, especially that aspect of allowing refugees to obtain work even within the organizations or Government.

Refugees should be given the opportunity to compete and compete for jobs with all these organizations working within the settlement. 

 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DRDIP strengthens community resilience through fish farming in Kyegegwa

-
Image
In the heart of Itambabiniga watershed situated in Kyaka II Refugee Settlement, Kyegegwa district, a story of resilience, environmental protection and economic freedom is unfolding. It lays bare the power of transformative community-driven initiatives. Fish farming  preserved  Itambabiniga wetland, Kyegegwa Within Itambabiniga; three villages: Humura, Ruchinga Central and Bukere B have been transfigured when a group of 95 (58 women, 37 men) committed members joined hands. They were propelled by the Office of the Prime Minister's Development Response to Displacement Impacts Project (DRDIP) to invest, preserve nature, create jobs while extinguishing poverty within their community. The group wrote a fish farming sub-project proposal which was approved and funded by DRDIP to a tune of Shs56 million. The group was supported by technical experts from a local partner to set up the fish farm. They paid for the services of the experts by themselves. Group members actively took part i...
Read more

How DRDIP is helping to safeguard the environment in Madi-Okollo

-
Image
Aporo village is a chocolate-box found in Pawor Sub County in Madi-Okollo district. It is glowing with hope of going green in the near future. A group of zealous members of this community have embarked on an irreversible mission towards environmental conservation. They were given impetus by World Bank funding through the Office of the Prime Minister's Development Response to Displacement Impacts Project (DRDIP). Setting up the briquettes making machine Members of Aporo Energy Saving Stoves and Briquette Making received not just funding and training but encouragement from component II of DRDIP, seeking to preserve the delicate balance of nature. These dedicated members have pioneered innovative solutions to counter the ecological challenges faced by their community. They are creating energy-saving stoves and briquettes, designed to reduce the reliance on charcoal consumption. The stoves, crafted with ingenuity, not only minimize charcoal usage but also seamlessly incorporates the ...
Read more

YUMBE: DRDIP Supported Fish Pond Will Conserve Environment & Improve Household Income

-
Image
Dodoronga Fish Pond being Constructed in Yumbe District A seasonal stream in the outskirt of Yumbe Town Council, Yumbe district in West Nile region of Uganda is ironically an impediment to evolving unplanned infrastructure within the town, thanks to the conservation efforts by the Environment Department.   On a positive note though, communities of Dodoronga village who surround this watercourse take advantage of the flowing and logged aqua by planting fast growing vegetables such as cabbages, tomatoes, carrots, onions, etc. which they supply to Yumbe town market and earn cash to support their households. Apparent attempts by private individuals and businesses to reclaim this spot and turn it around for construction of settlements have hit a dead end owing to a strict watch from the line department of Environment at Yumbe District Local Government. Swaibu Solo Andama the District Environment Officer said, the district is on course to discourage dampening of this natural feature on...
Read more