Empowering Refugee Women Through Nutrition and Sustainable Livelihoods
Namisa Alphonsine, a 46-year-old mother of nine (6 boys and 3 girls), arrived in Uganda from the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2013 in search of safety. Namisa and her family were among thousands who found refuge in Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement, Base Camp One, Nkoma Subcounty in Kamwenge District, southwestern Uganda. There, they continue to face challenges related to food security, nutrition, and livelihoods. These challenges are not isolated as data from October 2025 mass screenings by the Ministry of Health, UNICEF, UNHCR, and WFP indicated that over 12% of refugees in Uganda suffer severe malnutrition.
For Namisa, these challenges became even more difficult in 2021, when her husband passed away, leaving her to care for their children alone. With the refugee allowance by WFP cut off due to funding shortages, she struggled to provide enough nutritious food for her family, often relying on neighbours for vegetables. “I was struggling to feed my children, and I didn’t know what to do,” Namisa recalls. “My children were weak and sickly most times, and I felt helpless.”
With support from the CASCADE project, Namisa’s story changed from one of struggle and uncertainty to one of resilience, as training in kitchen gardening, nutrition, savings, and livelihood development helped her grow diverse nutritious foods, improve her children’s health, and build a more secure future for her family.
Adjusting the Ways to Grow Nutritious Food and Build Resilient Livelihoods
The project adjusted its approach within refugee settlements by strengthening grassroots systems and accountability mechanisms that are accessible to both the refugee and host community populations. CASCADE invested in training community resource persons, role model men, religious leaders, and village health teams drawn from refugee and host communities, enabling sustained, locally led behaviour change and bridging service gaps. It also promoted joint planning, coordination, and service improvement through approaches such as community score cards and multi-stakeholder platforms, ensuring that feedback – especially from women, particularly refugee women – translated into more responsive nutrition services in both settings. By integrating gender-transformative approaches with livelihood elements such as village savings and loan associations and kitchen gardens, alongside advocacy with district and settlement systems, CASCADE ensured that interventions were inclusive and responsive to local realities. This helped address the distinct vulnerabilities and interdependencies of refugees and host communities, fostering shared ownership and more sustainable nutrition outcomes.
CASCADE through its partner Tomorrow Vijana trained role model men in social analysis and action as part of the gender transformative strategy for women’s empowerment particularly strengthening their agency and joint decision making towards food secure households.
Musani Mukangya, one of the trained role model men within the settlement under the CASCADE project, noticed Namisa’s struggles. As a role model man, Musani supports and mentors other men to challenge harmful gender norms and promote more equitable, non-violent, and collaborative family and community relationships. He encouraged Namisa to join hands with nine other single refugee mothers and form a group to learn kitchen gardening and how to save.
“He told me to gather other women and form a group to learn about gardening and nutrition. I was hesitant at first, but he assured me it would be worth it,” says Namisa. With support from Musani, Namisa and her group members began learning sustainable kitchen gardening techniques focused on cultivating diverse, nutrient-rich crops. They were also trained in what constitutes a diverse diet, the composition of different foods, and how various nutrients support body growth, health, and overall development. Practical cooking demonstrations further showed them how nutrients can be lost during food preparation and how to preserve them through better cooking practices.
The group also started a weekly savings scheme, with each member contributing UGX 1,000 (approximately EUR 0.25). The pooled savings were first invested in a group poultry enterprise and later expanded to piggery. This not only generated additional income but also supplied manure to enrich their vegetable gardens. As members continued to earn income and build their savings, they gradually invested in their own household enterprises.
Today, Namisa’s efforts have yielded remarkable results: she now owns 20 chickens, two piglets, and has a thriving kitchen garden with spinach, cabbages, carrots, onions, green peppers, and eggplants.
Her children enjoy a balanced diet, and she has generated enough income to pay school fees for two children. Her son David, 16 years previously anaemic, is now healthy and strong. “My son David was always sick, and I thought it was witchcraft. But Musani taught us about nutrition, and now he is healthy and strong,” says Namisa.
Namisa herself benefits from fresh produce for her recovery from a jaw injury, as doctors recommended a diet rich in greens.
Inspiring Other Women
Namisa’s kitchen garden inspired seven other women in her group and neighbours to adopt backyard gardening. ”When I saw how Namisa’s vegetables were growing well and how much food she was harvesting from a small garden, I decided to start my own backyard garden with more guidance from her. “Today, my family has fresh vegetables to eat, and I also sell some to earn extra income.” Says Faida Buto, one of Namisa’s group members.
The group fosters peer learning and savings, strengthening community resilience. Through kitchen gardening and nutrition knowledge, households within Base Camp One, Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement now experience improved dietary diversity and sustainable income generation. The benefits extend beyond individual households, as surplus vegetables are sold within the camp community, increasing access to fresh produce for other families.
Looking Ahead
Namisa is proud of how far she has come. What began as a small step into kitchen gardening has grown into a source of food, income, confidence, and hope for her family.
“I’m grateful for the CASCADE project and our role model farmer Musani. We have come a long way, and I’m excited about the future,” Namisa says.
Compiled By: CASCADE Uganda Team
