https://www.ethealth.

org/

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/tower-grove-dream-reality-wash-u-med-students-open-clinic-rural-
uganda

From Tower Grove dream

to reality: Wash U med
students open clinic in
rural Uganda
By SARAH FENTEM • DEC 31, 2018
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
 Washington University medical student Jae Lee speaks at the opening of the
Empower Through Health clinic in Mpunde, Uganda.
EMPOWER THROUGH HEALTH

A new clinic in a remote Ugandan village has its roots in St. Louis.

The clinic in the rural village of Mpunde is the brainchild of two Washington
University medical school students, who started the nonprofit Empower
Through Health after researching stomach ulcers in Ugandans.

Medical students Jae Lee and Gautam Adusumilli founded the community
health center after Lee's many trips to the East African country of Uganda to
research malaria and other health problems.

In November, the one-year-old nonprofit opened a small clinic, which serves

more than 20,000 people in the village in the rural western part of the country.
It will provide basic health care to people who might otherwise need to spend
a month’s income to travel to a doctor.

In 2017, Lee and Adusumilli were investigating the prevalence of dyspepsia

— a gastrointestinal infection — in Ugandans. Lee had recently been to the
country to study how widespread the disease was. His field research was full
of notes of some people’s desperate situations, such as one instance of
people eating leaves when they couldn’t find food.

Lee and Adusumilli dreamed up the clinic while studying in a Tower Grove
coffee shop.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/south-sudan-fights-refugees-flow-uganda

As South Sudan Fights,

Refugees Flow Into Uganda
ShareTweetEmail


 VIEW SLIDESHOW 1 of 2

South Sudanese families sit with bags of food rations at the Ayilo Settlement Camp
in northern Uganda. Refugees have been coming out of South Sudan in growing
numbers since fighting resume there this summer.
DURRIE BOUSCAREN / ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO
Listen
Listening...
Originally published on November 12, 2016 7:42 am

One way to measure the growing turmoil in South Sudan is by the rapidly
expanding refugee influx in neighboring Uganda.

A crowd of refugees press into a food distribution area at Pagirinya Refugee

Settlement, one of the newest camps built to accommodate the latest arrivals
in northern Uganda, just across the border from South Sudan.
Jonathan Taban, a father of six, explained that he's trying to see when he will
receive food rations. He's been skipped twice now for a monthly allotment of
grains, and he can't figure out why.

"I received food (in) July, emergency food for only 10 days. That is the last
food I received, up to now," Taban said in late September. "Most of these
people that are crowding there, they also missed food. They are trying to
check their names."

A new round of clashes erupted this summer between government troops

loyal to President Salva Kiir and fighters aligned with the former vice
president, Riek Machar. Machar and his fighters had recently come back from
exile as part of a peace process intended to end a conflict that began in 2013,
just two years after South Sudan received independence.

The on-and-off fighting over the past three years has driven more than a
million South Sudanese into other countries, according to the United Nations
refugee agency.

On average, about 2,500 refugees — mostly women and children — are

crossing from South Sudan into Uganda every day. Many are living in
settlement camps, where resources are tight and some families are receiving
only half of their normal food rations.

Taban is from South Sudan's capital, Juba. He said his neighbors were
attacked by militants in July. His family fled the city on foot, eventually
reaching buses that took them across the border to register as refugees in
Uganda.

To make some money, the former cashier has been clearing land for other
families. He opens his hands, cut and callused from digging in fields.
"These marks; I've been suffering, doing manual labor so I can feed my
children," he said. His youngest, a 2-year-old boy, is getting sick. "He is tired,
very tired. Malnourished."

In Pagirinya, small shelters are wrapped in a white, waterproof material

emblazoned with the blue logo of the U.N. refugee agency. Families tend
gardens of cassava, sweet potatoes and peas. One street serves as a
marketplace, where refugees and Ugandans who live nearby sell extra grain,
roasted corn, and cards to add minutes on a cell phone.

Through Uganda's "self-sufficiency" approach to refugees, each South

Sudanese family is given a plot of land to grow its own food. In practice,
refugees say there isn't enough land to go around, which forces them to rely
on food aid from the U.N.

U.N. officials said there are a couple of reasons a family might miss out on
rations. Sometimes people go to the wrong place to pick up their food. Others
don't know they have to register. A complaint desk tries to accommodate the
cases that fall through the cracks.

At least 200,000 South Sudanese refugees have come into Uganda since
fighting intensified in July. In August, the World Food Programme cut rations
in half for families who have been in the country since July 2015 and are not
considered especially vulnerable. Counted another way, it means the food
that's provided for each household member has gone from about 2,100
calories a day to just over 1,000.

Ration cuts in camps near war zones aren't unusual. Syrian refugees saw the
value of their food vouchers cut in half last year. Refugees in Kenya are
experiencing cuts to their monthly rations as well.
"Each one of the countries in the [East Africa] region has far more refugees
than it did five years ago, three years ago or in the case of Uganda even six
months ago," said Challiss McDonough, WFP's regional spokesperson in
Nairobi. "It's a staggering rate of new arrivals."

In South Sudan, war has forced farmers out of their fields and interrupted
supply lines. At least 4.8 million South Sudanese are experiencing food
shortages, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN.

At a clinic back in Pagirinya, medical officer Ahmad Rasul of Medical Teams

International said malaria and malnutrition are two of his biggest concerns,
because the people arriving have already been hungry for a long time.

"I think it started from there, and when they arrived here also, there were
delays. The amount, the quality and the quantity of food that's given to them,
it's limited," Rasul said.

Funding for this story was provided by the International Women's Media

Foundation.

Copyright 2016 KWMU-FM. To see more, visit KWMU-FM.

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Repeated attacks on civilians by South Sudan's divided military have pushed

more than a million people into other countries, according to the United
Nations Refugee Agency. About 2,500 refugees, mostly women and children,
cross the border into Uganda every day. St. Louis Public Radio's Durrie
Bouscaren has more.

DURRIE BOUSCAREN, BYLINE: Pagirinya is one of the newest settlements

built to accommodate the new refugees near Uganda's northern border with
South Sudan. Small shelters are wrapped in a white waterproof material
emblazoned with the blue logo of the U.N. Refugee Agency. Families who
have the space plant gardens of cassava, sweet potatoes or corn. A crowd
gathers at a food distribution area. Jonathan Taban, a father of six, says
they're trying to see when they'll receive food rations this month.

JONATHAN TABAN: You can see most of the people who are crowded in
there - they also missed food. They are trying to check their names.

BOUSCAREN: Taban is from South Sudan's capital, Juba. He says his

neighbors were attacked by militants in July. His family fled the city on foot,
eventually reaching buses that took them across the border to register as
refugees in Uganda. But he hasn't received food rations yet, and he can't
figure out why.

TABAN: I had received food since July - emergency food for only 10 days.
Yes, that is the last food I received. Up to now, I haven't received any food.

BOUSCAREN: To make some money, the former cashier has been clearing
land for other families. He opens his hands, cut and calloused from digging in
fields.

TABAN: These marks - I'm suffering, doing manual labor so that I can feed
my children.

BOUSCAREN: His youngest, a two-year-old boy, is getting sick.

TABAN: He's tired. He's very tired - malnourished.

BOUSCAREN: U.N. officials say there are a couple reasons a family might
miss out on rations. Sometimes people go to the wrong place to pick up their
food or don't know they have to register. More than 200,000 South Sudanese
have come in to Uganda since fighting intensified in July. Around that same
time, the World Food Program cut rations in half for families who have been
in the country for more than a year. In a phone call from her office in Nairobi,
regional spokesperson Challiss McDonough says resources are stretched.

CHALLIS MCDONOUGH: We get no core funding from the U.N. And that
means that we don't have this, like, central budget where we say, OK, we're
going to prioritize the South Sudanese refugees, and we're going to take that
out of school feeding in Tajikistan.

BOUSCAREN: In Uganda, the program is facing a $21 million shortfall over

the next six months. Ration cuts in camps near war zones aren't unusual.
Syrian refugees saw the value of their food vouchers cut in half last year.
Refugees in Kenya are experiencing cuts, too.

MCDONOUGH: Each one of these countries in the region has far more
refugees now than they did five years ago or three years ago or, in the case
of Uganda, even six months ago.

BOUSCAREN: McDonough says the need is growing faster than resources

can come available. In South Sudan, war has interrupted farmers' abilities to
grow crops. An estimated 4.8 million people are experiencing food shortages.

