South Sudanese Women Building Associatio 1. HISTORY
South Sudanese Women Building Association (SSWBA) is Non-governmental, Non-profit making, Women centred Association engaged in relief/humanitarian initiatives to support South Sudanese   women residing in Bweyale in and outside the settlement. SSWBA was formed by a group of refugee volunteers in Kiryadongo Refugee many of whom were affected by impacts of Gender injustices. It emerged as a self help group to support their members socially <(>&<)> economically to cope with the impacts of gender injustices and conditions of refugee living in general in the settlement.
Through various demand driven <(>&<)> human cantered programs, SSWBA has been able to transition from a self help group formed in 2018 to an Association and later as a Community Based Organization, Women Led RLO registered with Kiryandongo District Local Government in 2022. Interventions of SSWBA focus on Participatory Integrated Development (PICD) approach tthrough harnessing IDEAS, INNOVATION and INVESTMENT and leaving no one behind so thatthe women become self-reliant and are able to meet their basic needs and contribute positively towards a sustainable society through various approaches for household Gender Integration.
2. ACHIEVEMENTS
Generally, SSWBA invests in the capacity of the women thereby building community capacity through a self-help approach (Mara Suja) that focusses on attitude/mindset change, self-reliance (doing it ourselves), visioning, strategic action planning, fulfilment strategies <(>&<)> action towards an all-inclusive relief <(>&<)> development process that thecommunities fully contribute to (re-engineer), own and lead so that solutions are desirable, technically feasible <(>&<)> economically viable. The principle of  Mara Suja is that the communities who face the different challenges know about them better and are best placed to generate effective solutions and address their own challenges. Mara Suja further believes that the communities have the resources, ideas <(>&<)> the power to transform except have constraints <(>&<)> vulnerabilities hence Mara Suja unlocks community potentials and facilitates the change process by addressing the constraints <(>&<)> vulnerabilities. Mara Suja has created a comprehensive vision strategy that builds on Economic Empowerment, Gender <(>&<)> Human rights interventions,Women<(>&<)> girls leadership, Peaceful co-existence, Functional Adult Literacy as well as environmental conservation through training on energy sources. Our targetgroup among others include; Women, Girls, OVC, Children, Youth and Most at Risk Populations (MAP).

To achieve all this, the following are some of the interventions successfully accomplished: -
 About 35 women trained on VSLA and three saving groups were formed all with Management committee composed of women (Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Counters and Key holders) with each group provided with saving boxes and booklets, this was made possible through support from Widows and Orphans Charitable Organisation (WOCO) South Sudan.
 Organized workshops on peace dissemination in which 40 church leaders, youth leaders and women groups were brought together, this was a move to bringing lasting peace in South Sudan.
 105 women and girls trained on hand skills on how to make hand bagsand liquid soap, this was made possible through contributions from members of the organization.
 48 women and girls were enrolled and actively participated in literacy class (learning English).
 80 people including community’s leaders, religious leaders, youthsand women leaders attended one-day workshop, a peacedissemination program aimed at bringing peaceful coexistence among the different communities from South Sudan, disseminating the leaders on the main objectives of the R-ARCS agreement and enabling them to own it. This program was organised by SSWBA underthe auspice of the Network of South Sudan Civil Society Organisations in Uganda (NOSSCOU)with funding from Konrad Adenauer Stifftung (KAS) Uganda and South Sudan.
 Participated in the African Summit 2019 on the role of refugee’s leaders in promoting and advocating for refugees’ participation and self-representation inclusion organized by Global Refugee Led Organisation Network in Addis Ababa.
 Provided awareness to the different saving groups on the SOPS as far as Covid 19 is concerned, teaching them on the signs and symptoms of corona virus.
 Trained 95 women on trauma healing in Bweyale Town Council as means of overcoming the shocks due to corona virus.
 Promoted the Covid-19 vaccination campaign themed “Covid-19 vaccine is safe, itsaves life” in Kiryandongo refugee settlement in health centres such as Panyadoli health centre III, Panyadoli Hill centre II and Nyakadot health centre II under the auspice of Refugee Led Organisation Network (RELON UGANDA) with support from Oxfam.
 60 Women from both the refugees and the host trained on hand skills how to make briquettes including SSWBA staffs, this training helps in conserving the environment as well as provision of cheap energy sources for cooking for the women. The training was possible withsupport from Oxfam through RELON Uganda.
 Conducted joint community dialogue in Magamaga and cluster K in partnership with CTEN in which 50women were in attendance, the dialogue was as a means of hearing the concerns from the women and how to tackle such challenges related to peaceful co-existence with support from UNHCR.
3.    INSTITUTIONAL PURPOSE
Vision: A community where women have efficient human capacities <(>&<)> good quality of life for Sustainable Development.
Mission: To Empower the women in and outside the settlement for positive Socio-Economic Development.
Goal:
To deliver developmental and empowerment programs and activities that promote women, girls and youths through simple <(>&<)> practical approaches.
Core values:
● Transparency and accountability, act in open and responsible manners and taking responsibilities of all omissions and commissions when executing its mandates.
● Integrity: Promote honesty, truthfulness, maintaining social ethical and organisational norms firmly adhering to codes of conduct and ethical principles.
● Humility: “True humility is not thinking less of yourself. It is thinking of yourself less”. This is an organizational virtue that enables us to see the world as it is with all the challenges hurting it.
● Audacity: - “We have a dream, we have a vision, we have a mission, we have to do something, we will do it at this time”. This organizational virtue enables us to imagine how the ideal world should be.
● Courage: - “Courage doesn’t mean you don’t get afraid; it means you don’t let fear stop you” This organizational virtue makes us boldly create the change we envision.




