Time check, it is about 12:28 in the afternoon, I wade my way through the dusty streets of Makindye-Lukuli, south of Kampala city where I meet with one of my sources for this story. Veiled in a hijab, the strong light rays strike straight to my skin causing warmth and sweat all over my body…but that is not my main concern for the afternoon.
Dark-skinned, medium height Ernestine Budo,33, mother of seven sits by her merchandise well-displayed on a veranda as she watches as though counting passers-by when I prance in with my guide of the afternoon, Arthur Musombwa.
As we set foot on the veranda, the already exuberant-looking Budo welcomes Musombwa with the amiable familiarity before I am introduced to my source.
From word go, I realise I am destined for a daunting journey of making our communication effective given her struggles in the English language. But she understands Kiswahili, which I can hardly sustain for a minute.
Upon agreeing to our dialogue, she offers me a plastic-white-Enduro chair. It’s warm and I think she has been sitting on it for the last close to six hours.
The then goes on to narrate how in 2018 she had to flee her only home to a destination she didnt know at the time with her six children trotting behind her as she cradled the four weeks daughter in her arms.
Budo narrates the ordeals of the two-months trek which she says she finds it difficult to delve into because of the memories she gets from sharing it.
“You see me here, it’s not a boutique because even the capital l borrowed from my brother in law. i have many children, l have seven but without work it was very hard to fend for my family,” she says in broken English as she shyly looks away.
“What were you doing in DR Congo before you relocated here?” I ask searchingly.
She says that she had been a once prestigious hairdresser with a renown saloon in lower Kivu, Congo -a business she tried to replicate in Kireka along Kamuli-Naalya road in Kampala but failed miserably in 2021 as they had to sustain monthly rent of Shs200,000 which became so expensive for them to service over time.
As we are engrossed in our conversation about Budo, a client shows up, asks for the prices, does window shopping and off she goes. My source doesn’t seem bothered.
“That is how business is,” she says smilingly upon noticing my frauned face, “…you see it’s like that…. they ask how much and then go, like that.”
She says that her salon business still lives at heart despite the fact that she has to settle her business loan of Shs 2 million which she acquired from her brother in law to start up the boutique business .
On a good day Budo said she sells a pair of shoes earning her a profit $1(about Shs3900), she also could sell two dresses with plans of saving up to $3 (about Shs10, 000), money she says helps her to achieve her dreams and support of her husband who still works as a hairdresser in Kireka where he was recommended by a friend.
“l have dreams of getting back to the saloon, that’s my dream, in Congo I used to work in a saloon with my husband, it’s what l know, it’s what i understand.” she says.
A recent study by the private sector foundation indicated that a significant potential for the private sector to grow will need to also invest in vulnerable communities. The study shows that vocational skills training will promote creation of revenue and youth work opportunities including the host communities for the refugees and well as the refugees.
In Uganda, there are over 1.5 million refugees who are equipped with various skills for business and capacities to consume goods which is estimated at $485,000,000 annual consumption expenditure.
The study indicates how 56% of persons of concern from DRC were employed, as are the 56% of Burundians compared to the 27% of Somali and 23% of South Sudanese.
The statistics match with the over 350 congolese women that Yarid has supported this year to help restore their hope just like the mother of seven that wishes never to return to congo.
The spokesperson of the Office of the Prime Minister, Mr Charles Odongtho when asked what the government is doing, says, “They are free to engage in business and any income generating activities as long as they are within Uganda and we have encouraged them to do that once they enter into the country.”
Odongtho referees this reporter to the commissioner in charge of refugees, Mr Douglus Asiimwe and livelihoods within the office of the Prime minister which is charged with the docket.
Mr Asiimwe says, “We as government play a policy role in all these and we have partners with whom we work on all these projects. There are those partners who are charged with skilling and social livelihoods of the refugees. We know that they exist and we are here to just support them at all times. The number of refugees in the country continues to grow year in-year out and we need many of these organisations because as a government, we cant manage all of them.”
