Addressing land degradation and climate challenges in Uganda’s Bidibidi Refugee Settlement
Happy World Environment Day! This year's World Environment Day is focusing on the impacts of land degradation, droughts, and desertification.
One example of how CHASE Africa supports our local partners in restoring the land and promoting resilience to drought and climate change is through our work with RICE West Nile in Uganda.
Since 2022, with The JAC Trust, we have supported their integrated health and environmental project in the Bidibidi Refugee Settlement in Uganda.
The Bidibidi Refugee Settlement is located in the Northwest corner of Uganda. It houses families displaced from neighbouring countries such as South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Bidibidi houses over 180,000 people and 71% of households are headed by women.
As a result of these displacements, the area is experiencing an increasing rate of environmental degradation and tree loss, as the refugees and host communities compete for scarce resources required for cooking, keeping warm and generating income.
Climate change is creating further challenges through low rainfall, flash floods and hailstorms, as well as increasing crop and livestock pests and diseases.
Members of a Women's Group establish their kitchen garden with support from RICE-West Nile
As well as the pressure of the land, the development of these large refugee settlements has created strains on already under-resourced health services in the area, often creating tensions and conflicts between refugees and host communities.
Our project with RICE West Nile sustainably manages natural resources, increases food security, improves livelihoods, and improves both the ecosystem and human health of refugee and host communities in Bidibidi Refugee Settlement.
Alongside this work, the organisation enhances community awareness about Sexual and Reproductive Health, including family planning. This helps to address the high rates of teenage pregnancy and early marriage in the region due to religious and cultural practices, and improves access to health services and information.
RICE-West Nile lead a training session on the construction of Lorena cookstoves
Since 2023 RICE West Nile has:
- Established of a community-managed tree nursery managed by 5 trained Parish Environment Champions, raising an estimated 20,000 fruit and wood tree seedlings and increasing access to tree seedlings for the communities of Bidibidi.
- Established 4 acres of planted trees
- Trained 20 Parish Environment Champions in constructing metal-clad energy-saving cook stoves.
- Formed and supported 10 Self-Help Groups with a total of 278 members (83% women and 53.2 % refugees). The members took part in training on best agricultural practices, financial literacy, and kitchen gardening. Each group was equipped with savings kits and farm inputs such as watering cans, sprayer pumps, and quality seeds and all have set up kitchen gardens at their demonstration sites.
- Identified and supported 8 Role Model Farmers who received high-quality seeds and technological guidance through the Enabling Rural Initiative (ERI) approach. They are now equipped to educate community members on best farming practices, multiply seeds for local farmers, and produce food to enhance food security, particularly for refugees affected by reduced food rations from the World Food Programme and UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency).
- Organised two community dialogues to foster peaceful coexistence and empower women to take on leadership roles. As a result, one group member was encouraged to stand for election and was elected as the Vice Chairperson for Refugee Welfare III.
- Reached 4,152 individuals through community dialogues to raise awareness about Sexual and Reproductive Health, including family planning.
- Provided 704 women and girls with family planning services, 451 people with Sexual and Reproductive Health services, and 1,550 people with basic healthcare services.
“Through the support from CHASE Africa, we are restoring the land and promoting resilience to drought and climate change, and this not only safeguards the environment but also enhances the health and prosperity of the communities we serve.”
Herbert Anyama
Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Officer for RICE West Nile.