LIVELIHOODS AND RESILIENCE

NOVEMBER 2023

• AFI - Uganda leading the way in bringing refugees into the financial system

• CGTN - Refugees receive financial and business training in Uganda

• Enabel - Mid-term Review of the European Union Trust Fund (EUTF) Support Programme for Refugee Settlements in Northern Uganda (SPRS-NU): Livelihood and Labor Market Relevant Skills Development for Refugees and Host Communities

• The Independent - Refugees reap from hotel apprenticeship

• FAO - The transformative role of agriculture in refugee settings: Amplifying the voices of refugees and host communities

• GoU/UNHCR - Uganda Refugee Response Plan (RRP) 2022 - 2023, Livelihood & Resilience Dashboard - Quarter 3, January - September 2023

• NARO -

  • NARO hosts a team of partners in the Livelihood Sector in Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement, Kamwenge District

  • NARO’s sweet potato excites refugees in Rwamwanja

• NRC - A Critical Turning Point: The Path to Durable Solutions for Refugees in Uganda

• NTV - (video) -

  • Refugee funding partners ask gov’t promote self reliance, empowerment

  • Refugees ask govt to respect rights to association & employment

  • Investing near refugee camps is profitable - PSFU

• UNHCR - Agricultural livelihoods as a pathway for durable solutions

 

OCTOBER 2023

• NEW - Makerere University - Refugee household livelihood strategy choices in Kampala, Uganda

• CECI Uganda - Group Cash Grants for Women Refugee-Led Associations

• Global Press Journal - Safe but Sidelined: Qualified Refugees Are Being Turned Away From Jobs in Uganda - Lack of clarity and cohesion in laws governing the right to work means many who fled their countries are unable to pursue their careers.

• ILO - ILO experience on working with cooperatives and the wider social and solidarity economy in forced displacement contexts

• JNews - Allow refugees to use movable assets to access credit, banks told

• Kabale University Interdisciplinary Research Journal - Financial inclusion and refugees’ self-reliance: an assessment for women’s economic empowerment at Nakivale refugee settlement, southwestern Uganda

• NTV - (video) -

  • 1.7 trillion on offer to refugee businesses

  • Government develops interventions to improve refugee livelihoods following repatriation

  • Refugees get skilled to reduce dependency on aid

  • New market to improve trade in Obungi

• New Vision - Zero Hunger:WFP strengthens ties with private sector to boost food production

• Monitor - Small businesses to benefit from $485m fund

• The Standard - Use evidence to boost financial inclusion for world's refugees

• The Refugee Voice - Refugees Turn Rocky Area into Farming Ground

• UNDP - Enhancing local trade for host communities and refugees through market infrastructure

• World Development - Cash transfers amid shocks: A large, one-time, unconditional cash transfer to refugees in Uganda has multidimensional benefits after 19 months

 

SEPTEMBER 2023

• IGAD - Refugees, Government and Private Sector Meet Nationally for Implementation of the IGAD Kampala Declaration on Livelihoods

• ILO - Harmonizing lives: ILO promotes social cohesion among refugees and hosts in Uganda

• IZA Discussion Paper - Gains from Variety: Refugee-Host Interactions in Uganda

• New Vision - Minister urges new land donations to support refugee agriculture

• Nile Post - Unlocking Finance, Trade, Investment, and Empowering Refugee Women

• NTV - (video) - Onek: Life is getting harder in refugee settlements

• Minority Africa - (video) - “A big gamble”: Inside a savings group for refugees living with a disability in Uganda

• REACH - Monitoring urban refugee influxes due to food assistance changes in Uganda - Round 2

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AUGUST 2023

• African Business - Refugee hosting communities to get internet connections

• Chimp Report - GROW Project’s Steering Committee Convenes First Sitting

• CIP - Refugee, host communities find relief and stability in Orange-fleshed Sweetpotato

• GoU/UNHCR - Uganda Refugee Response: Quarter 2 2023 - CBI Dashboard; Food Security Dashboard; Health and Nutrition; Cash Based Interventions Dashboard

• New Vision - Refugee women urged to embrace competitiveness in entrepreneurship

• Nile Post - Refugee, host communities find relief and stability in Orange-fleshed Sweet potato

