| dc.description.abstract | The conflict in South Sudan has caused multiple sufferings to civilians. The United Nations Institute of Peace reported that nearly 400,000 people had been killed between 2013 and 2018. Because of its geographical location and progressive immigration policies, Uganda hosts around 1.4 million refugees of whom 62% are from South Sudan. Over the years, several Non-Governmental Organizations have been offering various humanitarian and development interventions to refugees. However, despite these interventions, the majority of refugees remain poor. Against this background, this study shall examine how Non-Governmental Organizations integrated and promoted refugees functioning and capabilities through training activities.
A total of 15 individuals semi-structured interviews and one focus group discussion from Kiryandongo refugee settlement were used. The data was collected from both refugees and staff working for non-governmental organizations. The data collected were qualitatively analyzed using the Capability Approach.
The main finding was that refugees made efforts to convert the training skills acquired into capabilities, but their efforts were thwarted by several factors such as mismatches between the training activities offered and the refugees’ past experiences and expectations.
Moreover, refugees' past traumatic experiences are associated with a high prevalence of mental health problems. The NGOs implementing interventions for refugees must therefore mainstream psychosocial support services into the training activities. | |