Update from Thomas Lubari on Foundations for Farming Trainings 

Imvepi Refugee Settlement in Arua District

Background

Imvepi is in Arua district situated in the West Nile district of Uganda and hosts about 1 million South Sudanese refugees. Accessing the Imvepi refugee settlement is from Koboko through Koboko–Yumbe road. Transport to the camp had to be on a separate day after reaching Koboko as due to lack of accommodation at the camp I had to commute from Koboko to the camp. The training started on Wednesday 1st September and concluded on Tuesday 2nd September 2021 with the giving out of farm inputs to the 30 farmers who each received a hoe and vegetable seeds that included cabbages, tomatoes, eggplants and sweet pepper.

The situation at the refugee camps is more one of survival. Most people live frustrated lives. There are no activities that engage them in productive lives. Agricultural related activities are not available to engage the population which consists of 95% rural in origin. Foundations for Farming is the only active program that is empowering farming groups with farm inputs although there are a few implementing organizations that seemingly appear by name to be involved in agriculture yet on the ground they are not practically doing anything. A large population remain traumatized.

Among the previously trained refugees in 2018, some are now volunteering as extension workers who help oversee the farmers but often do not actively carry out their duties due to lack of transport and incentives as motivation. 

Challenges

• Too much redundancy and frustration among the refugees
• Lack of income generating projects among refugees
• Refugee empowerment projects are limited
• Youth are redundant and most opt for early child marriages
• There are no places of accommodation (guest houses) at the camp
• Commuting from the guest house to the camp is about a 2 hour drive
• Refugees claim for sitting allowances as is common with most organizations working among them when running workshops.
• The extension workers overseeing the farmers have been asking for some incentives. Most volunteers working with various organizations in the camps often are paid some incentives as part of a development action. 

Way Forward

• Establishment of quarterly trauma and healing workshops to help build the hopes of the refugees.
• Consideration of some bicycles and incentives for extension workers to oversee Foundations for Farming activities at the refugees camps.
• Consolidating efforts towards strengthening and developing Foundations for Farming as a Refugees Humanitarian Intervention project.
• The next training will be at Rhino Refugee Camp running from Friday 10th September through Saturday 11th September 2021.

Rhino Refugee Settlement in Arua District

Background

Rhino refugee camp is in Arua district situated in West Nile district in Uganda. Rhino refugee settlement is easily accessed from Arua. Its soil mostly favours simsim growing although cereals and cassava are also grown in the area.

Accessing Rhino refugee settlement is from Arua. Accommodation is not available at the camp therefore involving daily travel from Arua to the refugee camp to conduct the training. The training started on Friday 10th September 2021 running through Saturday 11th September 2021. The group consisted of 30 farmers in Ocea Village at Rhino refugee camp who were all issued with farm tools to use and plant as start-up capital to engage in agricultural production towards improving their livelihood. 

The situation at the Rhino refugee camp is not far different from that of other refugee camps. Most people live frustrated and traumatized lives which forces some to return to South Sudan voluntarily. There are limited or no activities that engage them in productive living in terms of keeping them busy. Most of them are redundant.  Agricultural related activities as run by NGOs are not available in this camp. A few refugees have formed groups and hire land from the locals to plant simsim for commercial purposes.

Foundations for Farming is the only active program currently engaging groups in an effort to improve family livelihood. The program of Foundations for Farming has included the previously trained farmers to act voluntarily as extension workers to oversee the 30 farmers who are involved in the Foundation for Farming activities at the camp.

Challenges

The challenges in the camps are almost uniform or the same as below:
• Too much redundancy and frustration among the refugees
• Lack of income generating projects among refugees
• Refugees empowerment projects are limited
• Youth are redundant and most opt to early child marriages
• There are no places of accommodation (guest houses) at the camp
• Commuting from the guest house to the camp takes about a 2 hour drive
• Refugees claim for sitting allowances as is common with most organizations working among them when running workshops.
• The extension workers overseeing the farmers have been asking for some incentives. Most volunteers working with various organizations in the camps often are paid some incentives as part of a development action. 

Way Forward

• Establishment of quarterly trauma and healing workshops to help build the hopes of the refugees
• Consideration of some bicycles and incentives for extension workers to oversee Foundations for Farming activities at the refugee camps.
• Consolidating efforts toward strengthening and developing Foundations for Farming as a Refugees Humanitarian Intervention project.
• The next training will be at Rhino Refugee Camp running from Friday 18th September through Saturday 19th September 2021.