• Mercy Corps - Tech innovations help build food security

• Pulse -

  • Gov't launches livelihood plan for refugees, host communities in Western Uganda

  • NITA to extend internet to refugee hosting communities

• REACH - Monitoring urban refugee influxes due to food assistance changes in Uganda - Round 1, August 2023

• Rice University - Rice study: Children are usually the poorest members of refugee communities

• Science Direct - (pay for content) - Child poverty among refugees

• UBC - Minister Nyirabashitsi Launches Ambitious Livelihood Plan for Refugees and Host Communities in Western Uganda

• UNDP - Enhancing local trade for host communities and refugees through market infrastructure

• UNHCR - UNHCR - Uganda: Livelihoods and Economic Inclusion Strategic Directions 2023 - 2028

• Vision Fund - ‘I feel part and parcel of Uganda despite being a refugee’

• VoXDev - Helping refugees integrate into the labour market: Evidence from Uganda

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JULY 2023

• ACF - Learning Market Strategies: How a Ugandan Community Worked Together to Grow their Businesses

• African Business - Creating jobs for refugees together with Visa Foundation

• Africa Press - Leaders raise concerns over refugee food cuts

• FCA - Vocational training unlocks the potential of refugees

• GSMA - Creating jobs and expanding financial inclusion in refugee settlements

• Humanity & Inclusion - 'I regained my speech after receiving psychosocial support' Health Rehabilitation - In Uganda, with funding from ECHO, Humanity & Inclusion is providing refugees who have experienced traumatic events with physical rehabilitation care and mental health support.

• The Monitor - Food crisis: OPM warns refugees against planned protest

• PeaceWinds - Supporting Independence for Refugee Women in Uganda

• Refugee Self Reliance Network - Coaching: Experiences from Graduation Projects in Displaced Contexts

• Share America - Helping refugees in Africa become entrepreneurs

• U-Learn -

  • The Realities of Self-reliance within the Ugandan Refugee Context – Research Brief

  • Video - The Realities of Self-reliance within the Ugandan refugee context - report launch

• URCS - Urcs Improving Livelihoods and Fostering Peace Amongst Refugees In Imvepi Refugee Settlement

• VegNews - How Congolese Refugee Bemeriki Busamwa Became Uganda’s Mushroom King

 

JUNE 2023

• ACF

  • Uniting to Save Money in Uganda: Lessons in Financial Literacy

  • A Single Plot, a World of Difference

  • Rebuilding Lives and Livelihoods: How a Community of Ugandan Refugees Became Entrepreneurs

  • Learning through Farmer Field Schools: How Ugandan Communities Found Self-Sustainability

• Grand Challenges - Seed Stories – Respond Local: Aggregating and matching needs with offers of humanitarian supplies and services in times of crisis

• DigWatch - Refugees in Uganda to receive digital skills training for improved employability

• FAO - Inclusion through agriculture for refugees in Uganda

• ForAfrika - Working together, refugees and Ugandan nationals are thriving

• FSD Africa - From Hope to Prosperity: A refugee’s journey of triumph in a settlement in Uganda

• ILO - With Uganda embracing digital transformation of jobs, stakeholders gather to discuss opportunities and challenges

• Independent - Rhino camp refugee settlement to venture into rice production

• Nigeria - Uganda and Japan Partner to Establish Mass Rice Production in Refugee Settlement

• RiL - U-RIL publishes new Matchmaker on job linkages for refugees

• U-Learn

  • Exploring the challenges faced by formal refugee-owned businesses in Uganda

  • Entrepreneurship desk review

• VoxDev - Win-Win integration: Learning from Uganda’s response to South Sudanese refugees

 

MAY 2023

• Artefact Magazine - The refugee who beat all the odds and became self-sufficient in Uganda

• AVSI - Presentation - AVSI: Graduation Approach – Learning and adapting towards resilience: lessons from Uganda - 4 May 2023

• GoU/UNHCR - Uganda Refugee Response Plan (RRP) 2022 - 2023, Livelihoods & Resilience Dashboard - Quarter 1, January - March 2023

• Instilglio - Presentation - INSTILGLIO: Results-Based Financing and poverty graduation - 4 May 2023