(SOUNDBITE OF COUGHING)

BOUSCAREN: At a clinic back at the refugee settlement, medical officer

Ahmad Rasul says malaria and malnutrition are two of his biggest concerns
for refugees in Uganda because the people arriving have already been
hungry for a long time.

AHMAD RASUL: I think it started from there. Then when they arrived here,
there was delays. The amount - the quantity and quality of food that's given to
them - it's limited.
BOUSCAREN: And every day another 2,500 refugees cross the border. With
the conflict in South Sudan showing no signs of slowing, the next six months
could be an even bigger challenge. For NPR News, I'm Durrie Bouscaren in
northern Uganda.

SIMON: That story was reported on a trip that was funded by the International
Women's Media Foundation. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/connecting-human-being-st-louis-non-profit-helps-immigrant-
refugee-women-build-confidence

‘Connecting as a human
being:’ St. Louis non-profit
helps immigrant, refugee
women build confidence
By KIM OSWALT • AUG 30, 2016
St. Louis on the Air
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 

Sarah Paradoski and Ramona Marshall discussed the Immigrant and Women's
Refugee Program on "St. Louis on the Air."
KELLY MOFFITT | ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO

Imagine leaving your home and moving to a country that doesn’t share your
customs, where you can’t understand the language and where you have to
re-learn basic life skills in order to survive in your new context.

Most immigrants and refugees living in the United States don’t have to
imagine these challenges. Learning to overcome linguistic, cultural and social
barriers is just part of their reality.
For a variety of reasons, women often experience unique obstacles to healthy
adaptation. The St. Louis-based Immigrant and Refugee Women’s
Program (IRWP) seeks to help participants as they navigate these obstacles.

On Tuesday’s St. Louis on the Air, host Don Marsh was joined by Sarah
Paradoski, IRWP’s program coordinator, and Ramona Marshall, one of the
organization’s volunteers.

Listen
Listening...
20:12
Sarah Paradoski and Ramona Marshall joined Don Marsh for a conversation about the Immigrant
and Refugee Women's Program in St. Louis.

Volunteers like Marshall are paired with individual students for one hour of in-
home tutoring every week. Students can learn English, practice for citizenship
tests and develop basic skills necessary for grocery shopping, handling
transportation and finding employment.
Ramona Marshall has been volunteering with the Immigrant and Refugee Women's
Program for seven months.
CREDIT KELLY MOFFITT | ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO
“It’s really not just about teaching them English but about making that bridge,”
said Marshall. “It’s about incorporating them into the community and making
them feel like more of a part of the community.”

Since Marshall started volunteering with IRWP seven months ago, she has
been working with a woman who came to St. Louis as a refugee from Eritrea.
Although the woman had been in St. Louis for over nine years when she met
Marshall, she couldn’t speak English and almost never left her home at an
assisted living facility.

Now, Marshall says her student can count to 500 and is comfortable enough
to make trips to the store or doctor’s office on her own.

“I think the beauty of the program – of working one-on-one, of building that

relationship – is fostering that self-confidence in them and giving them a safe
space to practice and learn and just be encouraged,” said Paradoski.
Sarah Paradoski is the program coordinator for the Immigrant and Refugee Women's
Program.
CREDIT KELLY MOFFITT | ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO
This one-on-one structure allows weekly sessions to be tailored to students’
individual needs, but it also creates a high demand for volunteers. There are
about 150 students currently enrolled in the program, with 90 more waitlisted
or in-between teachers.

Volunteers do not need to meet any kind of experience or language

requirements in order to get involved. IRWP will provide the necessary
training before matching individuals with students based on their
personalities, schedules and locations. If you would like to learn more about
the program, call (314) 771-1104 or visit their website here.

“The biggest thing is just kind of connecting as a human being,” Paradoski

said. “I think that our volunteers find out pretty fast that they have more in
common than they have differences.”

St. Louis on the Air brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who
live, work and create in our region. St. Louis on the Air host Don Marsh and
producers  Mary Edwards,  Alex Heuer and  Kelly Moffitt give you the
information you need to make informed decisions and stay in touch with our
diverse and vibrant St. Louis region.
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/who-are-refugees-st-louis

Who are the refugees in St.

Louis?
By DURRIE BOUSCAREN • DEC 15, 2015
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

Miron Kofman, a Jewish refugee from Ukraine, strikes a pose during a Hannukah
celebration at Bilingual International Assistant Services.
DURRIE BOUSCAREN | ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO
When you hear about refugees in St. Louis, you might first think about the
Bosnians who moved here in the 1990’s, or maybe even the most recent
arrivals from Syria. But every year, about 600 refugees from all over the world
are resettled in St. Louis.  

So, who are they? Where are they from? Answering where they come from is
easy: in the past few years, Somalia, Burma, Iraq and Bhutan have
accounted for a significant portion of the refugees. Scroll down to see a chart
of where they come from and where they settle.  

Jacqueline Danga, Democratic Republic of the Congo

About 15 years ago, Jacqueline Danga escaped war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with her
young son. They lived in a refugee camp run by the United Nations in Tanzania for more than a decade.  
Jacqueline Danga, originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, stands outside the Center for
Survivors of Torture and War Trauma in St. Louis.

CREDIT DURRIE BOUSCAREN | ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO

Food was scarce, and refugees had to build their own homes out of branches and wood. Outbreaks of
malaria and rheumatic fever were common. Danga’s memories are of rations of flour infested with mice,
rancid food and peas that had to be boiled all day until they were edible. She kept a small farm behind
her house to feed her family.   

“There were ten orphans that stayed with me in my house. I was working in the hospital, and I helped
the orphans, all of them. They were in good health because I helped them,” Danga said, speaking in
French.  

In July of 2012, Danga and her son arrived in St. Louis to build a new life. Today, she supports her family
by working as a home health aide for seniors. She takes English classes and has been able to visit with
counselors at the Center for Survivors of Torture and War Trauma. It’s here, she says, that she has finally
found peace.

Mohammed Baban, Iraq/Kurdistan

Mohammed Baban grew up in Erbil, a city in the northern part of Iraq that is considered by the Kurdish
people to be part of a sovereign state called Kurdistan. In 1991, the Iraqi military killed thousands of
Iraqi Kurds during a series of uprisings over the course of a month. Originally a chemist, Baban escaped
to a town near the Turkish border, and began working for U.S. Agency for International Development to
deliver immunizations. Unable to return to Erbil after the war, Baban and his family moved to the United
States as refugees.  
Mohammed Baban, at the offices of Bilingual International Assistant Services in St. Louis.

CREDIT DURRIE BOUSCAREN | ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO

“Life was not easy in the beginning, because we had never been away from our family and friends,”
Baban said. “But we had no other choice, because if you go back your life’s in danger.”

For years, Baban used his knowledge of Kurdish and Arabic to work as a translator for hospitals in St.
Louis. He pursued a master’s degree in international policy, worked briefly as a linguist for the U.S.
Army, and returned to Erbil for four years to work for the Ministry of Higher Education, he said.

Today in St. Louis, it’s not easy to be a refugee from an Arab country, Baban said. Three weeks ago,
Baban and a group of friends were accosted by a man screaming profanities at them outside their
mosque in south St. Louis.

“I’m a person that came here because of fear of persecution, of terror, of everything,” Baban said. “I had
an oath, I became a real citizen here. I am ready to do anything for this country. But still, people do not
look at me in the eye.”

Highly-publicized comments from presidential candidates, such as proposals to ban Muslim refugees
from Syria, are playing directly into terrorists’ hands, Baban said. This is a war of power and politics, not
ideology, he said—and he wishes more Americans understood why refugees have fled their homes.

“Muslims are also victims of this. Who are they killing, ISIS in Iraq? Whom they killing? They’re killing
Muslims.”
_

Follow Durrie on Twitter:  @durrieB.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/peek-daily-life-northern-uganda-s-refugee-camps

A peek at daily life in

northern Uganda’s refugee
camps
By DURRIE BOUSCAREN • SEP 28, 2016
St. Louis on the Air
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 

South Sudanese refugees wait for their names to be called to receive food rations
from the World Food Programme at the Aiylo camp in northern Uganda.
DURRIE BOUSCAREN | ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO

Updated 3 p.m., Sept. 28 with Durrie Bouscaren's interview on St. Louis on

the Air from Uganda.

Heavy fighting in South Sudan has pushed about 150,000 refugees across

the border into Uganda over the past two months. In July, the World Food
Programme cut food rations in half for residents of settlement camps who
have been in the country for more than a year. 
The toll of the conflict is clear in refugee camps in the Adjumani District, near
Uganda's northern border.

