In the heart of Palabek refugee settlement, residing in Zone 1, Block 1, is Ms. Akech Sunday, a 51-year-old widow bearing the responsibility of a household comprising her four biological children and three refugee orphans. Her formal education journey paused at Primary three.
To cope with this difficult responsibility, Ms. Aketch joined a group called Gen Yesu group in 2019 to join other members of her refugee community that were also struggling to make ends meet and had thus decided to organize themselves into a group where they could collectively discuss their challenges and find solutions to improve their welfare. This marked the beginning of a journey enriched with knowledge and skills through various training sessions, covering aspects such as vegetable cultivation, agronomy, environmental protection, family planning, Income Generating Activities (IGA), Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA), and nutrition as well as farm inputs, all supported under a UCOBAC project that aims at strengthening resilience of refugees and vulnerable families from host communities through enhanced food security, livelihoods, and women empowerment.
Aketch’s life has transformed and is now running a thriving retail shop in the refugee settlement, stocked with a wide range of products for sale.
“Accessing startup money from my savings and loans from the group was the game-changer in my life. I now own land, i bought two plots of land worth 4,000,000 Uganda shillings. I have also built a shop/kiosk where I am running my retail business. I have also been able to buy a mobile phone, i can run my business on line as i can communicate with my suppliers and customers with ease. I’m now able to support my children to have a quality education as well as provide all the basic needs in my home. The tears from my past are dry now. I have dignity, I am a proud mother, I am motivated to provide the best for my children.”
“Accessing startup money from my savings and loans from the group was the game-changer in my life. I now own land, i bought two plots of land worth 4,000,000 Uganda shillings. I have also built a shop/kiosk where I am running my retail business. I have also been able to buy a mobile phone, i can run my business on line as i can communicate with my suppliers and customers with ease. I’m now able to support my children to have a quality education as well as provide all the basic needs in my home. The tears from my past are dry now. I have dignity, I am a proud mother, I am motivated to provide the best for my children.”
Sunday’s elevated economic standing in the community has led to her being entrusted as a community leader, appointed as woman block leader in the refugee settlement presentative so that she can use her experience.