• Livelihood and Resilience Sector Working Group -

  • Livelihood & Resilience Sector Strategy - UGANDA 2022-2025

  • Minutes of the Livelihood and Resilience Sector Working Group Meeting

  • PPT_ Monthly Meeting - GRT Prep_05.04.23

  • GRF Workstreams Prep Notes - April 2023

  • GRF 2023 Preparation for the Roundtable on Livelihoods

• Mercy Corps - DREAMS Model Recognized as World Changing Idea by Fast Company

• Rotary Down Under - New Journey for Refugees in Uganda

• Philanthropy News Digest - IKEA Foundation commits $10 million to study refugee work programs

• U-Learn - Agricultural Value Chains Strategic Positioning Paper

 

APRIL 2023

• CARE - VSLAs in emergencies - Research Study on Village Saving and Loan Associations - 6 April 2023

• The East African - WFP food aid cuts leave Uganda refugees to rely on kitchen gardens

• Lei Institute - Financial Inclusion and Financial Health in Migration Contexts

• Reuters - Aid shortage leaves refugees in Uganda reliant on kitchen gardens

• REACH/U-Learn - The Realities of Self-reliance within the Ugandan Refugee Context

• Uganda Radio Network - (registration required) - Refugees Demand More Land As WFP Moves to Prioritise Vulnerable Households

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MARCH 2023

• NEW - SwissContact - Swisscontact reinforces its commitment to fostering increased private sector engagement in refugee areas

• Agriculture and Food Economics - The relationship between market information and entrepreneurial orientation: the case of smallholder honey producers in Northern Uganda

• ILO - Innovation pitches from youth mentors - Through iUPSHIFT programme, youth mentors trained by the ILO and UNICEF in Uganda on social entrepreneurship and life skills, developed innovative ideas to improve waste management and sustainable energy production.

• IPA - The Impact of a Graduation Program on Livelihoods in Refugee and Host Communities in Uganda

• New Vision - Sustainable vegetable farming skills to support refugees for with reduced food rations

• Regis - The New Solar Kiosk Model: A Sustainable Solution to Address the Uptake and Access of Renewable Technologies to Create Energy Kiosks That Improve Women’s Income in Kiryandongo District, Northern Uganda

• SwissContact - Reducing refugee dependence on humanitarian aid

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FEBRUARY 2023

• Apple Podcasts - News on Refugees and Regenerative Agriculture in Uganda, Fossil Free Research, and the Revolutionary Love Project

• EIN News - P-World of Design Free Skilling Camp for Nakivale Refugee Settlement

• ICGLR – Exploring levels of self reliance, livelihood opportunities and alternatives to encampment among displaced populations in the Great Lakes region of Africa

• ILO - As a refugee, my new skills have given my family hope

• Innovations for Poverty Action - Can Aid Change Attitudes toward Refugees? Experimental Evidence from Microentrepreneurs in Urban Uganda

• New Vision - Refugees in West Nile trained on Climate Smart Agriculture

• ReDSS – Exploring levels of self reliance, livelihood opportunities and alternatives to encampment among displaced populations in the Great Lakes region of Africa

• RU Forum - Vertical Farming Comes to the Aid of Refugee Families

• WPDI - Empowering Women, Transforming Livelihoods: In 2022, WPDI Helped 285 Women Create 19 Cooperative Businesses at the Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement, Uganda

• Yahoo News - Accion Receives Grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to Increase Livelihood Opportunities for Refugee Women in Ethiopia and Uganda

 

JANUARY 2023

• NEW - Review of national policy, legislative and regulatory frameworks, and practice in Uganda - this report aims to provide an understanding of the current policy, legislative and regulatory frameworks and practice in Uganda in relation to the access of refugees to the labour markets, employment, livelihood and training opportunities, including self-employment and business development, the rights at work, including social protection and freedom of association.