Editor's note: Durrie Bouscaren  is on a fellowship in Uganda, where she is

reporting on agriculture. In this report, she shares some of her reflections on
what she is observing and learning.

Listen
Listening...
14:21
St. Louis Public Radio reporter Durrie Bouscaren discusses what she's learned while reporting on
GMOs in Uganda on a fellowship through the International Women's Media Foundation. She joined
"St. Louis on the Air" by phone from Uganda.

Cases of malnutrition are severe. When people see a reporter in a crowd they
gather close, gesturing to their stomachs and pulling their skin to show how
loose it has become.
A woman sits with bags of food rations on a distribution day at Ayilo refugee camp in
northern Uganda.
CREDIT DURRIE BOUSCAREN | ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO
But through the hunger and the trauma, you can also see signs of resilience.  

Uganda's approach to refugees is somewhat unique; people are allowed to

move freely, set up businesses and live outside of designated camps.
A boy wheels a homemade truck through the streets of Pagirinya refugee camp.
CREDIT DURRIE BOUSCAREN | ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO
There are several rural “settlements” in the Adjumani district, where families
are given a small plot of land to build temporary homes. Though some
manage to carve out space to plant gardens that supplement their diet, a
major concern among refugees is the lack of available land to farm.
Sweet potatoes grow in a family's garden in the Pagirinya camp.
CREDIT DURRIE BOUSCAREN | ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO
In each settlement, vendors set up a marketplace to sell their wares: fresh
vegetables, dried fish, even a solar-powered cell phone charging station.
Some entrepreneurs are refugees. Others are Ugandans who arrive at the
camp from the surrounding neighborhoods.
Vendors sell vegetables, grains and dried fish at the Ayilo camp on a food-distribution
day.
CREDIT DURRIE BOUSCAREN | ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO
There are also medical clinics, where the wait is long and--at least for some--
electricity is nonexistent. For more complicated medical issues, people must
go to a hospital in the town of Adjumani, where they’ll have to pay for care.
Children wait for a Medical Team International doctor to look over their records at
Pagirinya camp.
CREDIT DURRIE BOUSCAREN | ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO
As journalists, we meet people, we hear about their suffering, and then we
have to leave. We can publish a story and hope that things change for the
better, but often it doesn’t. After one interview in Pagarinya, a man asked me
what I could do for him.

“Honestly,” I said, “All I can do is try to put this on the radio.“

Driving back to Gulu, that’s a tough fact to sit with.

St. Louis Public Radio health reporter Durrie Bouscaren is visiting Uganda for
a fellowship with the International Women’s Media Foundation. Her reporting
will focus on Uganda's debate over genetically modified crops, as well as
projects that were initially developed in St. Louis for use in East Africa.

Follow Durrie on Twitter: @durrieB. 

TAGS: 
AFRICA
UGANDA
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RELATED CONTENT

St. Louis researchers hope genetically modified crops

can prevent hunger in East Africa
By DURRIE BOUSCAREN • SEP 22, 2016
FILE PHOTO | DURRIE BOUSCAREN | ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO

As botanist Nigel Taylor moves through a greenhouse kept to 90 degrees Fahrenheit

and 80 percent humidity, he checks the stems of young, potted cassava plants.

“You can see it there, OK?” Taylor said, pulling one forward. “We’re getting lesions on
the stem, this plant’s quite badly infected.”

Call it manioc, tapioca or cassava — this starchy, tropical tuber feeds millions of people
around the world. In many parts of East and Central Africa, farmers are experiencing
declining yields of cassava due to brown streak virus, a plant disease that can render a
crop inedible.

For the past decade, scientists at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

in Creve Coeur have led a project that tries another tack: genetically modifying cassava
plants for disease resistance.
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/diplomacy-through-cricket-its-all-how-you-spin-it#stream/0

Diplomacy Through
Cricket? It's All In How You
Spin It
By PHILIP REEVES • NOV 17, 2014
All Things Considered
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Listen
Listening...
Originally published on November 17, 2014 8:59 pm
Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

Pakistan and Afghanistan are neighbors with some difficult issues to work
out. For one, what happens in the aftermath of the U.S. drawdown from
Afghanistan? And each country accuses the other of harboring militants on
either side of their long border. Well, over the weekend, the leaders of the two
countries met, but it wasn't your usual diplomatic encounter. NPR's Philip
Reeves sent us this letter from Pakistan.

PHILIP REEVES, BYLINE: They call it cricket diplomacy. If you're not getting
along with your neighbors, invite them over for a game. See whether you can
sort things out with a bat and ball instead of missiles and bullets. Pakistan
and Afghanistan have been bickering for years, but a new president, Ashraf
Ghani, is now in charge in Kabul. This weekend, Ghani made his first state
visit to Pakistan.
What better way to open a fresh chapter in the relationship than a friendly
cricket match?

(APPLAUSE)

REEVES: Do not believe people who tell you that cricket is a gentleman's
game. The sport is awash with ferocious rivalries and brazen skulduggery.
However, this match between the so-called A-teams of Afghanistan and
Pakistan is a little different.

(TRUMPET MUSIC)

REEVES: It's being played beneath a cloudless sky before a small crowd of
invited guests. You could almost imagine what real peace in this region might
feel like...

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (Laughter).

REEVES: ...So long as you ignore the multitude of armed security forces and
the military helicopters scouring the hills overlooking the cricket ground.
Pakistan is far, far better at cricket than Afghanistan. It has one of the world's
top national teams. This hasn't stopped the Pakistanis from including five star
players in its 11-man team for this friendly game. The spectators are,
therefore, taken aback when this starts happening.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN #2: Oh, my God.

(APPLAUSE)

REEVES: That was a Afghan batter hitting a top Pakistani bowler for six runs.
That's like a home run in baseball. Soon, it happens again...

(APPLAUSE)
REEVES: ...And again.

(CHEERING)

REEVES: When South Asians talk about cricket diplomacy, I find it hard to
suppress a wry smile. Old foes India and Pakistan have tried it repeatedly,
yet they're getting on worse now than they have in years. Pakistan and
Afghanistan are going to need to play a lot of cricket if they're to sort out their
differences. Both accuse the other of harboring Islamist militants, carrying out
cross-border attacks. The Pakistanis think the Afghans are far too friendly
with India. The Afghans think the Pakistanis are far too friendly with the
Taliban's Mullah Omar.

Watching the game together, Afghanistan's president, Ghani, and Pakistan's

prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, look pretty relaxed. After years of mistrust, their
nations genuinely seem to be hitting the reboot button.

(CHEERING)

REEVES: The Afghan spectators are certainly happy. Their team wins by 54
runs.

(MUSIC)

REEVES: But remember, this is diplomatic cricket. Najam Sethi is Pakistan's

nominee for the governing board of international cricket.

NAJAM SETHI: I think it's good for them to lose.

REEVES: Oh, is that it?

SETHI: Yes.

REEVES: Is that it? (Laughter).

SETHI: Especially if this is politics.

REEVES: You're being polite.

SETHI: (Laughter).

REEVES: As they say in cricket, it's all about how you spin it. Philip Reeves,
NPR News, Islamabad. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

EMAIL sent to Hearts & Hope:

Hello, my name is Allen Savage and I am a doctoral candidate in the College of Education, University of
Missouri, St. Louis. I am working on a research project with Dr. Tim Makubuya investigating the efficacy
of utilizing sports diplomacy for the empowerment of refugees in Ugandan camps. Dr. Makubuya is
seeking to build a team of non-profits in the St. Louis Area who may be interested in the advancement
of South Sudan, DR Congo, and Burundi refugees as both individuals and as communities using sports,
ie, soccer and basketball. I would like to speak with you in greater depth concerning these matters. It
appears that you may have some interest in partnering with us on this project. I may be reached at
asxv2@mail.umsl.edu or at 3142437111. Thank you. Allen Savage, Sr.

CONTACT US

314-582-0005

You can contact us by using the form below or by writing to:

Hearts & Hope
3000 Imperial Drive
St. Peters, MO  63303

Uganda: UNHCR Operational Update, September, 2019

Source UNHCR Published 30 Sep 2019 Origin View original

Attachments
Download report

(PDF | 471.36 KB)

During the month of September 2019, 6,700 new refugee arrivals from, Democratic Republic of Congo
(5,044), South Sudan (900) and Burundi (756) sought safety in Uganda, bringing the number of new
arrivals since 1 January 2019, to 78,597. The humanitarian situation remains unpredictable in South
Sudan and the DRC.