Principle objectives
● To provide humanitarian and charitable support, empower women, girls and youth and provide emergency humanitarianassistance to the best of its abilities.
● To mobilize resources to support and empower women, girls and youth through its various activities so that they become self-reliantt and contribute positively towards a sustainable community.
● To aadvocate and promote gender equality and empower women and girls by removing any barriers that prevent their full participation in society.
● To promote reduction of Sexual Gender-Based violence in households and gender equality in our processes.
● To promote peaceful co-existence among the women, between refugees, between refugees <(>&<)> host communities in thesettlement, the District, Uganda and abroad.
● To contribute to improvement of behavior/mindset change activities, community mobilisation, awareness creation,radio spots, health education, behaviour change campaigns, family planning education, fight against HIV/AIDS.

Field(s) of activity:
Economic Empowerment: Engagement of women and girls in socio-economic empowerment programs e.g., Agriculture, Vocational Skills Training, Business Skills Development, Financial Literacy, Life Skills Development, Income generating activities, formation of VSLA groups and training on micro finance.
● Gender <(>&<)> Human rights interventions through reducing Gender Based Violence, Menstrual Hygiene Management, Women Safe spaces, Women Groups.
● Women/Girl leadership through promotion of Good governance, Women involvement in planning, budgeting, budget management, local leadership and other decision-making processes.
● Peacefulco-existence through promoting peace building, conflict transformation, conflict sensitive programming, promoting Do No Harm Approaches among the women and the refugee population, refugees <(>&<)> Host Communities.
● Functional Adult Literacy   through promotion of Family Basic Education, Promotion of Numeracy <(>&<)> Literacy among Women <(>&<)> Girls.
● Energy and environmental conservation, through training women on cheap and environmentally friendly energy sources such as briquettes, home centred energy stoves.

• Others - specify
Areas of operation:
SSWBAU operates in the refugee <(>&<)> host communities in Kiryadongo refugee settlement.



4. STRATEGIC POSITIONING
As of the 2014 census, there are over 266,197 residents in the Kiryandongo District, and based onrecords provided by the UNHCR and OPM (Office of the Prime Minister), there are more than 100,000 asylum seekers and refugees living in KiryandongoRefugee Settlement. This includes Ugandan IDPs, Bududa survivors from Mbale landslide of 2010, and Congolese, Kenyan, and South Sudanese refugees, who are the main target population for this project. There are also refugees from Burundi and Rwanda.

The refugee community has increased lately due to push factors in refugees’ countries of origin, especially South Sudan. Push factors include violence, financial instability, famine, lack of reliable services, etc. According to UNHCR statistics, there were 19,730 new South Sudanese arrivals in Kiryandongo between July 1, 2016 and September 25, 2016. The influx of South Sudanese refugees has led to the closure of the settlement to new arrivals, since it cannot accommodate more people. However, numbers continue to increase, mainly due tofamily members being reunited. Children and mothers constitute about 80% of the settlement’s population.

