Chevening alumni skill refugees on law, gender

The Chevening Alumni Association of Uganda (CAAU) has launched a skilling programme for urban refugees in Kampala Metropolitan area as part of its wider giving-back-to-community initiative.
The first of the training sessions, dubbed clinics, took place on Saturday at the offices of Young African Refugees and Integral Development (YARID) offices in Nsambya, a Kampala suburb.

It covered the legal regime in Uganda, the laws governing refugees, and tackled gender and human rights issues.
Officials said a second clinic is planned for February 26, covering financial literacy and entrepreneurship, ahead of the March 11 CAAU fundraising convention and annual conference.
The fundraising is to muster resources to buy at least 10 laptops and pay Internet connection for a year for a refugees’ computer lab, according to the association’s chairperson, Ms Helen Kaweesa.

Ms Charity Namara, one of the volunteer facilitators at the Saturday training, said an awareness on gender equality is important to them.  “They come to a foreign country with their own social, cultural and gender norms. This is likely to raise tensions. So, the training that CAAU conducted was to promote positive attitude for gender transformation among the refugees and host communities,” she said.
CAAU is a grouping of gifted Ugandans who undertook graduate studies in the United Kingdom on the British government’s prestigious Chevening scholarship, preparing them for leadership roles.

According to Ms Sarah Akoth Olala, a human rights lawyer and volunteer trainer, they shared knowledge about refugees’ rights, obligations and limitations, right to education, and to lease land. She cautioned refugees against involving in partisan local politics, but informed them of their right to work, do business and obligation to pay taxes.
CAAU vice chairperson Allan Brian Ssembajjwe said the partnership with YARID to train refugees is the alumni’s way of giving back to the less privileged.

Major aim
“Sometimes, refugees in camps get leverage because they live in one place. But the urban refugees integrate within the community and they [may] not understand their [range of] rights. We are working with them so that they do not feel left out,” he said.
Ms Sarah Natumanya, the alumni project lead, said the clinics will address refugees’ right to employment, property acquisition, businesses, and the dos and don’ts regarding local politics, cultural and legal variations, including about marriage.

“There are gender-related issues and intersecting challenges that mostly affect women refugees, [and this is what we are addressing],” she said.
Mr Wisdom Kalungo Goodluck, one of the refugee leaders, thanked CAAU for the initiative, noting that many rights of refugees have been violated due to limited knowledge of national laws.
“When refugees go to court or police, they are treated badly, they are denied services, they cannot access medical services and yet refugees have legal issues between them and fellow refugees and the nationals,” he said.