This year, YARID has been able to support over 160 women with assets like sawing machines but with also a grant capital of approximately $300.
In terms of transitioning and resettlement for those who leave the country we always make sure we prepare before also getting information about the next of kin
“This place is very good, they are paying, it’s a blessing and very comfortable, the environment is good and also if you work here you feel at home,” a 24 year old Shakila Nandego, a congolese refugee couldn’t stay calm as this stranger approached her world.
At the age of eight, Nandego, now a professional tailor, couldn’t have envisioned what life had in stock for her and her now well off family.
Born to a congolese mother and ugandan father, Nandego’s unique identity couldn’t guarantee a beautiful childhood as mother was left with the burden of raising her 11 year old sibling with her having lost their father an engineer who had acquired a working opportunity with the united nations in congo.
With not much to contemplate on as a young child , Nandego, however, recalls how her mother, a once successful business woman selling clothes struggled to make ends meet and fend for her own while left to share a home with the other relatives.
She watched the remains of her mothers business crumble in the ruins of a series of wars between Rwanda and Congo, something that could now entirely change the landscape of the 24 years old life.
“We spent like one year before we came to these ends with the entire family. Most of them ran here while others went to Rwanda. it was a serious war.” she narrated as she jokingly blamed her childhood for stealing what would have been great memories to ponder about.
“My family had a relative who was married this side in Kasese , I don’t know how we settled in, as a child I only saw a huge grass thatched house and wouldn’t mind because l was eating and sleeping,”
Her innocent childhood would later earn her a bursary for being a good netballer as her mother sold fish which she managed to raise half of her tuition since .
In 2015 , during her S4 Nangego couldn’t continue further with her studies having got an accident on one of her legs and could continue with her netball career.
The unprecedented outcome in what would have been a great sports career brought her closer to one of her biggest childhood dreams that she embarked on a journey to become the professional tailor that she is now. At around 14 years, Shakila had learned some basic skills from one of her mothers friends in Kasese.
“After S4 I decided to continue with my tailoring because I had grown the passion, I studied for three years and an extra one year, however the two years were basically for volunteering . I volunteered for with a lady in the city center almost two years but left to learn and get more skills, “she knew more than me but something l also contributed”
She then volunteered as a secretary for a sewing group named Poapoa which then landed her in her new job as the owner of the place recommended her to her new boss
The secretary job was part time and worked there for almost six months where she left since 2019 marking almost four years and looking forward to expand her wings
“I really thank God now we have a good life, you know if you pass in a bad situation but time reaches and God blesses you and you are in a good situation.”
Adding despite the challenges including untrustworthy customers and expensive fabric she never wishes to return to Congo especially that her mother is now back to her cloth selling business and her brother also living quite a good life her in Uganda
Like many “this place is very good, they are paying, it’s a blessing and very comfortable, the environment is good and also if you work here you feel at home.” 24 year old congolese refugee elaborate.
Like many refugees, asylum seekers and displaced people, the dream of not only being safe but also having a self-sustaining life is something that comes handy having lost almost everything they once regarded as their own.
The search for economic opportunities therefore leaves many wondering on who, how, when and where to start or even run too in quest for answers
Youth African Refugees for Integral Development (YARID) a community based organization has tried to answer the question of economic empowerment for over 16 years,
In 2007, Judith Okala, women empowerment department YARID explained how women refugees have suffered with as little as accessing their office to earn the necessary skills and training to start up their own business ventures.
She noted that even with the knowledge , training and skills at hand the challenges on how to sell, to whom and where in terms of identifying the market needs remains a huge problem
“Because most of the refugees live in slums , it becomes hard to reach out to the other world, “there could be a market in town but we also look at the Kampala Capital City Authority restrictions”
“It a bit hard in terms of also getting space like rent and it’s quite challenging as many resort to selling from their households which limits customers but also understand the market needs since they are not in the money economy.
This story is supported by Media Challenge Initiative in collaboration with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS).
