Attachments
CONTEXT & RATIONALE
Uganda has a long history of hosting refugees. Approximately 1.5 million refugees are residing in Uganda at the time of writing, making Uganda the largest refugee-hosting country in Africa. Most refugees are from South Sudan (roughly 60% of refugees) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) (roughly 30%). Refugees continue to arrive in Uganda, with continued influxes in the first half of 2023.
Uganda’s progressive refugee policies have resulted in refugees being welcomed in settlements across the west and north of the country, with freedom of movement and the right to work. This has resulted in many refugees moving to various areas in Uganda, including the capital city Kampala and secondary cities such as Mbarara, Gulu, and Arua. Self settled urban refugees are often assumed to have better opportunities for employment and self-reliance. However, according to the livelihoods assessment titled The Realities of Self-reliance within the Ugandan Refugee Context published by U-Learn and REACH in April 2023, the livelihood strategies and sources of income for the urban refugees are relatively unsustainable and unreliable.
Following the aforementioned livelihoods assessment published in 2023, an in-depth assessment has been carried out in the city of Gulu to further understand the linkage between the movement intentions, role of remittances, and livelihood intentions among urban refugees. Therefore, this assessment supplements the information already obtained from the livelihoods assessment.
KEY FINDINGS
• The majority of refugees living in the settlements appear to have no intention of moving to an urban centre.This is most likely due to a lack of financial capital to support living in urban areas without external financial assistance such as remittances. Expected changes in General Food Assistance (GFA) rations, however, may change these dynamics.
• The main barriers to sustainable livelihoods for refugees were identified to be poor access to formal financial services and poor access to markets, and social networks play a key role in mitigating limited access to these services and in facilitating urban migration.
• Access to remittances appear to be a pre-requisite for many refugees’ ability and willingness to self-settle in urban centres.
• For urban refugees receiving remittances, remittances generally make up the majority of their total income.
• In Gulu, remittances were the most commonly reported source of income, and are typically used to meet the basic needs of the household, as well as accessing services and paying rent.
• Urban refugees in Gulu expressed an interest in starting a business in Uganda.
• The majority of refugees in Gulu are registered as refugees, though approximately a quarter of respondents had not passed through a settlement, meaning they will likely not have any refugee documentation.