Supporting Refugees in Uganda
Since 2016, Peace Winds has supported refugees who are seeking safe haven in Uganda after fleeing strife in Sudan, South Sudan, and other countries. Now, we work in two refugee settlements–Imvepi in the north and Kyaka II in the west–to meet the ongoing needs of refugees there.
Activities provide water, sanitation, and hygiene services for refugees and for members of the surrounding communities. This includes building and maintaining latrines, wells, and other water lines, and conducting sanitation education to encourage proper hygiene and mitigate disease spread.
Additionally, refugees in settlements in Uganda tend to lack access to menstrual products, like pads, as well as education about menstrual health. Combined with harmful stereotypes and stigmas around periods, refugees often miss work or school during menstruation. Peace Winds complements its support for sanitation infrastructure with comprehensive menstrual health and hygiene support. Programs combine pad distribution with community-wide education and empowerment to create a supportive environment for menstrual health.
Peace Winds has also conducted vocational training programs that help refugees, especially women, become more socially and economically self-reliant. Women learn skills in areas like sewing, hairdressing and barbering, soap making, and accounting, which they use to find jobs, or even open their own businesses, to support themselves and their families. Vocational training courses also provide an opportunity to increase awareness about gender-based violence and support those who have experienced it.
Read the program updates below to learn more.
