Participatory Analysis

The participatory analysis of all stories of change collected was carried out by the local evaluation team prior to the community screening. Scribed stories were considered alongside the filmed stories and the reasons that were given in the story circles for selection as well as personal reflections filmed during the post-production days with each trainee The discussions at the community screening, captured on flip charts, then translated and shared with the wider team were incorporated into the analysis by InsightShare for this report.

Overview and rationale for the participatory analysis process, October 18 2022

Clustering and analysing the data

The evaluation team was asked to identify the main changes identified in the stories as well as the key enabling factors and blockers or barriers mentioned. They represented barriers/blockers in red, enablers in yellow and changes in green. Having analysed the video and scribed stories, the trainees organised the cards and incorporated an extra category called "Future aspirations"that were captured using blue cards

orting exercise, October 18 2022

The trainees used coloured cards to find commonalities and sub groups, using a method called 'pile sorting' to begin to cluster the data. They gave titles to each sub group of blockers, enablers and changes as they arranged the data on the wall, grouping the cards beneath them.

The trainees then started extracting the information from the data clusters to discuss the nature of barriers, enablers and changes and the relationship between them They could then discuss the contribution that the enablers had to support participants overcome barriers, making visible the contribution of the programme intervention as well as other factors.

Once the team had clustered the data, they created a video report to complement the visual representation of the analysis on the wall and their verbal analysis is included in the themes that emerged, presented below.

Participatory analysis in action - October 18 2022

Grouping cards into similar topics and developing themes within the four categories of barriers, enablers, changes and future aspirations/dreams.

Developing themes and re-grouping cards to form data clusters

Barriers

The impact of refugee status in the living conditions and broader wellbeing and ability to become economically independent were clearly reflected during story circles, stories of change captured on video and community screening discussions. The trainees that were refugees themselves also reflected on the data based on their personal experiences.

Isolation

Many participants looked back on their arrival in Uganda and expressed the difficulties in moving forward because of lack of friends, family or community. All of the stories recorded and many that came through the story circles mentioned how hard life was when they first arrived in a strange country with no connections or community support.

Poverty and hunger

Many stories shared in the story circles talked about the extreme hunger faced by refugees when they newly arrived to Uganda and to the Nakivale Settlement, with insufficient funds for food even through the provision of the World Food Programme, exacerbated by what they described as a high cost of living

Discrimination

Many participants spoke about the stigma attached to their refugee status and experiencing discrimination from the wider community, leading to a loss of self-confidence and fear for their safety

Access to education

Lack of access to education was discussed in most groups from two perspectives, one being the lack of suitable provision and the second and more prevalent was the inability to pay school fees Without the ablity to send children to school, there is little hope of advancement for future generations Wenzetu is a successful initiative providing schooling for children with disabilities, however its resources do not stretch far enough

Health issues

The health facilities in the settlement are poor and medical consultations and medication are expensive Participants mentioned common health conditions such as high blood pressure and mental health problems that they attibute to stressful and uncertain living conditions

Disability Dependency syndrome

Disability in addition to the challenges of being a refugee was also cited as a barrier to acquiring employment or establishing and maintaining enterprises

Some participants spoke about insufficient support, for example of land provided by the government and resources provided by UN agencies. The lack of access to finance and training also perpetuates dependency on humanitarian aid.

Unforeseen circumstances

Participants described how the fragility of their living situations made them even more vulnerable to dealing with unforeseen circumstances, as they had no back-up, financially or otherwise. They identified death of a partner (particularly husbands - women identified this as a greater issue), single parenthood, failure of business, drought affecting crops, unexpected ill health and of course, the impact of Covid-19 was amplified in these circumstances.

Unemployment

Many stories shared in the story circles described the lack of employment opportunities and the long distances travelled in order to find work, often unsuccessfully. Those who did find work reported frequently that they were not paid for their labours.

Lack of financial literacy

Before receiving training in financial literacy, participants described misusing the little money that they had, especially in terms of saving culture, and some spoke about their businesses collapsing because of lack of understanding of finances. Others identified poor future planning because of lack of skills

Fear of taking out loans

Some groups lacked trust in financial institutions, fearing their ability to pay back loans and worrying that their property would be confiscated if they were unable to pay back their instalments.

Difficulties in accessing loans

Access to financial support to enable refugees to begin a business, or grow a business was identified as a barrier across all of the groups. Despite the presence of the new branch of OBUL in Nakivale, and the financial literacy training, some people spoke about not having the necessary requirements made by the bank to acquire loans, such as lack of collateral.

Difficulties in managing loans

Another frequent theme was the level of interest rate being too high for refugees starting with little to manage Within this were sub-themes around the amount of loan made available often being less than requested and therefore insufficient to make a real difference to their businesses.

"Refugees face a life with no security and their circumstances often lead to health problems such as high blood pressure and mental health challenges. They need affordable hospitals that can treat them well."

Aqrchet Diana Salume, OBUL Project Supervisor, Kampala

"Many people in Nakivale only focus on cash for food provided by the World Food Programme and this reduces self-sustainability and the impetus to progress forward."

Diana Kakwezi, OBUL Financial Literacy and Busines Skills trainer, Nakivale

Enablers

Enablers were identified in the story circles and can be clearly seen articulated in the video stories Enablers are factors that contributed to improving the general well-being and living conditions of refugees as well as specifically interventions that focused directly on economic barriers to a better life, and better standard of living.