Behind the scenes

Many a time, we subconsciously come to conclusions about certain things that we do not actually know very well. For example as a young boy while growing up, I used to think to myself that driving a car was as easy as pushing my toy car all over the floor. My ultimate love at

The Tears of Living with Untreated War Traumas in Post-Conflict northern Uganda

Introduction On 28th August 2017, I received a phone call from a war victims’ representative in Moyo, a district located on the border with South Sudan approximately 470 kilometers northwest of Uganda’s capital city Kampala. He was concerned about the daunting number of

Beasts of burden: Unaccompanied refugee children biting more than they can swallow

Introduction In many African countries confronted with escalating conflict, protection issues of children remain a major challenge. UNHCR says children make up to 62% of the 1.8 million people displaced by fighting in South Sudan, and more than 75,000 unaccompanied minors

Tackling Conflict-related Sexual Violence: How much are we tapping from young people’s creativity?

I recently found my commitment to tackling conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) reinvigorated when I took an important trip to Bath College’s New Perspectives exhibition on June 20, 2017 to support a magnificent piece of art on display which illuminates the plight of male survivors of CRSV

RLP’s English for Adults: A lifeline for urban refugees in Kampala

Uganda is home to 695,386 refugees and asylum seekers (Office of the Prime Minister, September 2016) mostly originating from neighboring countries within the Great Lakes Region of Africa such as South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia, Gambia, Benin, Ethiopia, and Eritrea among others.

Clipped Wings

Introduction When I was much younger, I was naughty and overly outspoken and so, I often found myself in trouble. Sure I got my share of canes but what I remember was that even then, my mother always encouraged me to ‘speak my mind’ and never to keep silent when I knew

Psychological First Aid Provision for Urban Refugees in Uganda: Opportunities and Dilemmas

Introduction World Mental Health Day was first celebrated on 10th October 1992, nearly quarter of a century ago. This year the theme set by the World Health Organisation calls us to address the question of “Psychological first aid”. Psychological First Aid refers to a range of

No Pride in Ageing: The Plight of Elderly Refugees in Uganda

Introduction On December 14, 1990, the UN General Assembly made October 1 as the International Day of Older Persons, following up on initiatives such as the Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing, which was adopted by the 1982 World Assembly on Ageing and

Empowerment as a substitute to direct services model: Experiences from the basic video advocacy training for refugees

Early 2014, the Refugee Law Project (RLP), School of Law Makerere University together with Institute for Development Studies (IDS) jointly delivered a weeklong training to a peer support group of male victims of conflict-related sexual violence. The training was on how to use