Refugees from the DRC cited inter-ethnic violence in Ituri as well as fighting and attacks on civilians in
North Kivu as reasons for fleeing. Those from South Sudan reported insecurity, food insecurity and lack
of access to basic services such as education and health as the main causes of flight.

Burundians indicate several reasons for leaving their country including, insecurity, family reunification,
reported violence and fear of forcible conscription by militia groups.

6,700 Number of new arrivals during September 2019, based on border monitoring.

223 Daily average of new arrivals during September 2019, based on border monitoring.

1,347,360 Total refugees and asylum-seekers in Uganda as of 30 September 2019.

Operational Context

The humanitarian situation in South Sudan and the DRC remained unpredictable during the reporting
period. Most of the new Congolese refugees arrived from Ituri province across Lake Albert and were
transferred to Kyangwali settlement. Those arriving at the transit centres and collection points through
Nyakabande and Matanda came from Rutshuru, Goma, Uvira, Masisi, Biriza, Bukoma, and Buanza; those
passing through Ntoroko mainly came from Ituri and North Kivu, Tchoma, Kasenyi, Boga, Beni, and
Nyamamba. All were settled in Kyaka II. Asylum-seekers from South Sudan continued to arrive through
Lamwo district (Ngomoromo, Awenolwi, Madi Opei, Waligo Entry points), Adjumani (Elegu Collection
Point) and Koboko district (Kuluba Collection Point, Oraba, Busia border point and Ocea TC).

Operational Highlights
In September, UNHCR facilitated ECHO Protection monitoring mission in Kampala and southwestern
Uganda to review the status of ECHO-funded projects and assess protection challenges facing asylum
seekers and refugees.

A new Vocation Training Centre (VTC) has been officially inaugurated in Kyaka II refugee settlement,
Kyegegwa district, by Ms. Naomi Steer, National Director of Australia for UNHCR and Mr. Jonathan Ball,
Australian Deputy High Commissioner to Uganda. The centre is expected to train more than 2,000
refugee and Ugandan youth on income generating skills over the next three years, in line with
commitment by UNHCR, to support social and economic inclusion of refugees through education,
vocational training, livelihoods promotion and self-reliance initiatives. Australia for UNHCR, one of the
several national associations raising funds for UNHCR globally, supported the VTC by investing
approximately USD 661,000 in the construction of the centre and implementation of the training
programmes. In order to ensure the sustainability of this project and integration with government
service delivery, the VTC will be handed-over to district authorities in five years. For more info:
https://www.unhcr.org/afr/news/press/2019/9/5d848df2b/new-vocational-ski...
https://www.unhcr.org/afr/news/press/2019/9/5d848df2b/new-vocational-skills-training-centre-helps-
empowerrefugee-and-ugandan.htm

New vocational skills training

centre helps empower
refugee and Ugandan youth
19 September 2019
 
Student working on a bicycle at the newly opened Vocational Training Centre in Kyaka II settlement, Uganda 
© Duniya Aslam Khan

 
KYAKA II, Kyegegwa District – A new vocation training centre (VTC) has
been officially inaugurated in Kyaka II refugee settlement, in the presence of
Jonathan Ball, Australian Deputy High Commissioner to Uganda and Joel
Boutroue, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) Representative to Uganda.
The centre is expected to train more than 2,000 refugee and Ugandan youth on
income generating skills over the next three years, in line with commitment by
UNHCR, The UN Refugee Agency to support social and economic inclusion of
refugees through education, vocational training, livelihoods promotion and self-
reliance initiatives.
“Economic empowerment through skills training contributes to the self-reliance
and resilience of refugees,” said Boutroue. ”Investing in skills development
programmes for refugees and their local hosts helps reduce aid-dependency and
negative coping mechanisms and it contributes to the local economy.”
Australia for UNHCR, one of the several national associations raising funds for
UNHCR globally, supported the VTC by investing approximately USD 661,000
in the construction of the centre and implementation of the training
programmes. In order to ensure the sustainability of this project and integration
with government service delivery, the VTC will be handed-over to district
authorities in five years.
Vocational courses include cookery, hairdressing and barbering, agriculture, and
motorcycle and bicycle repair. Fin Church Aid, one of UNHCR’s partners in
Uganda, will run the implementation of these programmes in Kyaka II, which is
home to more than 106,000 refugees.
Speaking at the ceremony, Ball lauded Uganda’s progressive refugee policies
and emphasised the need for collective responsibility-sharing. “It makes more
sense to help refugees become self-reliant right from the start. I have no doubt
that investments in education, skills training and livelihoods opportunities can
contribute to improving the lives of refugees and the communities who welcome
them.”
Operational since May this year, the center currently provides training to some
250 students and can host 100 additional trainees. Thirty percent of the students
are local Ugandans. After successfully completing their training, the graduates
will receive a start-up kit to help them set up businesses.
The programmes are designed for young men and women between the ages of
15-25. Acknowledging that not all youngsters have had the opportunity to
complete their education, the VTC will offer both formal and non-formal
courses. Students who have already completed their primary or secondary
education will be enrolled in formal training, accredited by the Ministry of
Education and upgradable to diploma and degree level. Non-formal courses
offer mostly hands-on skills and can be undertaken without any prior
educational requirement.
Uganda hosts more than 1.33 million refugees and continues to receive new
arrivals fleeing insecurity and human rights violations in neighbouring
countries. Since January 2019, more than 72,000 people have crossed to Uganda
from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan and Burundi.
For more information, please contact:
In Kampala, Uganda: Duniya Aslam Khan, khand@unhcr.org, +256 772
701101

https://www.unhcr.org/afr/news/stories/2019/6/5d07809a4/top-italian-football-coaches-train-refugee-
local-youth-uganda.html

Top Italian football

coaches train refugee and
local youth in Uganda
Players from refugee and host communities take part in three-
day training programme with coaches from Italian football club
Sampdoria in peace initiative.
Patrick Amba, 14, plays soccer in front of his home His dream is to become a professional player and he hopes he will
catch the eye of visiting Italian soccer coaches.
© UNHCR/Michele Sibiloni
By Linda Muriuki in Arua, Uganda  |  18 June 2019
|  Español   |  Français   |  ‫عربي‬
Patrick Amba tries on a pair of new soccer boots, a deep blue t-shirt with a red
stripe, and white shorts – the colors of Sampdoria, one of Italy’s top league
football clubs.
The 14-year-old refugee from South Sudan was among 64 players from refugee
settlements and hosting communities in northern Uganda, chosen to train with
coaches from Sampdoria camp.
“When I play football, I am happy, I feel like I am an important member of the
community and I can share my ideas,” said Patrick.
Resources like balls and shoes are scarce here but football remains an escape for
players and spectators alike - a source of hope that the sport can one day be an
opportunity for a better life.
 “I will take responsibility for my sisters and my
parents.”
“Football can help me in the future in many ways. It helps me make friends. I
want to be so good at football so that I can help my family. My mother struggles
to take care of the family and I want to help her. I will take responsibility for my
sisters and my parents,” Patrick says. 
Patrick’s family fled their hometown in Yei three years ago, walking for days
until they found safety across the border in Uganda, which hosts more than 1
million refugees from about five countries, most of them from South Sudan.
The majority of South Sudan’s refugee population is under the age of 18 and
more than half are out of school or struggling to learn in ill-equipped,
overcrowded facilities.
“All day you think about those you left and those you have lost but when you
are on the pitch that stress goes away,” said Stephen Abe, 21-year-old refugee
player and coach.
Italian football coaches show solidarity with refugees and host communities in Uganda (Linda
Muriuki, Producer / Arnold Temple, Camera-Editor )

Sampdoria coaches, Marco Bracco and Roberto Morosini said they wanted to
offer hope and show their solidarity with young football lovers. 
“Refugees face a lot of problems so maybe for three days they can focus only on
football. It was our little dream and now we are here, and we are very happy,”
said Marco. 
The 73-year-old football club partnered with the Italian embassy in Uganda, the
International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Ugandan Olympic Committee
(UOC), The Federation of Uganda Football Association (FUFA), Italian NGO,
ACAV and UNHCR, the U.N. Refugee Agency.
“When children are not at school, they don’t have much to do in the settlements,
so sport keeps them busy and active. It also helps them make new friends and
 this promotes peace. These kinds of activities have a great impact,” said James
Bond Anywar, a protection assistant with UNHCR.  