• NEW - JDC quarterly digest- Labor Market Access and Outcomes for Refugees

• International Society of Markets and Development - Markets, Businesses, and Consumption in Refugees Settlements: A Review and Future Research Trajectory - A Review and Future Research Trajectory

• Kabale University Interdisciplinary Research Journal - Improving women and children refugees’ livelihoods through self-reliance at Nakivale settlement, south western Uganda

• WFP - Uganda Cash Working Group Refugee Market Monitor

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DECEMBER 2022

• African Business - Supporting refugees and host communities in Uganda to increase agricultural productivity and build resilience to climate change risks

• Eye Radio - Scarce opportunities push S. Sudanese refugees to gambling, drug abuse

• Govt Netherlands/IFC - Consumer and market study in Southwest and West Nile refugee-hosting areas in Uganda

• IFC - New IFC and UNHCR Initiative to Boost Private Sector Engagement for Refugees and Their Host Communities

• ILO - Occupations and skills assessment for youth in selected refugee settlements of Isingiro, Arua and Madi Okollo districts in Uganda

• The Monitor - How skilling project gives refugees new lease of life

• Sharpe - Bringing Markets to Refugees: Beyond the Last Mile

• UNHCR - Labour Market Assessments covering Refugee Hosting Districts in Uganda - A desk review by the Livelihoods and Resilience Sector Working Group (LRSWG)

• UN - (video) - Revitalizing Markets for Host Communities and Refugees

• You Tube (video) - Over 56,000 Refugees Have Left Settlements In Uganda Because Of Feeding Challenges

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NOVEMBER 2022

• GoU/UNHCR - Uganda Refugee Response Plan (RRP) 2022 - 2023, Livelihoods & Resilience Dashboard - Quarter 3, July - September 2022

• Ikea Foundation - Refugee Livelihoods – what we do to support the many refugees - 10 November 2022

• IWMR - Project Brief Series - No. 3: Circular bio-economy innovations for resilient refugee and host communities in East Africa

• Lemon Tree - (podcast) - art27’s Resounding Podcast: Putting Down Roots - Jennie Spears, joins the founder of Uganda-based Rwamwanja Rural Foundation, Bemeriki Bisimwa Dusabe, to chat about the benefits of gardening and growing food.

• Monitor - Refugees cash in on group farming

• UN Web TV - Revitalizing Markets for Host Communities and Refugees

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OCTOBER 2022

• African Affairs - Rethinking self-reliance and economic inclusion of refugees through a distributive lens: A case study from Uganda

• BBW - A new start through vocational orientation in Uganda

• Independent - South Sudanese refugees reap big from cassava farming

• Konrad Adenauer Stiftung - Self-Settled Urban Refugees in Kampala and Labor Market Dynamics

• Soft Power - Uganda rolls out new plan for refuges and host communities

• Uganda Radio Network - World Food Program to Start Skilling Refugees for Self-Reliance

• UNHCR - Global Roadmap for Refugee Entrepreneurship

• World Vision - Minutes of the Livelihood and Resilience Sector Working Group Meeting

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SEPTEMBER 2022

• FAO -

Policy options for the refugees' self-reliance integration model in Uganda

Enhancing refugees’ self-reliance in Uganda

• Ideas - Enhancing refugees’ self-reliance in Uganda – The role of cash and food assistance - this paper investigates how different social protection interventions (cash and food) are effective in alleviating food insecurity and in contributing to beneficiaries’ self-reliance. The results show that the effectiveness of transfers depends on beneficiaries’ characteristics, on context specificity, and on the outcome assessed.

• ILO - Occupations and skills assessment for youth in selected refugee settlements of Isingiro, Arua and Madi Okollo districts in Uganda

• New Vision - Vocational skills create opportunities for refugees - Athieno also called for ICT training to help them market their products online and connect with different people

• PeaceWinds Japan - Training in Sewing and Beauty/Hairdressing for Women in Refugee Communities and Host Communities in Uganda

• Scientific Research - Contribution of Agriculture in the Enhancement of Refugees Livelihoods in Nakivale Settlement 

• UNHCR

  • Understanding successful social and economic integration – an example from Uganda

  • Uganda Refugee Response Plan (RRP) 2022-2023, Livelihoods & Resilience - Quarter 2, January - June 2022

• WFP Innovations - Hydroponic gardens support livelihoods in Uganda’s refugee settlements

 

AUGUST 2022

• Bristol University Press - (pay for content) - Livelihoods 2.0? Refugee Self-Reliance and the Digital Gig Economy

