This article discusses research on refugees’ economic lives and their interaction with host communities across four sites in Uganda: established refugee settlements in Kyangwali and Nakivale; the relatively new settlement in Rwamwanja; and the capital city of Kampala....
JDC Literature Review
Are Integrated Services a Step Towards Integration in Northern Uganda?
This study examines the longer-term implications of assistance that targets both South Sudanese refugees and their host communities in Northern Uganda. It examines current policy and practice in terms of shared services, social and economic implications of shared...
Refugee Economies in Uganda: What Difference Does the Self-Reliance Model Make?
Uganda’s refugee policies have been widely recognized as among the most progressive in the world. Its ‘self-reliance model’ permits refugees to work and choose their place of residence, allocates plots of land for refugees to cultivate, and encourages integrated...
Economic Impact of Giving Land to Refugees
The authors examine the impact of giving refugees access to cultivable land on refugee and host community welfare in Uganda. Cultivable land is allotted randomly to refugees when they arrive in refugee settlements, provided idle land is available at the time of their arrival. On average, refugee households received a plot roughly 0.5 hectares in size.
Thrive or Survive? Explaining Variation in Economic Outcomes for Refugees
The paper focuses on three questions: (1) what makes the economic lives of refugees distinctive from other populations; (2) what explains variation in refugees’ income levels; and (3) what role does entrepreneurship play in shaping refugees’ economic outcomes? In...
Informing the Refugee Policy Response in Uganda: Results from the Uganda Refugee and Host Communities 2018 Household Survey
Uganda hosts about 1.3 million refugees in 13 districts, the majority from South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. This report analyzes the socio-economic profile, poverty, and vulnerability of refugees and host communities in Uganda based on data from the...
Cities as Partners: The Case of Kampala
The authors (from the IRC and Kampala Capital City Authority) argue that more needs to be done to support city governments to address displacement. This means going beyond offering cities a seat at the table in policy discussions to investing in cities as equal...
Local Constructions of Gender-based Violence amongst IDPs in Northern Uganda
An assessment of prevalence of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in IDP camps in Northern Uganda found that 50 percent of women reported experiencing some form of violence in the previous year, 40 percent reported forced sex with an intimate partner and 5 percent reported...
Restoring Hope, Rebuilding Futures: A Plan of Action for Delivering Universal Education for South Sudanese Refugees in Uganda
The majority of South Sudanese refugee children in Uganda are either out-of-school or attending overcrowded schools lacking teachers and books required for effective learning. The report warns that an entire generation of refugee children could be deprived of the...
Feasible Measurement of Learning in Emergencies: Lessons from Uganda
This article describes lessons learned from piloting a new education assessment tool in education centers and schools in the Rwamwanja and Kyangwali refugee settlements in western Uganda. The tool aims to provide a rapid, holistic understanding of displaced learners’...