Training session with Italian Sampdoria coach Marco Bracco who is explaining an
exercise to the boys selected from among refugees and the host
community. © UNHCR/Michele Sibiloni

1
2
3
4
PrevNext

The three-day training scheduled a series drills on dribbling and passing the ball
to build coordination, control and discipline.
“Their game is more technical than tactical, and they play very physical soccer.
Our target is to hear them say, ‘I know what it means to play like a professional
player,” said Marco.
“I think they are very good because the pitch is very difficult so it’s not normal
to play here but they have a lot of heart,” said Roberto.
Training was followed by a tournament between four teams from different
settlements. Patrick’s team scored the first goal, sending supporters on the
sidelines into cheers, but they struggled to maintain ball possession for the rest
of the game, and lost 2-1.
It was a lot to bear for Patrick. He pulled off his newly broken-in soccer boots
and buried his face as his coach and friend, Stephen tried to comfort him.
“When I saw him shedding tears, I was heartbroken,” said Stephen. “Patrick is
one kid who has something, and he is proud of it, he can show it to people.”
Patrick’s team finished fourth and a team from Bidi Bidi, a settlement further
north of Uganda took the winning trophy but all the players shared the same
level of motivation.
“The best thing about this was the training. It was so important. I am now
confident with the moves and I have more knowledge,” said Patrick.
“We saw passion here. We have passion, but these boys’ commitment is very
high. After this experience I can go back and I can explain to my own players
that there are people that play without shoes, without a pitch and still want to
play,” said Roberto.
This camp also marks the launch of a three-year sports education program for
refugees and Ugandans that will offer training, coaching and sports management
courses. The activities will also continue the work of peacebuilding between
refugees and hosting communities.
“We want them to be together such that tomorrow when they go back, they will
preach the same thing. When they preach such a philosophy, what happens is
that it spreads like an infectious disease…” said Haruna Mawa, a former
Ugandan national player, who coached alongside Sampdoria during the
tournament.
Back home, Patrick focuses on his chores.
“When I played, I felt big. I felt like a big star.”
“I sweep my room and I take care of the animals then I fetch water and after
that, then I am free to play football because I do my chores early in the
morning,” he says.
When the work is done, Patrick receives a nod from his mother, Rose before he
picks up his ball and starts to kick it around the small piece of land where his
family keeps chickens and grows tomato and watermelon. His friends call him
Salah, after the Egyptian Liverpool player, Mo Salah.
“I was one of the youngest on the pitch but when I played, I felt big. I felt like a
big star,” said Patrick.
Rose has always been proud of her son but is cautious not to let him limit his
dreams.
“I encourage him to go to school and not to forget about his studies. He should
study and play football at the same time.”
 
https://www.topendsports.com/world/countries/uganda.htm

Sport in Uganda

The Republic of Uganda is the second most populous landlocked country in the
world, second only to Ethiopia. It is located in East Africa and is bordered by Kenya,
South Sudan, Rwanda, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo. As with
most African nation, Uganda does not have the vast resources that can be used to
improve the facilities in the country for sports but that has not dampened their
passion for sports.

Uganda has embraced a number of sports such as baseball, cricket, tennis, golf,
swimming, cycling, and boxing. Uganda also occupies a significant part of Lake
Victoria which they share with neighbors Kenya and Tanzania. This has also
spawned a growing interest in sailing.

But when it comes to sheer popularity, football is the king in Uganda followed
closely by rugby and basketball. Their national football team, nicknamed 'The
Crane's have taken the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations
(CECAFA) Cup a staggering 13 times. The CECAFA Cup is the oldest of all the
football tournaments in the whole of Africa.
 Their national rugby team is also recognized as one of the strongest in the region
and their national basketball team, nicknamed 'The Silverbacks' has made its debut
in the FIBA Africa Championship in 2015.

Ugandan runner Phillip Kipyeko leading the pack

Below are details of sports, sporting events and sports people related to Uganda. Is
there something missing? If you know of something that should be listed here,
please make a comment below.

Popular sports of Uganda

 Football (Soccer), rugby, basketball, athletics, boxing, baseball, cricket, tennis,

golf, swimming, cycling, and sailing
 Uganda Sporting Success

Athletes from Uganda

 Stephen Kiprotich - won the gold medal in the marathon at the 2012 London Games

Uganda Sports trivia

 At the first Cricket World Cup in England 1975, a team from East Africa competed,
which included players from Uganda.

Uganda at major events

 Uganda at the Summer Olympics

 Uganda at the Winter Olympics

 Uganda at the Commonwealth Games

 Uganda at the Netball World Cup

Past sporting events hosted in Uganda

Upcoming sporting events in Uganda

Annual sporting events held in Uganda

Sporting Facilities in Uganda

 https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2017/12/06/568679332/he-brought-refugees-together-
with-a-soccer-ball

He Brought Refugees Together With A

Soccer Ball
 Facebook
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December 6, 201712:39 PM ET
SASHA INGBER

Robert Hakiza, who started a soccer tournament to unite refugees in Africa, sits on a bench in Washington,
D.C.
Josh Loock/NPR
Robert Hakiza remembers running to his uncle's house, finding his sandal first and then his bloodstained body
heaped on the ground.

Uncle Boniface had been an anthropology professor who lectured at universities in the eastern part of the
Democratic Republic of Congo and across the border in Rwanda. He had taught Hakiza, then a teenager, to
love school in their Congolese city of Bukavu. But political turmoil and ethnic tensions were on the rise. One
day in 1996, rebels killed Boniface because, Hakiza says, he looked Rwandan. They thought he was a spy.

GOATS AND SODA

The Goal Of These Soccer Players Isn't Just Scoring Goals
The following year, President Mobutu Sese Seko was ousted and a brutal war that involved multiple African
countries ensued. Daily life became so dangerous that Hakiza's parents told him he should stop going to
school. He chose to honor his uncle by continuing his studies, earning a degree in agriculture from the Catholic
University of Bukavu before fleeing with his family in 2008.

His father, a mechanic who fixed cars for the Rwanda-supported regime that had since taken control of their
area, learned that he had been put on a list of people to be killed. "We decided to leave to save our lives,"
Hakiza says.

Yet even in Uganda, living in a small apartment with exiled neighbors, Hakiza saw how refugees carried their
enmity for different nationalities and tribes across state lines.

Those tensions weren't always in Congo. Hakiza remembers that when he was 6 or 7 and kicking around a
soccer ball, everybody played together and nobody cared about what made them different. "I can't really say
that I was good at it," Hakiza says of the sport. But years later, it took on new meaning for him.

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Hakiza decided to start a soccer tournament with refugees in the Kampala community. "We wanted to try to
create the same situation as before, as it used to be before the war" — people playing together regardless of
their identities. Congolese, Rwandans, Burundians and Somalis signed up, forming eight teams.

The tournament took place in April 2008 and drew such a positive reception that Hakiza founded the Young
African Refugees for Integral Development (YARID) with friends later that year. At first, the founders just
tried to get people to play soccer together. When they needed money, participants would pitch in to help buy
supplies. A single team composed of diverse nationalities eventually formed and started competing in a soccer
league.
Today, YARID's programs include sports for development, job preparation and placement, and a center for
technology and innovation. The idea for some offerings, like English classes, formed after soccer games as
players described their language barriers.

In 2016, the organization received a $100,000 Ockenden Prize for a program that teaches women self-
sufficiency. It offers women vocational training and gender-based violence awareness classes. Hakiza,
YARID's executive director, says the organization has provided help to 3,500 refugees.
The 33-year-old has also interned at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and worked as an
assistant researcher in Uganda with the University of Oxford.

GOATS AND SODA

He Never Really Liked Soccer Until He Made A Movie About It
He was chosen to speak at a Moth storytelling event in Washington, D.C., as part of the Aspen Institute's New
Voices Fellowship. "Robert's is a quieter voice. He rarely seeks the spotlight, and I believe it is precisely those
voices that should be heard," says Rachael Strecher, the fellowship program manager who helped select him.
From a hotel in Virginia, Hakiza told NPR about the difficulties he faced in Congo and how soccer helped
unite a fractured refugee community in Uganda. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Interview Highlights
What was Bukavu like before you fled?
It's a small city close to Rwanda. We grew up with so many people from Rwanda at that time, we did not even
know they were from Rwanda. We had people from different cultures and tribes.

I remember especially when the situation was getting worse, music was one of the things that people could use
to console themselves to forget what was taking place. Most of the songs are in Lingala, a local language
which is partially spoken in the Western part of Congo.

