Stories

Balance for Better

One of the consequences of the lack of balance is Violence Against Women and Girls (VAW/G). This can be described as “acts that inflict physical, mental or sexual harm or suffering, threats of such acts, coercion and other deprivations of liberty”. This type of violence is gender-based, meaning...

I won’t drop out school because of Menstruation -Janet

Despite having dropped out of school in 2014, Janet never lost hope. She believed that a day would come when her desire to go back to school would be met. And the opportunity came in the refugee settlement where she re-enrolled for school in 2017.

Defending Women's Rights At All Costs

Elizabeth Ashamu Deng , Oxfam’s South Sudan Regional Policy and Advocacy Coordinator, spoke with Susan Grace Duku, the women’s representative to the highest refugee leadership body in Rhino Settlement, Arua District, about challenges she has experienced as a female refugee leader and how she uses...

“If you become used to speaking in this group, you can do the same elsewhere,” says refugee Veronica Lakulu, shown here addressing a women’s group. Photo: Elizabeth Stevens/Oxfam.

Standing up for women’s rights in the shadow of war

By Elizabeth Stevens More than a million refugees from South Sudan have fled to Uganda, where Oxfam partners are helping women fight for equality, security, justice, and dignity. When women arrive in northern Uganda from South Sudan, they are fresh from the horrors of war. They tell of the arrival...

'There Is Nothing Like A Chance To Live In Peace'

Emmanuel spends his days in Kyakya II refugee settlement sitting in the shade of a simple wooden structure. Most people from the surrounding area know him; he is the tailor. “Not many refugees possess a sewing machine, but I brought mine from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC),” he proudly...

Prince’s Journey To Uganda

Prince has found refuge in Kyakya II only recently. His way to finding safety and security was not one without hurdles. “The soldiers brought me to a forest, tied my wrists and ankles to a chair, and left me there to slowly die,” he goes on. “After some long hours I realized the ropes around my...

For Sandra, Dreams Do Come True

Her name is Sandra and she is a refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). She came to Uganda in 2001 at the age of eight, fleeing the violence in the DRC together with her mother and sister. Sandra has been volunteering with Oxfam since April this year. “I like it,” she says. “I am...

I was scared to death - Esperanza's story

Esperanza says that one day she would like to go back to school. This is one of her biggest hopes for the future. In the DRC, she stopped studying a couple of years ago because her father could not afford paying for school fees anymore. “My dream is to become a nurse and be able to help people,”...

The Dream To Find My Family Keeps Me Strong

Kambese Mubawa is a 40-year-old from Kiwanga village, Rutushuru zone, North Kivu Province. He fled the Democratic Republic of Congo because of the conflicts in his region. He unfortunately lost some family members to these conflicts. “I watched helplessly as the rebels slit my elder brother’s...