Despite Uganda’s progressive refugee policy allowing refugees to start businesses, own property and seek employment, at least 80% of Uganda’s refugees live below the International poverty line of $1.90 per day. A 2018 surveyby UNHCR found that refugee households tended to be less resilient compared to their hosts due to limited diversification of sources of income, limited productive assets, limited varieties of cropsgrown. Besides, the women, children are more vulnerable to shocks. Furthermore, they are more prone to gender injustices yet impacts of COVID 19 Compounded this as there was a drastic rise in GBV, Teenage pregnancies, dropout rates among an array of social ills that impacts women, girls, children disproportionately.
he  Kiryandongo  refugee  settlement  comprises  54,977
refugees  (approximately  10,000  households).  The
settlement is located on 27 square miles of land adjacent
to  the  town  of  Bweyale  in  Kiryandongo District  near
the major highwaythat runs from Kampala to Gulu (see
Figure 3).[8]  The Kiryandongo  area  had  previously  been
aresettlement  area  for  refugees  eeing  the  Mau  Mau
conict  in  Kenya in  1950s.[16] Subsequently  the region
became part  of a  cattle ranching area  created by  the  Idi
Amin government. This  legacy  lives  on in the  names  of
the three sections  of  the camp  (Figure  3). The area  was
then re-assigned by the current government in the 1990s
to  settle  members  of  the  Sudanese  People’s  Liberation
Army  (SPLA)  who  had  ed across  the Ugandan border
from Parajok  in  Torit.  By  1992,  the allocation  of plots
of land was initiated  and  families  began to build homes
and  plant  crops.[16]  The  camp  was  then  closed  to  new
refugees in 1995. The  settlement  was  reopened in 2014
to  accommodate  the  huge  inux  of refugees  eeing the
2013 conict in SouthSudan. Like all refugee settlements
in  Uganda,  Kiryandongo is  governed by  the  OPM  and
UNHCR. Twenty-twoadditional  multilateral and  non-
governmental  organisations  also  support  refugees  in  the
settlement.
Host Communities
The  Kiryandongo  District  of  Uganda  has  a population
of  approximately  317,500.  The  area  is  poorer  than
the  national  average,  with  the  majorityof  households
(80%) earning their livelihood  from  subsistence  farming
(although  91%  have  other  non-agricultural  household-
based  enterprises).[17]  Forty-two  percent  of  adults  over
18  years  are  illiterate  and  only  12.5%  have  access  to
electricity; 23% of households are more than 5 km from a
public or private health facility.[17]
In  Kiryandongo,  as  in  other  refugeesettlements  in
Uganda, the  OPM, UNHCR, the Food  and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) and non-governmental organisations
provide basic services such as security, clean water and food
to  newly  arrived  refugees.  Health  facilities  and  schools
are also located in  the settlements.  In  poor  districts this
can result  in  refugees  receiving  better  health,  education,
and  security  services  than  residents  of  local  Ugandan
host  communities.  As  a  result  of  this  potential  for
inequities, the Ugandan government requires any refugee
support programmes and activities by non-governmental
organisations to allocate a minimum of  30%  of  support
for  local  host  communities.  All  health  facilities  and
schools established in the refugee settlement must also be
accessible to host community members
he  Kiryandongo  refugee  settlement  comprises  54,977
refugees  (approximately  10,000  households).  The
settlement is located on 27 square miles of land adjacent
to  the  town  of  Bweyale  in  Kiryandongo  District  near
the major highway that runs from Kampala to Gulu (see
Figure 3).[8]  The Kiryandongo  area  had  previously  been
a  resettlement  area  for  refugees  eeing  the  Mau  Mau
conict  in  Kenya in  1950s.[16] Subsequently  the region
became part  of  a  cattle ranching  area  created by  the  Idi
Amin government. This  legacy  lives  on in the  names  of
the three sections  of  the camp  (Figure  3). The area  was
then re-assigned by the current government in the 1990s
to  settle  members  of  the  Sudanese  People’s  Liberation
Army  (SPLA)  who  had  ed across  the Ugandan border
from Parajok  in  Torit.  By  1992,  the allocation  of plots
of land was initiated  and  families  began to build homes
and  plant  crops.[16]  The  camp  was  then  closed  to  new
refugees in 1995. The  settlement  was  reopened in 2014
to  accommodate  the  huge  inux  of refugees  eeing the
2013 conict in South Sudan. Like all refugee settlements
in  Uganda,  Kiryandongo is  governed by  the  OPM  and
UNHCR. Twenty-two  additional  multilateral and  non-
governmental  organisations  also  support  refugees  in  the
settlement.
Host Communities
The  Kiryandongo  District  of  Uganda  has  a population
of  approximately  317,500.  The  area  is  poorer  than
the  national  average,  with  the  majority  of  households
(80%) earning their livelihood  from  subsistence  farming
(although  91%  have  other  non-agricultural  household-
based  enterprises).[17]  Forty-two  percent  of  adults  over
18  years  are  illiterate  and  only  12.5%  have  access  to
electricity; 23% of households are more than 5 km from a
public or private health facility.[17]
In  Kiryandongo,  as  in  other  refugee  settlements  in
Uganda, the  OPM, UNHCR, the Food  and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) and non-governmental organisations
provide basic services such assecurity, clean water and food
to  newly  arrived  refugees.  Health  facilities  and  schools
are also located  in  the settlements.  In  poor  districts this
can result  in  refugees  receiving  better  health,  education,
and  security  services  than  residents  of  local  Ugandan
host  communities.  As  a  result  of  this  potential  for
inequities, the Ugandan government requires any refugee
support programmesand activities by non-governmental
organisations to allocate a minimum of  30%  of  support
for  local  host  communities.  All  health  facilities  and
schools established in the refugee settlement must also be
accessible to host community members
SSWBA is registered with Kiryandongo District Local Government. Registration Number CD/5158 and the structure SSWBA consist of Annual General Assembly, Governing Board, Executive Director who is the head of management unit, Programs Manager, other seniorlevel, mid-level, support <(>&<)> field staff. The organization has a very strong community relationship <(>&<)> stakeholder collaboration with the District <(>&<)> Sub County Local Governments Bweyale Towncouncil, OPM, UNHCR, Settlement structures of Kiryadongo Refugee Settlement through our 5 years presence in the settlement. We have well laid community structures for community access. The Government has provided a stable environment in terms of peace, security <(>&<)> stability coupled with an enabling policy frameworkthat enhances a collaborative relationship between SSWBA and the different key humanitarian partners in the settlement.