What did you aspire to be in those younger days?

When I was at secondary school, I wanted to be lawyer. But this changed when I was about to finish secondary
school. I started developing the idea of doing agriculture. There was a perception, whenever people talked
about agriculture, that it meant you're spending most of your time digging — they couldn't necessarily look at
it as science.

You said in your Moth story that you faced obstacles in attending secondary school in Congo.
People my age, we stayed home for a full year. The teachers decided not to teach because they were not paid.
Also I remember there was a time when we were stuck at school, for I think almost three days, because people
were fighting outside with guns. They just put us in one hall within the school. You could get food just once a
day, something very small to sustain us.

When you arrived in Uganda, how did the tensions between refugee communities manifest?
The tension I talk about, it was really a cold one. It was very difficult to find a Congolese together with a
Rwandan or a Burundian. The Congolese were here in one place, and the Burundians were on the other side.
And whenever you talked to the Congolese, they didn't want to hear about Rwandans — looking at the role
Rwanda played when the war started.

Why did you feel that soccer, a competitive sport, would unite people?
Soccer creates that spirit of team. It's very difficult to find a team that is made up of people of only one tribe.
Most of the time it's people coming from different tribes, even different nationalities. Though we have two
sides, at least when you are in a team you have a number of people who are fighting for the same goal. They
become one. That is the most important thing.

Can you talk about a refugee that your organization, YARID, has helped?
Children, part of the Young African Refugees for Integral Development program, get ready to play soccer.
Robert Hakiza/Yarid
After six months in Uganda, I started teaching English. In my class, we had a lady also from Congo. She was
just there physically. Sometimes you could see her crying, see the tears flowing on her cheek.

Back in Congo, her husband was killed just a week after their wedding. One evening, these rebels came to their
home, they killed her husband and they raped her and also a cousin who was staying there.

When she completed the English class, that is when we had come up with another program to empower women
so that they could start coming up with activities to earn an income. We had sewing machines and also a
trainer.

I took the lady to join the class. There was a volunteer who came from America who was touched by her story
and who helped her out with a sewing machine. She started making clothes, and she managed to start getting
some money.

The money helped her to rent a two-room house. And she managed to send for the cousin — the one who was
raped — and she started to go to school. Right now she got married to another man and she's very happy.

Just wondering. Do you still play soccer?

At least every Saturday morning. I can't stop.

Sasha Ingber is a multimedia journalist who has covered science, culture and foreign affairs for such
publications as National Geographic, The Washington Post Magazine and  Smithsonian. Contact her
at @SashaIngber.
 refugee
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http://www.yarid.org/

Our Partners

We have partnered with various local and international services providers in the extension of our
services to refugees and other people in the community, The following are some of the organizations
that have helped us make dream come to a reality and with their support we shall reach great heights
and accomplish more of our goals and objectives
Other partners include: Soccer without borders, Katwe Primary School, Center Coordinating Tutor,
J.S.S Community Church,
 Tel : +256 200 912 345 | Email:info@yarid.org
 Home
 About Us
o Yarid Staff
o Our Partners
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o Women Empowerment
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 Get Involved
o Research
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 Contact Us
Sports For Development

Sports for development uses the power of play as a tool For community building, peace and conflict
resolution, And healthy living among youth.
Soccer Teams YARID began with one soccer ball and the hope of young refugees to transform their
community. Today, soccer remains an integral part of YARID's programming. The soccer program
addresses four key social problems: ethnic violence, youth unemployment, public health, and
community conflict.
The soccer program brings together male and female youth of different ethnicities to promote
community cooperation and development through sports. YARID uses soccer as a tool for peace
building to unite refugees and create positive ways to resolve conflict and reinforce positive
behavior. Through sports, YARID is teaching refugee youth important life skills such as conflict
resolution while also educating them about HIV/AIDS, physical fitness, and community building.
Seasonal sports activities occur throughout the year. Baseball, Volleyball and other sports activities
developed according to community interest.
https://pakolaisapu.fi/en/uganda/
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UGANDA
The East African state of Uganda has been hosting high numbers of refugees since the
1960s. The number of refugees has, however, increased dramatically in the last three years
as hundreds of thousands of people from South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of
Congo have fled to Uganda.

Uganda is one of the largest host countries of refugees

Uganda hosts the third largest number of refugees out of all countries in the world. Uganda hosts
1.3 million refugees (2019), despite being among the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) of the
world.
 
The conflicts and internal crises in neighbouring states of Uganda are reflected in the number of
refugees arriving in Uganda. New refugees are constantly crossing the border as a result of the
prolonged conflict in South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and other neighbouring
countries. Most of the refugees in Uganda are South Sudanese, who already amount to over
830,000 people.
 
With the escalation of the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the number of people
crossing the border into Uganda has increased many-fold, and there are now over 350,000
Congolese refugees in the country. The refugee settlements of Kyangwali and Kyaka II near the
border of the Democratic Republic of the Congo earlier only had some tens of thousands of
refugees, but at the turn of 2018–2019, the number of inhabitants had increased to nearly 90,000
in each settlement.
 
From fragile conditions to a new environment
Internal displacement is widespread in the neighbouring countries, and the refugees arriving in
Uganda have often been living away from their homes or in the midst of violence for years.
Many of the refugees arriving in Uganda are women who have never had the opportunity to go to
school or have only received a few years of education. They are often virtually illiterate and
without knowledge of the English language, which is the official language of Uganda.
Communicating with locals and managing daily affairs is therefore very difficult to them.
Women and children living in a foreign environment – without knowledge of the local language
and without social safety nets – are vulnerable to exploitation and often struggle to make a living
due to lack of education.
 
Uganda’s refugee policy has for long been exceptional. Although there are huge numbers of
refugees entering the country, the Ugandan government has guaranteed refugees the same rights
and universal services available to Ugandans, except for the right to vote. Refugees have the
freedom of movement and the right to live outside official refugee settlements. Even education
and healthcare are free for refugees. Refugees are also allowed to work, set up businesses and
own land. In the older refugee settlements, all refugee families have received a plot of land from
the state for cultivation.
 
As the number of refugees arriving in Uganda has continued to grow, not everyone has any
longer received any land and have had to be settled on the lands of local communities. In areas
where refugees can still receive their own land, the area allocated to them has had to be halved
due to the increase in the number of new arrivals, meaning that farming can no longer provide a
decent living for many families. The increasing pressure on land use and public services has
resulted some deterioration in inter-group relations, which FRC strives to mitigate by also
directing support to the host communities.
 
Finnish Refugee Council’s activities in Uganda
The majority of refugees in Uganda live in dedicated refugee settlements, but an increasing
number of refugees choose to remain in cities. FRC has operated in Uganda since 1997, and
currently supports refugees in 12 different settlements in the northern and western regions of the
country, as well as urban refugees in Uganda’s capital Kampala.

Finnish Refugee Council is the only international organisation in Uganda specialising in adult
education for refugees. Having learnt the benefits of literacy and education, it is also easier for
adults to understand and support the education of the rest of their family members.

The training supported and implemented by FRC provides refugees with the means and skills to
manage their own lives and regain their personal agency, as well as raise their income levels
immediately. In addition to refugees, training is also provided to locals so as not to create
conflicts within the community. FRC’s operations in Uganda can be divided into three
categories:

1. Adult education and functional literacy for adults

 
When it comes to education for refugees, it must be remembered that many adults have not
received any basic education in their childhood, and therefore do not possess literacy skills. FRC
offers functional literacy courses in refugees’ first languages as well as in English, allowing
refugees to develop their self-sufficiency and independence. Literacy is learnt and practiced
through themes that also improve refugees’ everyday lives: issues covered may for instance
include nutrition, hygiene, sanitation or the environment. Courses are facilitated by volunteer
peer tutors, and the majority of participants are women.
2. Livelihood and business training
 
FRC organises training in numeracy, entrepreneurship, and forming and managing informal
credit unions. In addition, FRC offers active support, mentoring and supervision of the union
member’s own income-generating activities and facilitates the formation of credit unions within
communities. Credit unions allow their members to borrow money for everyday activities, such
as purchasing school uniforms for children, or to support their livelihood, such as setting up a
small business. Women, especially mothers responsible for providing for their families, are the
primary target group of FRC’s livelihood training.
3. Support for young people and civil society
 
