PROJECT-SUPPORT UGANDA

Foundation ForAfrika Schweiz, Zurich, Switzerland

Country / Place

Uganda, Palorinya and Imvepi

Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa. It borders South Sudan to the north, Kenya to the east, Tanzania to the south, Rwanda to the southwest and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. The capital and largest city is Kampala.

The 'Palorinya Refugee Settlement' is a refugee camp in the Moyo district in north-western Uganda. It was established in December 2016 to accommodate South Sudanese refugees fleeing war in their country. After the ‘Palorinya Refugee Camp’ quickly reached full capacity and could no longer accommodate any more refugees, the 'Imvepi Refugee Settlement' was established in 2017 in the Terego District in north-western Uganda.

General

The Foundation ForAfrika (formerly JAM-Joint Aid Management) Switzerland is a Christian humanitarian development organisation with the aim of supporting Africa in its development into an economically healthy, independent region. In doing so, they support people regardless of their ethnicity, religious and political beliefs, or gender. ForAfrika Switzerland is a partner of the South African aid and development organisation, ForAfrika International, which was founded in 1984 following the devastating famine in Mozambique.

Agricultural projects

Through various agricultural projects, ForAfrika supports people throughout Africa in producing their own food. The focus varies depending on the country and the situation of the local population, e.g. for food security in particularly vulnerable communities, as a supplement to existing nutrition programmes or for income generation. Common to all projects are training, practical implementation and support from ForAfrika on the ground.

Project-support

Vegetable gardens for and with refugees

The project supports refugees (most of them women and children, including many orphans) with know-how, training, seeds, and tools, so that they can provide for themselves. It also ensures their own nutrition and generates a source of income.

The first vegetable garden project in the Imvepi refugee camp started at the beginning of 2019. The multifaceted impact on the participating households is impressive; from visibly better health thanks to the additional nutrients, strengthening of social cohesion among refugees, all the way to overcoming trauma. Some of the participants are now able to sell surplus harvests. Above all, the project strengthens the women's self-esteem and gives them financial independence.