Launch of the “Girls empowering Girls” programme: On 18th November, UNHCR CommunityBased Protection staff attended the official launch of the first urban social protection programme for adolescent girls at the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Employment Services Bureau.
UNHCR in coordination with OPM and InterAid Uganda (IAU) met with the Burundian community to discuss and identify protection challenges, issues and concerns as well as solutions. Some of the notable concerns raised by the community include; access to mobile phone simcards with the refugee identification documents, difficulty in obtaining Conventional Travel Documents (CTDs) as well as non-recognition of CTD’s by some countries and authorities which impedes travel, education and limited livelihood opportunities among others.
During the reporting period, the 2019 Urban Participatory Assessment was finalized. In total, 12 focus group discussions across the 5 divisions of Kampala were conducted targeting all diverse groups of women, men, boys and girls (Youth and Children) within the urban refugee community. Key informant interviews were also conducted with 43 key stakeholders including OPM, Partner staff, Urban service providers, education institutions, health institutions, refugee leaders, judiciary and refugee leaders among others to gain insights on different thematic areas.
UNHCR concluded the third training and planning workshop organized by UNHCR, UNHCR DIP, the Global Youth Advisory, and Women refugee council for the youth in Kampala titled Youth leadership and Engagement. The workshop is part of a series of workshops that were also conducted in Arua and Mbarara. The training included sessions with urban youth and humanitarian actors to map resources and existing opportunities. A joint session was conducted to exchange thoughts as well as agree on recommendations from youth and humanitarian actors.
On 4th November, an ECHO mission visited NRC/ Information, counselling and legal assistance (ICLA) projects in Kisenyi and Makindye. The mission met with a group of Congolese and Somali refugees who outlined the assistance/support they have received following their visits to the ICLA Centre. NRC is planning to open two more centres in Mukono and Nakawa to reach out to other urban refugees. The mission was happy to note improved coordination between UNHCR and NRC.
IAU with support from UNHCR organized the refugee launch of 16 Days of Activism on 28 Nov 2019. The launch started with a Justice Run from IAU offices in Mengo and concluded at Old Kampala Secondary School playground with some dance, drama and exhibitions from different partners in Kampala. Several members from Kampala Level SGBV Working Group were present to express their solidarity to the program. Among the participants were from IAU, Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), Refugee Law Project (RLP), Centre for Women in Governance (CEWIGO), Men’s Forum Against Domestic Violence Uganda (MFADVU), International Rescue Committee (IRC), Action Aid Uganda, Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD), Care and Assistance for Forced Migrants (CAFOMI), Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), UNHCR, among others.