FRC pays special attention to supporting young people in their education and income-generating
activities. The participation of young people is supported for example through accommodating
the needs and wishes of young people in FRC’s activities. FRC also maintains a youth centre in
the Nakivale refugee settlement which is available for youth groups and associations’ formal and
leisure activities. In addition to supporting youth groups, FRC supports a variety of refugee
organisations and associations in Kampala by training and mentoring their active members.
Supporting refugees’ own organisations promotes their active participation in society and
facilitates peer support.
Contact:
 
frcugandaadmin@refugeecouncil.fi
+256 0393 266 642
 
Plot 8284 Tomusange Close, Muyenga 
P. O. Box 24526 Kampala
 
Country Director Tarja Saarela-Kaonga
tarja.saarela-kaonga (at) refugeecouncil.fi
+256 0772 722 460 
https://www.ockendenprizes.org/2019-prizes/ciyota/

CIYOTA Uganda
 Home / CIYOTA
The youth education and empowerment project from COBURWAS, Uganda project
‘Unlocking Girls’ and Boys’ Potential in Conflict-Affected Areas’ was nominated by
the Washington-based Partnership to Strengthen Innovation and Practice in Secondary
Education (PSIPSE), which helps to fund and promote the work of CIYOTA.
The judges said: it earned a prize because it recognises the value of education for refugees in
Uganda where qualifications generate real and lasting opportunities. The schooling, under pressure
in a challenging environment also plays an important role in normalising – while transforming – lives
in a huge and challenging refugee ‘settlement’.

COBURWAS International Youth Organization to Transform Africa (CIYOTA) was established by

refugee youth in December 2005 in Kyangwali refugee settlement, Uganda. The founders arrived in
Kyangwali from Congo (DRC), Burundi, Uganda, Rwanda and Sudan (CO-BU-RWA-S) along with
thousands of refugees fleeing conflicts in their home countries. What began as an inclusive youth-
led club to improve the lives of the most vulnerable has now become a model for self-sufficiency for
displaced people everywhere.

CIYOTA recognizes the power of quality education coupled with mentorship in leadership and
entrepreneurship as a pathway out of poverty, as well as a means to heal conflict, create social
cohesion, and spur economic growth. CIYOTA facilitates both school-based and out of school
programs for young refugees in both Uganda and DRC focused on improving access to quality,
holistic education, supporting leadership and entrepreneurship training and livelihood programs.

The Partnership to Strengthen Innovation and Practice in Secondary Education (PSIPSE) has
provided funding to support CIYOTA’s work since 2013.

In addition, The Partnership works to help amplify CIYOTA’s voice and communicate their impact to
ensure that others are able to draw from their experiences and expertise.
In addition to providing funding for this specific project since 2016, The Partnership has convened
CIYOTA and other funded partner organizations working on providing the most marginalized with
access to education in order to ensure that actors on the ground have the space to network, learn
from each other, and collaborate more strategically in order to have their desired impact.

Beyond providing access to a safe environment for quality, life-long learning in a context , CIYOTA is
providing young people with necessary role models, critical for young people from all walks of life.
These young refugees are able to see with their own eyes that while being a refugee may be as
aspect of their identity, it does not have to define who they are. CIYOTA’s founders and others who
have benefitted from the program have gone on to university and often return to pay it forward,
showing their younger counterparts what is possible and that they will not be alone as they work to
realise their potential and dreams.

The ripple effect is striking.

Not only do many CIYOTA members and alumni return to help support CIYOTA projects, some have
also started similar projects to increase access to early childhood education and primary school.
They are playing a key role in shifting the global narrative around refugees from passive recipients of
charity to active participants who can and should control their own destinies.

https://www.soccerwithoutborders.org/kampala
Google scholar https://scholar.google.com/scholar?
cites=6643883473516928056&as_sdt=5,26&sciodt=0,26&hl=en

https://scholar.google.com/scholar?as_ylo=2016&q=,+refugee,+soccer,+%22uganda
%22&hl=en&as_sdt=0,26

https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2019/10/09/syrian-refugee-lives-changed-soccer-program-created-
ex-mlser-beyond-stands-pres

https://www.mlssoccer.com/videos/beyond-the-stands

Syrian refugee lives changed by a soccer

program created by ex-MLSer | Beyond
the Stands pres. by Wells Fargo
October 9, 201912:30PM EDT
MLSsoccer staff

When his playing career ended in 2016, Mehdi Ballouchy was driven to find a way to
help Syrian refugees fleeing their war-torn country. He partnered with the Catalyst
Foundation for Universal Education and started Kickstart Joy, a foundation that uses
soccer to bring happiness to the lives of Syrian refugees.

Jillian Sakovits joined the former MLS player and current NYCFC Under-15 boys coach
on a trip to Zaatari Refugee Camp in Jordan, where she talked to the refugees who
have participated in Kickstart Joy along with other ex-MLSers, like Steven Lenhart and
MLSsoccer.com personality Bobby Warshaw, who have joined Ballouchy's cause.

Click HERE for more episodes of Beyond the Stands presented by Wells Fargo.

https://www.kickstartjoy.org/
https://www.oneworldplayproject.com/attribute/campaign/on-the-ball-uganda/

It started with a simple concept: A ball

We originally created the unpoppable One World Futbol as a solution for kids living in
harsh conditions where standard soccer balls don’t last long. But along the way, it
became obvious just how transformative and powerful play is, not just for the millions of
youth around the world living in poverty, but for all of us. Play is in our DNA—a need as
important as food, medicine and shelter. It’s an intrinsic part of our lives, regardless of
geography or culture, and through play we become stronger individuals, build better
communities and create a more positive future

https://wearealight.org/welcome-to-palabek/

Welcome to Palabek
Changemakers 365 is all about doing the doable. It’s about opening our eyes to the
opportunities to make an impact in a person’s life with relatively few resources – and
making change each and every day of the year.
Part of the Series
In Uganda
Previous Post
Cheers to Friends
Next Post
Serving and Protecting
Welcome to Palabek, Uganda’s most recently established refugee settlement and
home to over 30,000 refugees. Located just across the border from South Sudan, the
camp sprung up when crisis struck in the country, forcing hundreds of thousands to
flee.
There’s so much great need in the camp. But despite that need, the resiliency of
everyday people is beginning to shine through. People are seeking a sense of
normalcy, and even finding moments of joy.
 Sports are helping. A women’s netball team has gathered, with coach Kavine
heading the effort. She and her team play every single day! But they’re playing with a
makeshift netball and hoops – they don’t have real equipment to fuel the game.

https://www.avsi.org/en/news/2019/05/03/uganda-football4peace-the-initiative-to-promote-peaceful-
coexistence-a/1791/

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NEWS
3 MAY 2019

Uganda. #Football4Peace, the

initiative to promote peaceful
coexistence among youth in Omugo
Refugee Settlement
A collaboration between AVSI Foundation and Onduparaka Football Club to educate
local communities and young people through sports.

 UGANDA

 

 

 

 


The initiative, launched thanks to the partnership between AVSI

Foundation and the Onduparaka Football Club, will be an occasion
for children and youth in Omugo and Palabek refugees’ settlements
to undertake sports activities while cooperating for a peaceful
coexistence.
The three-year project #Football4Peace kicked off on May 3rd and it will start with
two weeks of soccer training sessions at the AVSI Youth Center in Omugo. Young
people in Omugo and Palabek Settlements will be trained in soccer techniques by
professional coaches, using sports as a vehicle to educate and inspire youth.
This community partnership brings together traditional and non-traditional soccer
activities and environments, giving innovatively the opportunity for social
inclusion. Sports activities are used as a tool to promote the peaceful coexistence
among youth of different tribes and nationalities that live side by side in these
refugees’ camps.
In the framework of this project, AVSI has established a multifunctional youth
center in Omugo to include and educate youth on different themes, from sports to
nutrition, life skills and community dialogues. Another innovative way to reach the
communities that live in Arua District, where AVSI is already present.
To find out more on the project #Football4Peace >
 Education and child protection

Related News
 NEWS
2 APRIL 2019
#Goal4Uganda. Soccer in the slum of Kireka
In Uganda Italian soccer champions take the field to teach resilience to 350 boys and girls
 UGANDA
AVSI 
You may have guessed what came next! With a little boost from the 365 team,
Kavine’s team scored new balls and hoops for their evening netball matches.
“This is so exciting!” said Kavine, “my friends and I love to play netball to stay in
shape. It is a great way to spend time with my friends.”
Equipped with their new spiffy gear, the girls took their places on the court with heads
held a little higher. They’re ready to play their favorite pastime in style.
This change made possible by Atomic Data.
 https://www.football4peace.eu/

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F4P could tackle football racism

Posted on October 18, 2019 by Kerry Burnett
Our peace-through-football initiative should be adopted by football’s governing bodies to tackle the
kind of “appalling” racism witnessed in the Bulgaria-England UEFA EURO qualifier.
That’s the view of Dr Gary Stidder, Principal Lecturer and Co-Founder and Deputy Director of
Football 4 Peace.