• Enabel - video - Uganda: Supporting refugees to rebuild their lives

• GoU/UNHCR - Uganda Refugee Response Plan (RRP) 2020-2021, Livelihoods & Resilience - Quarter 1, January - March 2022

• ILO -

  • Rapid Market Assessment of Five Value Chains in Nakivale Refugee Settlement and Host Community Isingiro District, August 2022

  • ILO’s timely interventions assist small businesses in Uganda

• Market Links - Piloting Private Service Provision to Refugees and Host Communities in Uganda

• New Vision - French envoy champions refugee skills for food security

• UNCDF - An improved market in Northern Uganda supports locals and refugees alike

 

JULY 2022

• Emerald Insight - (pay for content) - Exploring Refugees Entrepreneurial Support Organizations in Uganda - This chapter explores how refugees in Uganda are supported through entrepreneurial approaches.The findings show that while the majority of these organizations purport to follow an innovation discourse, in reality, they support refugees through a mixture of inclusion, resilience, and innovation-led approaches. 

• IIED/Cardiff University - Displacement economies in an urban world

• ILO -

  • Comprehensive rapid assessment of public employment services in Uganda - With a special assessment in two target host community refugee settlements for the PROSPECTS programme

    • Piloting private service provision to refugees and host communities in Uganda

• IRC - Refugees in East Africa: Boosting Urban Innovations for Livelihoods Development (Re:Build) - Influence and adoption of the refugee policy legal framework analysis - 07 July 2022

• Refugee Investment Network - Responding to Barriers Through Refugee Lens Investing: Uganda Study - This white paper uses a sector-specific “priority business model” approach to identify the two highest impact models of business for RLI in Uganda: (1) Adding value to products and (2) Access to larger markets and brands. With these models in mind, RIN selected nine key Ugandan business sectors to conduct sector analysis with examples of active players that point to areas for partnership and investment

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JUNE 2022

• MAF - Exponential Growth for Refugee Farmers and Uganda

• Vision Fund - From refugee to employer: Geofrey's story

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MARCH 2022

- NEW - MITD-Lab - Building a Business in Refugee Settlements: Speaking to Entrepreneurs from Rhino Refugee Camp

The Cooperator - UNDP, KOICA launch construction of three markets in refugee hosting districts

- EU Trust Fund for Africa - Creating new opportunities for refugees through TVET

- FSD Africa - Rebuilding livelihoods in displacement

- IFC

• Kenya: Creating Markets in Forced Displacement Contexts - 03 March 2022

• Uganda: The Private Sector can bring Jobs and Development to Uganda's Refugee Populated Areas - 03 March 2022

- IPA- Improving Labor Market Opportunities for Refugees in Uganda

- Land - Using Land to Promote Refugee Self-Reliance in Uganda

- MTD-Lab - Creative Capacity Building in Uganda: Scaling the Impact of Refugee-Led Design Solutions

- NRC - Market Analysis of Enterprises Owned by People Affected by Displacement

- NTV Uganda (video) - Financial inclusion for refugees

- Subsistence Marketplaces - A Greenhouse In A Refugee Settlement, Nakivale, Uganda

- Toyota - First collaboration of its kind between UNHCR and a Japanese company to provide refugees in Africa with practical skills in the automotive industry

- World Vision/Zoa/UNHCR - Agriculture Value Chain Study presentation

- World Vision/Busara - Improving the impact of VSLAs on refugees’ and host communities’ self-reliance, resilience and economic capacity

- U Learn - Videos from the harmonisation of CVA workshop sessions

- UNHCR -

Emerging Good Practices & Lessons in Refugee Livelihood Activities

Overview of Refugee Financial Inclusion

- Minutes of Livelihood and Resilience Sector Working Group (LRSWG) meeting Date - 22 Feb 2022

WFP - Cash grants from WFP empower refugees in Uganda

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FEBRUARY 2022

- NEW - World Vision -  Refugee women weaving brighter futures for their families

- NEW - ILO -  Apprenticeship brings a new dawn for host community and refugee youth in Uganda - The ILO, with support from the government of the Netherlands and participation of the government of Uganda, employers and training institutes, has been able to place 95 hotel management apprentices in 40 hotels to gain on-the-job experience

- New - Financial Biographies of People Coping with New Surroundings (pgs10-34) - In Uganda, we interviewed refugees and migrants from Somalia, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, and Rwanda. We saw that those who had chosen to live in the city of Kampala, would overtime, likely experience a progression in their earnings from less than $1 a day to more than $4 a day and, for the enterprising few, far more. Those in the camp often resorted to selling their food rations to survive.