He said: “In the wake of the appalling scenes in Sofia and the racist behaviour of home fans towards
English footballers there is no better time to address coach, supporter and teacher education through
values-based programmes. Continue reading →
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Posted in News

Football 4 Peace International Festival

Posted on September 23, 2019 by Kerry Burnett
Over 100 children from secondary schools around Sussex took part in the annual Football 4 Peace
festival which was the culmination and finale of a week’s long training camp for potential recruits to
the programme.

The University of Brighton’s Football 4 Peace (F4P) programme, which has operated in Israel,
Palestine, Northern and Republic of Ireland, The Gambia, South Korea, Colombia and South Africa
since 2001, uses football to help resolve conflict between communities. The festival provided
opportunities for new recruits to apply the methodology and put theory into practice with children
aged 11 – 12. Continue reading →
Share
Posted in F4P England

Football 4 Peace Team Building day for Year 7 Pupils

Posted on September 23, 2019 by Kerry Burnett
Pupils from the High Weald Academy in Kent were introduced to the University of Brighton’s
pioneering and ground-breaking Football for Peace (F4P) programme as part of a year 7 team
building day.

Football 4 Peace coaches worked with 60 year seven pupils and applied the F4P methodology
through a series of physical activities aimed to promote values-based teaching and learning such as
equity and inclusion, respect, trust, and responsibility. Continue reading →
Share
Posted in F4P England

Rugby 4 Peace in Colombia

Posted on September 2, 2019 by Kerry Burnett
 A new collaboration is emerging with Barbarian
Rugby Football Club in Bogota, Colombia, which has been using the University of Brighton’s Rugby
for Peace curriculum and methodology to bring its community together.

A group visited the programme and began formalising relationships in June 2018 and this July Dr
Gary Stidder and Dr Tom Carter from the School of Sport and Service Management visited to work
with the Fundación Buen Punto. Established in 2014 the Fundación Buen Punto’s objective is
incentivising sport, and reaching children and young adults that find themselves in unfavourable
situations with limited resources, or with some form of physical or psychological disability, and who
are at risk of exclusion from society. Continue reading →
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Posted in F4P Colombia

2019 Northern Ireland F4P project

Posted on May 13, 2019 by Eric Ha

Connor Cook is a second year Physical Education BA(Hons) student and a Football 4 Peace (F4P)
trained coach – he has recently returned from a study tour in Northern Ireland where he was involved
in coaching using the F4P methodology at Easter football camps.
The camps were run by the Irish Football Association (IFA) as part of their ‘Let Them Play’ Youth
Strategy. The IFA run 100 values-based camps a year for Catholic and Protestant children and they
include the F4P values-based methodology within all their community and school
prgrammes. Continue reading →
Share
Posted in F4P Ireland

Israel adopts Brighton’s Football for Peace

Posted on April 10, 2019 by Kerry Burnett

Left to right – Simon Green, Warren Smart, Gazi Nujeidat, Israel ministry for Culture and Sport, Dr Gary Stidder and
Eli Fratoknic, Senior sports leader Israel Sports Authority.

Israel has adopted the University of Brighton programme which uses football to bring together
communities in conflict.

Football for Peace (F4P), which has operated in Israel, Palestine, Northern and Republic of Ireland,
The Gambia, South Korea and South Africa since 2001, uses value-based coaching to break down
barriers.

The announcement by the Israeli Sport Authority followed participation by PE lecturers from the
University’s School of Sport and Service Management in a five-day ‘Sport for Life’ training event
which involved 50 Arab and Jewish Israeli sports leaders. Continue reading →
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Posted in F4P Israel, News

F4P commended in national campaign

Posted on December 12, 2018 by Kerry Burnett
Football 4 Peace International features in the ‘UK’s Best Breakthroughs’ list, part of the new
‘MadeAtUni’ campaign that celebrates the impact universities have on the wider community.

The list of 100 highlights ground-breaking projects and research which have transformed lives.
Universities UK is the representative organisation for all UK universities.

Gary Stidder, co-founder of the initiative with Professor John Sugden, said: “I have been really proud
to have been associated with Football 4 Peace International for nearly 20 years. As an educationalist I
believe that the multi-dimensional research, education and social engagement platform that utilises
physical education and sport has had a major impact in areas suffering from high levels of cross-
community conflict and various forms of political disorder and social disintegration. Continue
reading →
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Posted in News

Scoring for peace

Posted on September 11, 2018 by Kerry Burnett
More than 200 children from secondary schools around Sussex will be taking part in a football
festival next week.

The University of Brighton’s Football 4 Peace (F4P) programme, which has operated in Israel,
Palestine, Northern and Republic of Ireland, The Gambia, South Korea and South Africa since 2001,
uses football to help resolve conflict between communities.

Last year children from around East and West Sussex and delegates from Ghana, South Africa, South
Korea, Democratic Republic of Conga, Iran, Sudan, Czech Republic and Northern Ireland, took part
in the F4P International Festival which is held at the University’s Falmer campus. Continue
reading →
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Posted in News

University of Brighton academic honoured

Posted on July 5, 2018 by Kerry Burnett
A University of Brighton lecturer has been recognised for “making a difference to the teaching of
physical education at national and international level”.

The Association for Physical Education’s (AfPE) highest honour, the Honoured Members Award
2018, has been awarded to Dr Gary Stidder, Principal Lecturer in PE in the University’s School of
Sport and Service Management.

Dr Stidder, who coordinates the initial teacher training for Physical Education and is the subject’s
route leader for PGCE and Schools Direct student trainees, received his award for services to
physical education and for instilling values based education within the PE curriculum through his
work with Football 4 Peace (@F4Pvalues). Continue reading →
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Posted in News

Football for Peace professor to join UN

Posted on April 19, 2018 by Kerry Burnett
One of the University of Brighton professors who co-founded Football for Peace has been invited to
advise the United Nations.
Professor John Sugden

John Sugden, the University of Brighton’s Emeritus Professor of the Sociology of Sport, will be part
of an expert group supporting the Division for Social Policy and Development of the UN’s
Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

He will fly to the UN’s New York headquarters in June for a meeting ‘Strengthening the Global
Framework for Leveraging Sport for Development and Peace’ in preparation  for a report to the
73  session of the United Nations General Assembly in September.
rd

Professor Sugden said: “This is an honour for all those at the University who have helped build and
promote Football for Peace International. It is also evidence of how the programme is contributing to
global policy in and through sport. Continue reading →
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Posted in NewsTesting 123 can I go with me I feel better excuse me get out of here testing 1 Testing 123
can I go with the this is Gerald alright I'm afraid really will be happy to answer your question As for drug
testing i just got a call from the instructor about a call from the shape of the package you got a call from
a lawyer named Hungry obviously a lot why are you doing if you must my dad was angry about a magaI
don't remember anything unusual when we talk about her father get mad I don't know why until now
her dad was on her alive and he was like zine article and dumb we got into a fight Thursday night i went
there to apologize the mother said that he was dead that's all it happened there from the western edge
of reaction nobody anybody know carry knife associate with people who carry weapons now what I
don't know very much so I I sure ‘’’’father stuff

‘’it was what's next candid about your sex life was your father embarrassed motion relations business
last summer an altercation with the photographer my privacy you see people like that are always targets
I think that's improperly for like you like me we need the names of the people you were with last night
I'd never seen leaving her pack I am any morning like i said it was you got security haven't you pull the
tapes from that you know i read

Over 95 years I look I honey did you take my Phone into the other room and say speak some words into
it OK he like it languages are handsome and the women would practically crawl at him 30 years ago I
saw it coming back nice work instead they were he's selling everything right business wasn't rightfully
mine I used to make all the plastic why would you even set up the paint page without it shoes I saw it
but I never saw a paper stating there was a partnership but this was a family business never thought of
legal documents it was taken for granted try to understand do not take anything for granted she's lying
against him suppose you can find it later or something in the file something something from books
nobody knows about this business is one except you great 10:00 o'clock in this business I'm sorry my life
although i must admit I never could understand why it wasn't worth the snakes that's why that's the
way he thinks all of us slaves even his own kids