- ECHO/World Vision/ZOA/SNV - AGRICULTURE VC Study Presentation

- Ensibuuko - ETL Presentation

- FAO - Opening up new frontiers for young people and refugees in agribusiness

- ILO - PROSPECTS in Uganda - at a glance - February 2022

- Identifying an optimal ecosystem model of refugee-related businesses via an online systems-based evolutionary meaning laboratory:A case in Uganda

- Opportunity International - Life on the Margins: Meeting the Unique Needs of Refugees and Students in Uganda

- Wageningen Centre for Development Innovation - The Food Systems Approach applied in city regions - Lessons learned from four case studies in low- and middle-income countries Kennis Basis Programme Feeding the Cities and Migration Settlements

- U Learn

• Uganda Refugee response Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) user perspectives – Research brief

• Financial Services in the Uganda Refugee Response – An assessment of users’ perspective

- UNDP - Voices of change from UNDP/KOICA Refugee Beneficiaries

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JANUARY 2022

- GoU/UNHCR -

• Cash-Based Interventions Dashboard - Quarter 3, January - September 2021

• Food Security dashboard Quarter 3 2021

• Livelihoods and Resilience dashboard Quarter 3 2021

- JDC Research Conference -

• Food Aid and Refugee Coping Strategies Evidence from a Regression Discontinuity Design

• Can Aid Change Attitudes toward Refugees? Experimental Evidence from Microentrepreneurs in Urban Uganda

- ResearchGate - Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) in a refugee context in East Africa: Kitchen gardening helps with mineral provision

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DECEMBER 2021

• NEW - CNBC Africa - 36 Million Solutions: Africa Private Sector Forum on Forced Displacement

• NEW - Toyin Ojora Saraki - 36 Million Solutions: Africa Private Sector Forum on Forced Displacement

• NEW - UNHCR - Forum seeks solutions for Africa’s 36 million displaced - First-of-its-kind forum brings together business leaders, refugee change makers and the public sector in Rwanda to find solutions to forced displacement in Africa

- Govt of Netherlands/IFC - Consumer and market study in Southwest and West Nile refugee-hosting areas in Uganda - This study explores economic activities, employment trends, consumption levels, access to finance, and consumer preferences of refugees and host communities in Uganda’s largest refugee-hosting areas. The aim is to understand the potential market of the eight reviewed districts and identify possible entry points for the private sector. Among the key findings, the study identified a large consumer market, worth about $485 million measured as annual consumption expenditure, and the potential to develop agribusiness value chains, formalize access to finance and engage private companies in the provision of solar products.

- CG/REACH/USAID - Assessment of Financial Service Providers – Cash and Voucher Assistance in Uganda (November 2021

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NOVEMBER 2021

- NEW - World Vision - Agricultural farming proves an effective long-term strategy to boost livelihoods and alleviate hunger among refugees

- Samuel Hall -

• Selected Highlights on Integrated Approaches to Farm-Based Livelihoods in the Great Lakes Region - includes a case study: Uganda - Land Allocation, Gender Protection, and Food Security

• Selected Highlights on Private Sector Involvement in Non-Farm Livelihoods in the Great Lakes Region - includes a case study: Uganda - International Lifeline Fund and Cookstoves

- UNCDF - Bridging Uganda’s Digital Divide: Gender Mainstreaming in Digital Agriculture

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FEBRUARY 2020

• Mitigating Risks of Abuse of Power in Cash Assistance in Uganda - This document outlines lessons learned from a joint UNHCR/WFP project in Uganda with the aim to identify and mitigate the risks of abuse of power in cash assistance through the main delivery mechanisms used in-country: mobile money, e-cards and cash delivered through mobile vans -

• URRP 2019-2020 Q3 snapshot

• Japan provides 1.6bn ugx ($443,225) grant in Pagirinya settlement, through Terra Renaissance, for vocational training and business setup support